The Otto Digmore Difference

Book 1 in The Otto Digmore Series

"Road trip!"

Otto Digmore is a 26-year-old gay guy with dreams of being a successful actor, and he’s finally getting some attention as a result of his supporting role on a struggling sitcom. But he’s also a burn survivor with scars on half his face, and all indications are that he’s just too different to ever find real Hollywood success.

Now he’s up for an amazing new role that could change everything. Problem is, he and his best friend Russel Middlebrook have to drive all the way across the country in order to get to the audition on time.

It’s hard to say which is worse: the fact that so many things go wrong, or that Russel, an aspiring screenwriter, keeps comparing their experiences to some kind of road trip movie.

There’s also the fact that Otto and Russel were once boyfriends, and Otto is starting to realize that he might still have romantic feelings for his best friend.

Just how far will Otto go to get the role, and maybe the guy, of his dreams?

Author Brent Hartinger first introduced the character of Otto Digmore in 2005, in his Lambda Award-winning books about Russel Middlebrook. Back then, Otto was something pretty unusual for YA literature: a disabled gay character.

Now, more than a decade later, Otto is grown up and finally stepping into the spotlight on his own. The Otto Digmore Difference, the first book in a new stand-alone series for adults, is about much more than the challenges of being “different.” It’s also about the unexpected nature of all of life’s journeys, and the heavy price that must be paid for Hollywood fame.

But more than anything, it’s a different kind of love story, about the frustrating and fantastic power of the love between two friends.

REVIEWS

“A frank and funny tale. … A fresh take on the theme of achieving self-acceptance in a world that discourages difference, it delivers. A heartwarming story about staying true to yourself, whatever others might think.”
– Kirkus Reviews

“It is beautiful and poignant and hits every pitch just right. For polished storytelling, brilliantly drawn characters, and finely crafted subtext, this gets [our highest rating].”
– Divine Magazine

“I loved this book.”
– Jeff and Will’s Big Gay Fiction Podcast

“Thanks, Brent, not just for making Otto’s life better, but for touching my heart and making me feel so deeply.” [Highest Rating]
– Rainbow Book Reviews

“I absolutely adored it.” [Highest Rating]
– Mirrigold

PRAISE FOR BRENT HARTINGER

"Hits the narrative sweet spot."- NPR's All Things Considered

"Downright refreshing."- USA Today

"I really think this guy could be the next Judy Blume." - Pop Candy

ACCOLADES

• A #2 Amazon Bestseller (in “Gay & Lesbian”)
• An Audio Book on Audible.com

BRENT HARTINGER is an award-winning novelist, screenwriter, and journalist.

He's the author of seventeen novels, including the young adult novels Geography Club, adapted as a 2014 feature film with Scott Bakula, and Project Pay Day, adapted as a 2021 feature film with David Corenswet. For the latter, Brent wrote the screenplay.

His writing awards include the Lambda, GLAAD, Screenwriting in the Sun, and Washington State Book Awards, and he was nominated for an Edgar.

As a journalist, Brent co-founded the website AfterElton, which was later sold to MTV/Viacom in a multi-million-dollar deal. More recently, he is the co-creator of Brent and Michael Are Going Places, a popular travel newsletter that is read by more than half a million people monthly.