Age: 28
non-binary
Ryan Elise Simpkins is an American actor, known for their performance in films such as Pride and Glory, A Single Man and Revolutionary Road. She has worked with luminaries such as Leonardo DiCaprio, Russell Crowe, Kate Winslet, Amy Poehler, Will Ferrell, Kyle Mooney and Colin Farrell. She performed on Broadway at the age of 7. Born on the East Coast, Ryan Simpkins is the middle child of 3, moving to California with their family in 2006. Ryan Simpkins is a gifted honor student and has always attended public school. She is an avid reader & enjoys writing & adapting books for fun. Ryan has written, produced, and directed several shorts, and plans to continue writing and directing more film in her future. Ryan attends University of California, Berkeley, where they are double majoring in Gender Studies and English, with a Minor in History.
In this clever and swoonworthy YA debut from the New York Times bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis, life’s moving pieces bring rival chess players together in a match for the heart. Mallory Greenleaf is done with chess. Every move counts nowadays; after the sport led to the destruction of her family four years earlier, Mallory’s focus is on her mom, her sisters, and the dead-end job that keeps the lights on. That is, until she begrudgingly agrees to play in one last charity tournament and inadvertently wipes the board with notorious “Kingkiller” Nolan Sawyer: current world champion and reigning Bad Boy of chess. Nolan’s loss to an unknown rook-ie shocks everyone. What’s even more confusing? His desire to cross pawns again. What kind of gambit is Nolan playing? The smart move would be to walk away. Resign. Game over. But Mallory’s victory opens the door to sorely needed cash-prizes and despite everything, she can’t help feeling drawn to the enigmatic strategist.... As she rockets up the ranks, Mallory struggles to keep her family safely separated from the game that wrecked it in the first place. And as her love for the sport she so desperately wanted to hate begins to rekindle, Mallory quickly realizes that the games aren’t only on the board, the spotlight is brighter than she imagined, and the competition can be fierce (-ly attractive. And intelligent…and infuriating…)
