Award-winning journalist and former color guard world champion Jase Peeples has officially entered the world of young adult fiction with Twirl, a high-energy queer romance set in the intensely competitive and often overlooked world of high school color guard.
Described as Heartstopper meets Bring It On, but with a color guard twist, Twirl follows Ethan, a driven senior on the reigning national champion color guard team at Landon High School. Ethan’s only goal is to win another gold medal, but a bold message from a rival team member, Danny, changes everything. As the season heats up, so do their feelings for each other, along with the stakes that threaten their teams, reputations, and hearts.
Published by Evernight Teen, Twirl hit shelves on May 9 and quickly soared to the No. 1 spot on Amazon’s Hot New Releases for LGBTQ+ YA Romance.
“It was incredibly surreal,” Peeples said of the book’s early success. “As a debut author, you dream of people connecting with your work, but seeing Twirl hit No. 1 was beyond anything I imagined. It felt like such a validating moment—not just for me, but for the story itself.”
A Spotlight on Queer Teens—and Color Guard
Peeples, whose journalism has appeared in The Advocate, Out, and Healthline, said the inspiration for Twirl came directly from his own life in the marching arts.
“Color guard was such a positive, formative part of my life, first as a performer, then later as a coach and designer,” he told Gayety. “At the same time, even though there’s a marching band and color guard at nearly every high school in the country, the activity itself isn’t widely understood outside of that world. With Twirl, I wanted to showcase the beauty of the sport for those who may not know it, while also honoring it in a way that feels true for those of us who have lived and loved it.”
Peeples performed with the world-renowned Blue Devils World Class Winter Guard and is a three-time Winter Guard International (WGI) World Champion. He’s spent years teaching and designing for finalist color guards and marching bands across California. But for Twirl, it was about more than just spotlighting the sport, it was about showing queer teens at the center of it.
“I wanted to write the book I wish I had as a teen,” he said. “Color guard gave me confidence, community, and joy—but I never saw stories like mine reflected in the media I loved. Twirl is my love letter to that world—and to every kid who’s ever spun a flag, loved without a rulebook, or dared to shine.”
More Than Just Rivals
Although Twirl is being praised for its swoon-worthy romance, Peeples is quick to clarify that it’s not a traditional enemies-to-lovers narrative.
“While Ethan and Danny are competitors, they don’t start off as enemies,” he said. “In fact, Danny is actually a fan of Ethan’s team. But as the season progresses and the pressure mounts, their relationship becomes more complicated. That balance of competition and camaraderie is such a big part of the color guard world, and I wanted to reflect that.”
The novel presents Ethan as gay and Danny as bisexual, identities that are central, but not sensationalized.
“I wanted the story to reflect the diversity of the queer community in a way that felt natural and affirming,” Peeples said. “Ethan is gay, Danny is bisexual, and neither of those identities is treated as an obstacle or a misunderstanding between them. It’s simply part of who they are, and I think it’s important for young readers to see that.”
Heart and Technique
For all its heartfelt romance, Twirl doesn’t skip the sweat and grit of color guard competition. Peeples worked to strike a balance between the emotional arc of the characters and the physical demands of their sport.
“The most challenging part was capturing the competition scenes in a way that would feel authentic to people who know the activity, but still accessible to those who don’t,” he said. “The part that came most naturally was writing the romance. Once I knew who Ethan and Danny were, their chemistry flowed onto the page.”
Peeples added that both plotlines were intertwined from the start: “The pressures of competition fuel Ethan and Danny’s challenges, but their growing feelings for each other also shape the way they handle the season. One always informed the other, and that helped keep both elements in balance.”
A Personal Story Told with Pride
While Peeples acknowledges that both Ethan and Danny carry elements of his own personality, they each developed distinct identities.
“Ethan’s perfectionism echoes my own tendency to overthink and push myself, while Danny’s boldness and joy for life reflect qualities I admire and try to lean into,” he said. “But in the end, they’re like my children. I don’t think I could pick one over the other.”
As queer rival-to-lovers stories remain relatively rare in YA literature, Peeples hopes Twirl will expand representation and encourage more stories that center queer joy, not just struggle.
