{"product_id":"2940151996389","title":"Barefoot in the City of Broken Dreams","description":"\u003cp\u003e“There was no way moving to Los Angeles was going to make me give up my soul. After all, I’d already seen all the movies about Hollywood. I knew how things worked.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTwenty-four year-old Russel Middebrook and his boyfriend have moved to Los Angeles so Russel can try to make it as a screenwriter.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAlmost right away, in a forgotten old house off of Sunset Boulevard, Russel meets Isaac Brander, a once-famous film producer who is convinced he can turn Russel’s screenplay into a movie.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eRussel knows that success can't possibly come this easy. After all, most of Russel's Los Angeles friends are so desperate to make it that it's downright scary. His ex-boyfriend, Otto, is trying everything to become an actor, and Daniel, the sexy neighbor, doesn't even need a casting couch to get naked.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSo what’s the catch with Mr. Brander? Could it be that movies about Hollywood don’t tell the whole truth? But what does that mean for Russel’s soul?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBarefoot in the City of Broken Dreams, a companion book to Brent Hartinger’s The Thing I Didn’t Know I Didn’t Know, is a fast-paced, funny story about the price of fame in Hollywood: the hilarious lengths people will go to achieve it, and the touching secret to survival when things don’t work out exactly as planned.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePraise for Brent Hartinger\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Hits the narrative sweet spot.\"\u003cbr\u003e- NPR's All Things Considered\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Downright refreshing.\"\u003cbr\u003e- USA Today\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Barefoot in the City of Broken Dreams is a sharp, canny, highly engaging tour through a Hollywood of cunning characters and colorful intrigues, guided by the clever voice of Russel Middlebrook as an eager young screenwriter trying to bust in. I was charmed by every sly, sexy page.”\u003cbr\u003e– Barry Sandler, screenwriter of Making Love and Crimes of Passion\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“With his trademark wit, warmth, and economy, Brent Hartinger brilliantly captures what it’s like to move to L.A. and try and make it in Hollywood: the highs and the lows, the friends and the phonies, the fun and the frustration. And by the way, is it too late for me to be Russel Middlebrook when I grow up?”\u003cbr\u003e– Dennis Hensley, co-screenwriter of Testosterone, author of Misadventures in the (213)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“A thrilling tale of what it takes to achieve your impossible dreams.”\u003cbr\u003e– Sensible Reason Magazine\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Simultaneously light-hearted and introspective … my favorite Russel Middlebrook book to date … so good I didn’t want to put it down.”\u003cbr\u003e– ISRBR\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Heart and humor … [and] a Hollywood ending that had me grinning from ear to ear.”\u003cbr\u003e– Bookaholism\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“If you liked [the Russel Middlebrook Series], you’re sure to love the slightly older Russel … I can’t wait for the third novel coming out next year!”\u003cbr\u003e– Shooting Stars Magazine\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Anyone who’s ever produced a film, written a novel, auditioned for a movie, or sent out a demo tape can relate to this book.”\u003cbr\u003e– Forever Young Adult\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBRENT HARTINGER is an author, teacher, playwright, and screenwriter. Geography Club, the book in which Russel Middlebrook first appears (as a teenager), is also a successful stage play and a feature film co-starring Scott Bakula.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn 1990, Brent helped found one of the world's first gay teen support groups, in his hometown of Tacoma, Washington. In 2005, he co-founded the entertainment website AfterElton.com, which was sold to MTV\/Viacom in 2006. He now lives in Seattle with his husband, Michael Jensen.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Brent Hartinger","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47181931806960,"sku":"2940151996389","price":3.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/2940151996389_p0.jpg?v=1769892336","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/2940151996389","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}