For most kids, fifteen is the year of the optional summer job: Sure, you can get a job if you really want one, but it isn't required or anything. Too bad Dave's dad doesn't agree! Instead of enjoying long days of biking, swimming, and sitting around, Dave and his two best friends are being forced by their fathers into a summer of hard labor. The friends have something else in mind, though: Not only will they not work over the summer, but they're determined to trick everyone into believing they really do have jobs. So what if the lifeguard doesn't have a tan or the fast-food worker isn't bringing home buckets of free chicken? There's only one problem: Dave's dad wants evidence that his son is actually bringing in money. And that means Dave, Curtis, and Victor will have to get some . . . without breaking the law and without doing any work! Project Sweet Life is designed for the funny and lazy bone in all of us—a true comedy of errors (without any effort!) from seasoned storyteller Brent Hartinger.
Author
I am Brent Hartinger, a novelist and screenwriter. I’ve published fourteen novels, had nine screenplays optioned, and had two of my projects turned into feature films. My first novel, Geography Club (2003), is the story of a gay teen named Russel Middlebrook. It was one of the first in a new wave of break-out LGBTQ young adult fiction, and it was adapted as a feature film in 2013. I subsequently wrote three more books about Russel, calling them The Russel Middlebrook Series. I tried to give these books a lot of humor and heart. In 2013, I continued Russel’s story as he grew up, into his twenties, in a new, stand-alone series called Russel Middlebook: The Futon Years. These books are “new adult” (making Russel one of very few literary characters to “jump” genres in projects created by the same author). In 2017, I released a new, stand-alone series starring Russel’s gay disabled friend Otto Digmore, called The Otto Digmore Series. I love mysteries and thrillers. My 2016 gay teen puzzle box thriller Three Truths and a Lie was nominated for an Edgar Award (this, and my 2005 novel Grand & Humble, are real mind-benders, trust me). My 2007 YA mystery, Project Pay Day, is much lighter, and has also been adapted as feature film (which I wrote), to be released in 2020. Here are all my books: THE OTTO DIGMORE SERIES * The Otto Digmore Difference (book 1) * The Otto Digmore Decision (book 2) RUSSEL MIDDLEBROOK: THE FUTON YEARS * The Thing I Didn't Know I Didn't Know (book #1) * Barefoot in the City of Broken Dreams (book #2) * The Road to Amazing (book #3) THE RUSSE MIDDLE BROOK SERIES * Geography Club (book #1) * The Order of the Poison Oak (book #2) * Double Feature: Attack of the Soul-Sucking Brain Zombies/Bride of the Soul-Sucking Brain Zombies (book #3) * The Elephant of Surprise (book #4) * Two Thousand Pounds Per Square Inch (a free short story) MY OTHER BOOKS * Project Pay Day * Three Truths and a Lie * Grand & Humble * Shadow Walkers I also love to travel. In fact, I no longer have a home. Instead, I travel the world indefinitely with my husband, writer Michael Jensen, moving to a new country every few months. You can follow our "digital nomad" journey at BrentandMichaelAreGoingPlaces.com I try hard to write books that are page-turners, and movies that are fast-paced and accessible. If I had to describe my own writing projects, I would say, “Strong central concept, strong plot, strong character and voice.” Basically, I see myself as a storyteller. But I think “story” is a lot more than “beautiful language” or complicated camera angles, which I often find self-indulgent and distracting. In most cases, I think the important thing for a writer or filmmaker is to get out of the way and just tell the damn story. I answer all questions, so feel free to contact me on social media, or through my website: BrentHartinger.com Cheers! Brent Hartinger
