In 2003, Seattle author Brent Hartinger published Geography Club, the first book in his young adult series that follows gay high school sophomore Russel Middlebrook and his quest to interact with other gay teens at his school. The novel earned praise from reviewers–USA Today called it an “honest, emotional and funny story,” and The Seattle Times said it was a “breath of fresh air.” In 2013, Geography Club was adapted into a feature film starring Scott Bakula and Ana Gasteyer.

Now, several Middlebrook books later, Hartinger’s plucky protagonist is back. And this time, in The Thing I Didn’t Know I Didn’t Know, Middlebrook is 23, living in Seattle and navigating the tenuous world of early adulthood. “Things have changed so much for gay characters in the last 10 years,” Hartinger says, “and I wanted to bring those characters into the present. I didn’t really think about it at the time, but I’ve since realized that my original teen fans are now twentysomethings themselves, so it was pretty good synchronicity.”

The new novel is also part of a series–what Hartinger calls Russel Middlebrook: The Futon Years. His next book in the series is due to hit shelves in August.

Rather than produce a book trailer to promote The Thing I Didn’t Know I Didn’t Know, Hartinger opted for a music video. “This seemed like something different and I’ve never been a fan of most book trailers — too much stock footage,” he says. “I pitched the project to my musician friend Brett Every, and he loved it. He read my book, and then he wrote this great song.” Watch the music video below and then read on for more from our chat session with the very busy author, including details on his new YA novel set to be released in 2016.

Seattle magazine: Why did you decide to do a music video to promote your latest book?

Brent Hartinger: In a nutshell, it’s a music video for a song written especially about my book. It was only after Brett Every had done his half of the work that I realized: Oh, wait, now I have to produce a music video based on the book and song! And I don’t know anything about producing a music video! But I teamed up with a great local filmmaker named Jeremy Ward, and a local cinematographer named Tylor Jones, and it turned out to be a lot of fun. Of course I had no idea how much work it would be.

SM: It’s fantastic that you used Seattle-based actors and a Seattle cinematographer. What were some of the challenges you experienced while planning the video and/or shooting it?

BH: When you’re working on a tight budget, there’s really no room for error. The hard part was just organizing everything: the cast and crew, our schedules, our locations. Two days before the shoot, an actor dropped out, I totally panicked, but somehow it all came together in the end.

We planned everything very, very precisely — test shots and a detailed script. But things always go wrong. For example, it was a torrential downpour the day we shot, which meant moving a lot of scenes inside. But that had an upside too: we ended up having most of the locations all to ourselves. And we got some great post-rain footage — reflections on sidewalks and all that.

SM: How has living in Seattle influenced your writing?

BH: I knew right away I wanted to set the new book in Seattle in the present, because the city has such an amazing energy right now. So much is happening, so much is changing, but we still can’t quite see where it’s all going, which also happens to be the theme of the book — how the main character, who is 23, is changing, but he can’t quite tell where he’s going to end up.

SM: What is one of your favorite scenes from the video?

BH: The video is loosely based on one of the chapters in the book: a romantic date between two guys who go to the Seattle waterfront. They eat at the Crab Pot restaurant, ride the Seattle Great Wheel, go for a walk in the rain.

I love the idea of them feeding each other seafood at the Crab Pot — being romantic and silly (that’s also my cameo as the waiter). But my favorite scene is probably the ride in the Seattle Great Wheel, when things get a bit more serious.

SM: What’s next for your writing?

BH: This is actually the first book in a new series, so the next book is out in August. I have another book, a very dark and twisty YA thriller, coming from Simon & Schuster in 2016. And I have a couple of feature film projects in the works too, based on my screenplays. I’m busy, but I’ve never been more satisfied as a writer.

On March 28 and 29, Hartinger will participate in a 30-minute panel discussion on bullying and social challenges facing teens prior to the Seattle Men’s Chorus performance of Legacy, a musical tribute inpsired by the assasination of Harvey Milk and the suicide of student Tyler Clementi. Find more details here.