One of the things that lights me up the most about indie publishing is discovering authors who are telling the stories that mainstream publishing keeps overlooking. Stories where the people we're told don't belong... actually run the whole damn show.
Meet Jamal Byas.
Jamal is a New York-based author on the autism spectrum who started writing Chase of Paradise as a freshman in high school. What began as a teen story evolved alongside him, maturing into something bold and unapologetic. The premise alone hooked me: a school where the special education kids rule. They're the popular ones. They make the rules. And the main character, October, falls for a girl with a disability who happens to be the queen bee.
That's not a side plot. That's the whole point.
From his synopsis: October James is emerging from his past and looking for love to be his key to paradise. He encounters Carly Hull (beautiful, brilliant, intimidating) and despite being shackled by his history, he's desperate to get close to her. As October matures, he meets four other women who become his keys and win his heart. The question driving the trilogy: can love survive, or will his past dwell over his future?
Jamal now has eight books under his belt (the Chase of Paradise trilogy plus a five-book saga called Who Wants to Date a Celebrity), and he's actively working on audiobook adaptations. His mission is clear: to bring stories about people with disabilities to the reading universe. To show that people with disabilities have stories to tell, too.
As someone who writes neurodivergent and disabled characters into my own work, I feel this in my bones. Representation isn't charity. It's necessity. And Jamal is out here doing the work.
Find Jamal's Work:
- Amazon: Chase of Paradise (Chase of Paradise Trilogy)
- Watch his interview with Meet The World Image Solutions: YouTube