I am Brent Hartinger, and I live to write. For the last twenty years, I have made my living writing just about everything that involves words.

I’ve been writing books since college, but I didn’t sell any of them until the summer of 2001. Since then, I’ve sold eight novels. The first four books to be published were Geography Club , a novel about a secret high school gay-straight alliance; The Last Chance Texaco , a mystery about a girl in a "last chance" group home; The Order of the Poison Oak , my sequel to Geography Club; and Grand & Humble, a psychological thriller about the intersecting lives of two kids, one popular and one a geek.

The latest Russel Middlebrook book, Split Screen: Attack of the Soul-Sucking Brain Zombies/Bride of the Soul-Sucking Brain Zombies, is actually two complete novels (one from Russel's POV and one from Min's POV) published as one book; it's out now.

My latest book is Project Sweet Life, a comedy-of-errors about three teenagers who, when forced to get summer jobs by their dads, invent "fake" jobs instead, then embark on a series of get-rich-quick schemes to make the money they're supposed to be making from their jobs. But making money isn't quite as simple as they think...

I like to write for all ages, but I particularly like writing for and about teenagers. I think it's because I identify so strongly with them (whenever I hear an adult complain about a teenager, I almost always take the side of the kid, even without hearing his or her version of the story!).

For the record, I try hard to write books that people like to read. (The most frequent comment I get from readers is that my books are "page-turners," which makes me very happy, because that is exactly what I want them to be!) My biggest complaint with books I hate is that they don't get to the point (or, worse, they don't have a point!).

My second great love is the theatre. My plays have been performed at dozens of theaters across the country. And I was recently asked to adapt Geography Club into a stage play, which was first presented (very successfully!) in Seattle in April 2004. I've also written a play version of my thriller Grand & Humble. (If you're involved with a theater and want a copy of either script, contact me .)

I also have several screenplays under option, and there is a feature film version of Geography Club in the works (the talent involved is A-list and impressive).

And if that's not enough, I’ve written over five hundred published articles, essays, short stories, newspaper columns, cartoons, and even a few greeting cards!

I also teach writing. Want an idea what I have to say? Follow me on Twitter and get my patented Daily Writing Tips (That Also Apply to Life). Example: "Don't save the good stuff for the sequel (there may not be one)." See how it applies to both writing and life?

As a writing instructor, I occasionally join the faculty at Vermont College in the MFA program in Writing for Children and Young Adults. It's a "low residency" program, which means you're only on campus a few weeks a year. But it's surprisingly rigorous. I'm enjoying teaching much more than I expected to. (Note: I'm on indefinite leave right now.)

I also edit a website devoted exclusively to fantasy: TheTorchOnline.com.

I live in Seattle, Washington, with my partner since 1992, Michael Jensen. Michael is also a writer, the author of a terrific gay western, Frontiers, and its sequel, Firelands. He also edits an amazing and influential entertainment site called AfterElton.com,which devoted to entertainment for and about gay men (I sometimes write for it too, in all my free time!).

To learn more about me, feel free to explore the rest of my brain, especially My Books . If you have a question about me, you might find it answered in Questions That Haunt Me.

If you want to be put on my emailing list (which is never shared and is sent no more than twice a year--I promise!), drop me a note here.