One Summer in Vancouver

"Delightful" â€" â˜… starred review, Booklist

The 1990 Gay Games in Vancouver were an inspiring and culture-shifting event in the history of LGBTQ2S+ culture and visibility. One Summer In Vancouver is a fiction which takes place in the midst of an event which is  reconstructed with careful detail by an author who was there.

This is a story of self-discovery and romance for young adult readers today -- but it will also engage adult readers of historical fiction, sports fiction, LGBTQ2S+ fiction, and romance.

Tom, a teen struggling to understand his sexual identity, flees Toronto for a summer of freedom in Vancouver, where something exciting is about to happen: the Gay Games.

Living with his “out” Uncle Fred, Tom experiences a new world where being your true self is freeing and fun. He falls in with teen Dwayne, who falls for him, and Gina, a lesbian getting over a relationship with a popular singer. As the Games wrap, Tom has to decide whether to return home back to a closeted life and a father who doesn’t understand, or to make a new life in Vancouver.

The story plays out against the backdrop of the Games, populated with the important organizers and cultural figures who were prominent in this landmark event. This novel is a tribute to the spirit of courage and unity that the Games represented at a time when being openly gay and proud was a radical stance.