Daniel, Deconstructed

A nerdy high schooler learns to embrace his main-character energy in this witty and heart-healing ode to movie tropes, meet-cutes, and LGBTQ+ love.

Photographer and film buff Daniel Sanchez learned a long time ago that the only way to get by in an allistic world is to mask his autism and follow the script. Which means he knows that boisterous, buff, and beautiful soccer superstars like his best friend, Mona Sinclair, shouldn’t be wasting time hanging out with introverts who prefer being behind the camera.

So when Daniel meets a new classmate, Gabe Mendes, who is tall, mysterious, nonbinary, and—somehow—as cool as Mona, Daniel knows exactly how this is going to play out. Mona and Gabe will meet cute, win their nominations for Homecoming Court, and ride off into the sunset together. Daniel just needs to do a little behind-the-scenes directing.

But matchmaking means stepping into the mystifying and illogical world of love, dating, and relationships, where nothing is as it seems and no one knows their lines. And when Daniel finds himself playing a starring role in this romance, he’ll question everything he thought he knew about himself and his place in the world.

James Ramos (they/he) is a nonbinary, unapologetically dorky Minnesota native who now calls Arizona home. Weaned on a steady diet of sci-fi, comic books, and classic literature, James wrote his first story at eight years old and hasn't stopped writing since. James is passionate about stories that give voice to marginalized people, especially those within the LGBTQ+ community and people of color. When they aren't writing, they can be found cosplaying or surrounded by their amazing family of cats.