College sophomore Jace O'Dell is looking for fun and adventure during his summer hiatus after a long, demanding semester and cumulative finals, so he auditions for SUNY Plattsburgh's summer production of William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Jace is in luck. When he earns a role in the play, he finds more than an adventure waiting for him behind-the-scenes. Black, muscular, intelligent, and charming football jock Germain Bridger captures Jace's eye. 

As a record heat wave assaults the city of Plattsburgh, Jace and Germain find refuge from the threatening temperatures, escaping to the refreshing waters of Lake Champlain, the local movie theater, and a car ride to one of Jace's favorite summer getaways. 

A promising friendship develops into an intimate exploration between the two as emotions are shared and tested, and true feelings revealed.



Thomas Grant Bruso graduated from SUNY Plattsburgh in 2004 with a Bachelor's in theatre performance and English writing. He knew at an early age he wanted to be a writer. He has been a voracious reader of genre fiction since he was a kid. His literary inspirations are Dean Koontz, Karin Fossum, Jeffery Deaver, Joyce Carol Oates, and John Connolly. He loves animals, book-reading, writing fiction, and prefers Sudoku to crossword puzzles. He writes book reviews for his hometown newspaper, The Press Republican. He lives in Plattsburgh with his husband, Paul, and their miniature pincher diva, Riley. For more information, visit facebook.com/thomasgrantbruso.