Forthcoming Novel
A powerful historical novel inspired by a true story of love, secrecy, prejudice, and the search for truth across generations.
San Francisco, 1950. Julian Cristobal seemed to have everything: charm, intelligence, beauty, and a glamorous circle of friends. A decorated veteran and successful pharmacist, he lived boldly in a world determined to punish men like him. At age thirty, he was found dead on the floor of his pharmacy. The official verdict was suicide. His friends never believed it. Forty years later, during the height of the AIDS epidemic, a young Berkeley scholar begins investigating the mystery of Julian’s death.
As she uncovers diaries, letters, interviews, and long-buried secrets, she discovers that the forces that destroyed Julian’s life never truly disappeared. Inspired by real events, Death of a Gay Man 1950 is a powerful work of historical literary fiction about memory, prejudice, moral courage, and the search for truth.
About
Award-winning fiction writer, editor, teacher, and literary historian whose work explores hidden lives, moral courage, memory, and the stories history leaves behind.
Claire Ortalda is an award-winning fiction writer, poet, editor, and teacher whose work explores the intersection of memory, identity, and the hidden histories that shape contemporary life.
A former journalist and educator, Claire holds both an MA and MFA in Creative Writing from San Francisco State University. Her fiction has received numerous literary honors and has appeared in literary journals, mystery publications, and anthologies. She also edited Floyd Salas’s acclaimed autobiography Buffalo Nickel, praised by the Los Angeles Times as “one of the most remarkable memoirs of the decade.”
Publications
Fiction, poetry, essays, and mysteries that blend literary craft, historical curiosity, and deep compassion for complex characters
Explore Claire’s Works
