Jamie B. Laurie's THE BIG SUMMER Tackles Love, Self-Acceptance

Author Jamie B. Laurie's new young-adult (YA) romance novel, "The Big Summer" (published by iUniverse) frames a story of a young man's struggle with his sexuality, applying the universal themes of love, friendship and self-acceptance.

"The Big Summer" has been selected for inclusion in the iUniverse Rising Star program, which recognizes excellence in writing and overall potential.

Will, the book's protagonist, struggles with concealing his sexuality. Pushed to his breaking point by relentless bullying and an incident of public humiliation incited by his so-called friends, Will must choose to give up or make a change. He decides to embark on a journey of self-discovery. He leaves town and finds himself experiencing the ups and downs of first love, the value of true friendship and the true meaning of happiness.

"As a gay teen, I felt like there weren't enough books that catered to my interests or made an effort to be relatable to me," Laurie says. "I wrote a book I myself would have liked to have read when I was still struggling with my own sexuality."

Laurie hopes lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) readers will take away his message that love is love - regardless of whether it is between two people of the same sex or two people of opposite sexes. For non-LGBT readers, he hopes the parallels between his book and other YA romance novels will help them see "there is no big difference when it comes to an emotional relationship."

"The Big Summer"
By Jamie B. Laurie
Hardcover | 5.5 x 8.5 in | 238 pages | ISBN 9781491721582
Softcover | 5.5 x 8.5 in | 238 pages | ISBN 9781491721575
E-Book | 238 pages | ISBN 9781491721599
Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble

About the Author
Jamie B. Laurie is a young writer and poet whose work has been published in numerous collections, including a recent first-place finish in a national writing competition. He lives in Montreal, Canada, where he enjoys spending time with the people he loves, traveling and exploring the arts. "The Big Summer" is his first novel.

iUniverse, an Author Solutions, LLC, self-publishing imprint, is the leading book marketing, editorial services, and supported self-publishing provider. iUniverse has a strategic alliance with Indigo Books & Music, Inc. in Canada, and titles accepted into the iUniverse Rising Star program are featured in a special collection on BarnesandNoble.com. iUniverse recognizes excellence in book publishing through the Star, Reader's Choice, Rising Star and Editor's Choice designations-self-publishing's only such awards program. Headquartered in Bloomington, Indiana, iUniverse also operates offices in Indianapolis. For more information or to publish a book, please visit iuniverse.com or call 1-800-AUTHORS. For the latest, follow @iuniversebooks on Twitter.