(of book cover)

AMANDA LAUGHTLAND; For The News Tribune

A long stretch of patience and persistence is finally paying off for Brent Hartinger, a 38-year-old Tacoma writer whose first novel, "Geography Club," has been receiving praise from some of the toughest critics in the literary world: teenagers.

"For years I've been trying to make it as a writer," Hartinger said in a recent phone interview. "It seemed like I was cursed."

Hartinger's 15-year drought of almost - but never quite - getting his "big break" and publishing a novel was ended when HarperCollins bought his idea several years ago for "Geography Club." The narrator of the novel is a high school sophomore who, while coming into his own identity as a gay teen, helps form a gay-straight alliance at his school.

"Since the book sold in 2001, it's been like a dream," Hartinger said.

Adult gay readers have told Hartinger that books like "Geography Club," which was released this month, have allowed them to "relive the adolescence they didn't have" because of hiding their sexual identity for fear of discrimination.

Though Hartinger's novel does address serious themes like "what it means to be a person of integrity (and) to be honest with yourself," Hartinger doesn't let issues overwhelm plot, and he gives his main character, 15-year-old Russel Middlebrook, an active sense of humor.

"I wanted my book to be fun and funny - a fast read," he said. "Not broccoli, but dessert."

Hartinger lived in Tacoma from age 3 until he left to attend college in Spokane. After college, Hartinger moved to Seattle and then a few other cities, before returning to Tacoma to help his parents when his mother became ill. He and his partner, novelist Michael Jensen, now own a house in Tacoma.

Over the years, he's supported himself by working as a freelance writer and counseling teens.

Local readers may recognize Hartinger's name from his guest columns for the op-ed section of The News Tribune. The author has a connection to Oasis, a nonprofit organization in Pierce County that offers support for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and questioning teens and young adults. He volunteered as a facilitator for weekly support groups at the center after it opened in 1990.

"What did kids do before this organization existed?" he said. "Farm kids, urban teens, kids who had nothing in common superficially - they got to be friends."

His experiences working with teenagers from various backgrounds are reflected in "Geography Club." Though the story is told from Middlebrook's perspective, other gay, lesbian, bisexual and straight characters bring a wider representation of high school life.

HarperCollins representatives sent advance copies of "Geography Club" to several teen readers. After reading it, a number of straight teens commented that they could relate to Russel's experiences in figuring out how he fits into high school and the larger world.

"It has taken so long for publishing to deal with this issue," Hartinger said, citing "an enormous need" for books about teenage characters who accept their same-sex attractions. He can remember his own experience of feeling like "the only gay kid in my school, in Tacoma."

When Hartinger approached a publisher about his idea for a book with gay characters in the early 1990s, he "was told that the publisher didn't have space for a book with projected low sales." Hartinger is pleased with the fact that HarperCollins is "not hiding the gay content, and marketing the book to a mainstream audience."

He's also pleased that "times have changed enough that libraries can buy a book like this." So far, sales to school libraries reportedly have been brisk, bolstered by a positive review of "Geography Club" in School Library Journal.

Hartinger has a second book due out next year, "The Last Chance Texaco," and there's the possibility of a sequel to "Geography Club" - "maybe three books down the road." It appears Hartinger's hard-won dream of succeeding as a novelist won't be ending any time soon.

GEOGRAPHY CLUB

By Brent Hartinger

HarperCollins Children's Books, $16.89

On the Net:

www.brent hartinger.com

• Brent Hartinger will read and sign "Geography Club" at 6 p.m. Tuesday at University Book Store, 1754 Pacific Ave., Tacoma; 253-272-8080.