To make his queer stories authentic, Gary Alan Hidalgo mines the mother lode that is LGBTQ+ history. Whether it’s the swoon-worthy middle-aged romcom novel Love’s Not Welcome at the Hotel Cairo or the tightly-wound historical murder mystery series Fantabulous!, he finds a defining event and setting from the aftermath of the 1980s AIDS epidemic that built the Hotel Cairo, a sanctuary, to the “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” 1990s era where Fantabulous!, a gay bar, becomes the safe space. He’ll turn his characters’ lives inside out to accurately reflect their community’s seemingly unending anguish, but as quickly switch on their limitless sparkle to fight the darkness. And like washed-up, sixty-year-old soap actor Hughie Roman or fish-out-of-water, twenty-something Filipino chef Ricky Luna, Gary arms them with heart, humor, and a chosen family. Queer stories relatable to all.
Gary is grateful his life isn’t as interesting as his characters. He grew up in Redlands, CA, and completed his studies at California State University, San Bernardino. He worked in Hollywood for a while at Oscar-winning Soundelux before making the hop across the street (Hollywood Blvd.) to DVD Express, an early e-commerce business. Later, he launched and managed the European sleep store Axel Bloom in the gay capital of West Hollywood before becoming a full-time freelance writer. Despite his boringness, Gary wrote a couple of angsty songs that were professionally published and made him an ASCAP member, too.
All inquiries: gary@garyalanhidalgo.com