If I Told You So
Sixteen-year-old Sean Jackson’s summer is off to an inauspicious start. The only place hiring in his small New Hampshire hometown is the local ice cream shop owned by the “Fabulous” Renée, who has a reputation for being tough on employees. Donning a pink t-shirt to scoop sundaes for tourists and seniors promises to be a colder, stickier version of hell.
On his first day of work, Sean meets Becky, a wickedly funny New York transplant with a sarcastic attitude and a taste for mischief. The store manager, Jay, is eighteen, effortlessly cool, and according to Becky, “likes” Sean the way Sean’s starting to like him. But before Sean can clear a path to the world that’s waiting, he will have to deal with his overprotective mother and come out to his sweet, popular girlfriend, Lisa. And just when he thinks he has it all figured out, Sean’s absentee father shows up unannounced. Over the course of one unforgettable summer, Sean must deal with the uncertainty of being gay in a small town, the excitement and danger of his first gay kiss and the difficulties of coming out to the people closest to him.
Tender and achingly funny, IF I TOLD YOU SO will resonate with anyone who is—or has ever been—a teenager, when the only thing you can count on is how little you really know, and the next glance, or touch, or breathless night can be the one that changes everything.
On his first day of work, Sean meets Becky, a wickedly funny New York transplant with a sarcastic attitude and a taste for mischief. The store manager, Jay, is eighteen, effortlessly cool, and according to Becky, “likes” Sean the way Sean’s starting to like him. But before Sean can clear a path to the world that’s waiting, he will have to deal with his overprotective mother and come out to his sweet, popular girlfriend, Lisa. And just when he thinks he has it all figured out, Sean’s absentee father shows up unannounced. Over the course of one unforgettable summer, Sean must deal with the uncertainty of being gay in a small town, the excitement and danger of his first gay kiss and the difficulties of coming out to the people closest to him.
Tender and achingly funny, IF I TOLD YOU SO will resonate with anyone who is—or has ever been—a teenager, when the only thing you can count on is how little you really know, and the next glance, or touch, or breathless night can be the one that changes everything.
About the Author
Timothy Woodward grew up in a small town in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, where Saturday evening trips to the local ice cream shop were a town ritual. Later he moved to the city where he was a high school teacher and an advocate for GLBT youth with Greater Boston PFLAG. In the city, ice cream shops have been replaced by frozen yogurt stores, but Timothy still goes back to his hometown for their ice cream.
Timothy has BAs in film and writing from the University of Southern California and an MFA in Writing from Southern New Hampshire University. He currently lives in Las Vegas.
Timothy has BAs in film and writing from the University of Southern California and an MFA in Writing from Southern New Hampshire University. He currently lives in Las Vegas.