Christopher Willis Gortner
American novelist (1964–2025)
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Christopher Willis Gortner (1964 – October 25, 2025) was an American author of historical fiction, including the novels The Last Queen, The Confessions of Catherine de Medici, and the Spymaster Trilogy.
Christopher Willis Gortner | |
|---|---|
Gortner in 2015 | |
| Born | 1964[1] |
| Died | October 25, 2025 (aged 60–61)[3] |
| Education | Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising (BA) New College of California (MFA) |
| Website | |
| Official author website | |
His novels are translated in over 25 languages. The Queen’s Vow was an international bestseller in Poland. Mademoiselle Chanel was a USA Today best-seller, an American Booksellers Association bestseller, and both The Last Queen and Marlene were Marin Independent Journal best-sellers. He was named one of the top ten historical novelists by The Washington Independent Review of Books and has delivered keynote speeches as a Guest of Honor at the Historical Novel Society Conferences in the United States and the United Kingdom. For ten years before he was published and became a full-time writer, he was a public health administrative analyst. Previously, he worked as a fashion executive.
Background
Gortner was born in 1964,[1] in Washington D.C.[2] (USA) and raised in Málaga (Spain). He was half-Spanish by birth. His family moved back to the U.S. when he was in his teens.[4] He held a Bachelor of Arts in Marketing from the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in San Francisco and Masters of Fine Arts in Writing with a concentration in Renaissance Studies from the New College of California.
Gortner lived in Northern California.[4] He died on October 25, 2025.[3]
Books
- The Elizabeth I Spymaster Chronicles:
- The Secret Lion Heliographica Press ISBN 9781933037356 (2004)
- in 2011 released as The Tudor Secret with an additional scene[5] (St. Martin's Press, ISBN 978-0-312-60390-8)
- The Tudor Conspiracy St. Martin's Press, ISBN 978-1-250-04277-4, (2013)
- The Tudor Vendetta St. Martin's Press, ISBN 978-1-250-05853-9 (2014)
- The Secret Lion Heliographica Press ISBN 9781933037356 (2004)
- The Last Queen: A Novel Ballantine Books, ISBN 978-0345501844, (2008), the history of Joanna of Castile
- The Confessions of Catherine De Medici: A Novel Ballantine Books, ISBN 978-0345501868, (2010), the history of Catherine de' Medici
- The Queen's Vow: A Novel of Isabella of Castile Ballantine Books, ISBN 978-0345523969, (2012), the history of Isabella I of Castile
- Mademoiselle Chanel: A Novel William Morrow and Company, ISBN 978-0062356406, (2015), the history of Coco Chanel
- The Vatican Princess: A Novel of Lucrezia Borgia Ballantine Books, ISBN 9780-345523969 (2016), the history of Lucrezia Borgia
- Marlene: A Novel of Marlene Dietrich William Morrow and Company ISBN 00624-0606X (2016), the history of Marlene Dietrich
- The Romanov Empress: A Novel of Tsarina Maria Feodorovna Ballantine Books ISBN 00624-0606X (2018) the history of Maria Feodorovna
- The First Actress. A Novel of Sarah Bernhardt Ballantine Books ISBN 9781524799076 (2020), the history of Sarah Bernhardt
- The American Adventuress: A Novel, William/HarperCollins ISBN 9780063035805 (2022), the history of Jennie Jerome Churchill
- The Saint Laurent Muse: A Novel, William Morrow Paperbacks ISBN 9780063319837 (2025), the history of friendship between Loulou de La Falaise and Yves St Laurent