FORTUNA 1985

“It’s not enough to survive the story. You have to outgrow it.”

About the Book

Fortuna 1985: A Twilight Zone Story

A nostalgic, mind-bending coming-of-age novel perfect for readers who love critical thinking, rich literary analysis, and unforgettable teen storytelling.

Set in the misty coastal town of Fortuna, California during the 1984–85 school year, Fortuna 1985 follows Lana Zumner — a quiet senior who begins noticing glitches in her small-town reality. High school heartbreak, friendship drama, and awkward crushes unfold against a backdrop that feels both achingly real and subtly wrong. As Lana navigates gossip, bonfires, arcade nights, and the pull of first love, she slowly uncovers a chilling truth: her world might not be real at all.

Written in the spirit of The Wonder Years, Stand By Me, and The Twilight Zone, this novel invites readers to question memory, reality, and identity through a story that feels authentically 1980s, yet timelessly resonant.

Perfect for:
High school classrooms, teen library programs, book clubs, and lovers of vintage Americana & speculative fiction.

“Some towns keep secrets. Others are the cage itself.”

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About the Author

The author attended Fortuna Union High School from 1982 to 1986—years that left a lasting imprint on his imagination. Fortuna 1985 reimagines that world through the lens of fiction, but deep respect is owed to the real teachers, classmates, and townspeople who built the foundation for these memories.

His first attempt at writing came in seventh grade: a time-travel novel inspired by Mark Twain’s A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court. Over the next four decades, he continued building worlds—through short stories, screenplays, and speculative fiction. His creative projects have ranged from broadcast journalism to filming special-effects training videos, studying languages, and spending nearly a decade living between Russia and Ukraine.

In 2014, driven more by curiosity than ambition, he ran for Congress. Today, he maintains a standing bid to one day serve as the United States Ambassador to Belarus. He lives in Sacramento, California, surrounded by family—and the stories still waiting to be written.