Author Brent Hartinger could be the “next Judy Blume,” at least, according to USA Today, which has compared Hartinger to the renowned writer for young adults. But, there is one big distinction between Blume and Hartinger: while Blume has delved into teen issues in her books Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret and Forever since the 1970s, the esteemed author has never had gay teens populate her young adult world.

Thankfully, for gay young adults today, there is Hartinger, who arrived on the literary scene in 2001 with The Geography Club, a story that centered on a secret high school gay/straight alliance.

Hartinger has nine books under his belt (including Grand and Humble and The Order of the Poison Oak – the sequel to The Geography Club) and has found catharsis in his writing, a great way to exorcise old demons from his own formative years, he told the Gay & Lesbian Times.

“The events of the book, I’d say maybe 50 percent of them actually happened to me – but not necessarily when I was a teenager, and not necessarily in the order that they happen in my book,” he said. “But I think every writer sort of picks and chooses. Their life is like a buffet and you sort of take a little from all. But as for the whole cathartic thing, I think that’s really true; it’s the only reason why I would want to spend as much time as I do thinking back on my teen years, which were not terrible, but they weren’t great either. They certainly weren’t my favorite part in my life.

“The only reason I would do that is to give them some meaning and create order out of the chaos, and rewrite them a little bit – and do the things that I wish I’d been able to do and give them a happier ending.”

And, Hartinger says that is why his books appeal to people outside the gay youth population. Many a grown gay man relives his own adolescence through Hartinger’s work as well.

Aside from writing for and about teens, Hartinger shares more in common with Blume. His books, like Blume’s, have also been banned.

“The book is frequently challenged; it’s been banned a few times,” Hartinger said. “Actually, several of my books have been banned, I even wrote a non-gay book (The Last Chance Texaco) that was banned, too.

“People say, ‘Wow, it must be so great that your book is banned. That is such good publicity.’ And, on one hand, yes it is. With that said, I like to please people, and it was difficult for me, because I would want to engage in some kind of good-faith dialogue and come to some kind of consensus. What I have discovered, and I don’t want to say that everybody on the religious right is a nut case, is a fanatic, but some of them are.”

The author has received hate e-mails and even death threats, but rather than cower, he has found a different way to fight back against the intolerance. Hartinger has become very passionate about censorship and is a co-founder of As If! (Authors Supporting Intellectual Freedom), which is an anti-censorship group.

The group speaks at bookstores, schools, conferences, civic groups and churches. It touches on the subjects of writing, social tolerance, and, of course, censorship.

“I would like to see a world where when somebody pipes up and says, ‘Well, no, I think we should discriminate against a big portion of our population,’ that the rest of us, no matter what we think about gay people, no matter what our religious views are, we stand together and say, ‘Sorry, that’s not an acceptable discourse…. We categorically reject that point of view.’”

Despite the hardship and banning in some areas, Hartinger’s books have enjoyed tremendous success and have garnered him wide acclaim.

“Never in my wildest dreams, did I think the book would break out the way it did, and my dreams were pretty wild,” he said. “It was the right book at the right time. For years and years I tried to get this book (and an earlier version of this book) published. I wrote it in 1990 and everybody said there was no market for it, we can’t do it, it’s too controversial, and finally I sold the book in 2000.”

Another area of interest for Hartinger, in terms of his craft, is the writing of both plays and screenplays (including a film adaptation of The Geography Club). It’s a tough call for Hartinger to single out any one writing medium over the other, as they each incorporate different styles.

“Well they all have different pros and cons,” he said. “I like the freedom of writing novels, the artistic freedom, which you are given a lot of. I love writing screenplays, but there’s no artistic freedom – you are basically working for hire. Playwriting is kind of the best and worst of both worlds, there is a lot of freedom and satisfaction, but, there’s absolutely no money at all,” he laughs.

Another way Hartinger likes to keep himself challenged is by mixing the genres he writes in. His latest book, Dreamquest, a fantasy novel that details a girl embattled by nightmares, is a definite departure for the author.

“Probably my favorite genre is fantasy,” Hartinger said. “I read more fantasy than anything else. And, this is also my first book for middle grade kids, which would be for ages 9 and up. I love writing for kids and teenagers, because the mind is wide open. “Traditionally, fantasy has been looked down upon, like it’s not real literature, and real literature is about the real world. And of course fantasy gives us the opportunity to write about the real world, but in a metaphorical way; which frankly is more sophisticated than just writing about the real world.”

In Hartinger’s real world he feels fortunate to have a writing touchstone in his novelist partner of 15 years, Michael Jensen, who has written the books Frontiers and its sequel Firelands and is the editor of the popular Web site, AfterElton.com.

But, with two novelists living under one roof, does that lend itself to any sort of creative friction?

“It is sometimes a little difficult, only because the job of a partner is to be completely supportive,” he said. “And Michael’s the one person that loves me, no matter what I do…. But, the job of an editor or a critique partner is completely different. Their job is to give you the brutally honest truth, and tell you what you don’t want to hear.”

But, that minor case of the sometimes creative differences pales in comparison to the fact that he is happy to collaborate with Jensen on projects, like their video blog, “Two Gay Guys” on AfterElton.com.

With so many talents, Hartinger will continue to be a literary force to be reckoned with, and he has numerous projects in the works. He will continue to champion the causes close to his heart – all the while giving a voice to characters and subject matter that is not only timely, but necessary.