A Different Kind of Coming Out Story, a guest post by Alex Crespo

When I started writing SAINT JUNIPER’S FOLLY, I wasn’t exactly sure how I was going to tackle the idea of “coming out” within its pages. The queer romance between Jaime, a Mexican-American teen trapped in a haunted mansion, and Theo, the local golden boy trying to set him free, was always going to be central to the novel. When I thought of other LGBT+ novels I loved at the time, they all featured stories where one or both of the characters had a big, emotional coming out moment, usually involving their friends or families or some combination of the two. But Jaime and Theo’s love story always had an intimacy to it that felt very rooted in what solely happened between the two of them, so I struggled with how coming out might look in the context of this particular novel. For one, I loved the idea that when the reader is introduced to Jaime, he already knows he’s gay. It’s kind of old news—he’s already processed it, and it’s not something he feels the need to shy away from. But Theo is a totally different story.

When the book starts, being interested in boys isn’t really on his mind. Not because he’s sure he’s straight, but because he just hasn’t thought about it in that much detail. Theo is a big worrier. He spends a ton of time in his own head, but he’s rarely thinking about himself or his own needs. That’s why, when he starts to have feelings for Jaime, it takes him completely by surprise. That type of sudden, out-of-nowhere realization felt really important for me to include as a part of Theo’s journey toward accepting his sexuality. Growing up, I remember primarily hearing LGBT+ people say that deep down, they always knew about their true identities, or that there were all of these signs that made it obvious to them. And while that’s true and empowering for many people in the community, it wasn’t my experience at all. It wasn’t until I was much older that I realized there are tons of people like me who never really thought about it until one day, something just clicked. So when I decided that Theo would be one of those types of people too, it made me think long and hard about what an authentic “coming out story” might look like for someone like him. Most people immediately think about coming out of the closet as something you do with others, a sort of reintroduction to your loved ones where you let them into the fold and allow them to know the real you. But for Theo, I felt like it was more important that his big coming out moment and the climax of his character arc happens when he comes out to himself. It’s the moment when he finally allows himself to reflect on his feelings and acknowledges them for what they are. He accepts that this is a piece of him that might be scary, and it might not make total sense to him quite yet, but it’s real and something he wants to embrace now that he can look that part of himself in the eye.

Theo does share this revelation with Taylor, the third protagonist of the novel, but I wanted to make it clear that this moment isn’t a big deal just because she’s there to hear it. Theo’s relationship with his own sexuality is front and center, and by keeping the narrative around his romance with Jaime relatively insular throughout the whole book, I’m hoping it sends a message to other people in a similar headspace that coming out doesn’t have to be about anyone other than themselves. A lot of times, coming out is also framed as the culmination of something, like it’s the last step in some grand process of queer self-actualization. Instead, I tried to capture the feeling that Theo’s coming out isn’t the beginning or the end of anything, but rather a continuation of him slowly learning what he wants and gaining the confidence to express it. And ultimately, Theo doesn’t try to put a specific label on his sexuality or make a precise plan for how he’s going to tell the other people in his life that he’s dating a boy. He doesn’t feel like he has to, and I wanted to validate any readers who might also be struggling to find the words to express their identities, or just don’t care to put themselves in a box at all. Theo’s coming out experience isn’t any less meaningful because of that, nor is it any complete because he doesn’t want to share that part of himself with the whole world quite yet. What matters is that he’s finally at the point where he can simply let himself exist, and that in and of itself can be pretty monumental to anyone questioning their identity.

Meet the author

Born and raised by the Great Lakes, Alex Crespo writes about queer love, magic, and all the ways they intersect. When not writing, you can find him making art or daydreaming about Mothman. He currently lives in Chicago with an endless anime watchlist and his black cat Hex.

You can find him on Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter @byalexcrespo.

About Saint Juniper’s Folly

Cemetery Boys meets The Haunting of Bly Manor in this spellbinding debut!

For Jaime, returning to the Vermont town of Saint Juniper means returning to a past he’s spent eight years trying to forget. After shuttling between foster homes, he hopes to make something out of this fresh start. But every gossip in town already knows his business, and with reminders of his past everywhere, he seeks out solitude into the nearby woods—Saint Juniper’s Folly—and does not return.

For Theo, Saint Juniper means being stuck. He knows there’s more out there, but he’s scared to go find it. His senior year is going to be like all the rest, dull and claustrophobic. That is until he wanders into the Folly and stumbles on a haunted house with an acerbic yet handsome boy trapped—as in physically trapped—inside.

For Taylor, Saint Juniper is a mystery. She tries to practice the magic her dad banned from the house after her mom, an accomplished witch, suddenly died. But without someone to guide her, she’s floundering. Then a wide-eyed teenager barges into her life, rambling about a haunted house and a trapped boy. He needs a witch.

The Folly and its ghosts will draw these three teenagers together. But can they each face their demons to forge a bond strong enough to escape the Folly’s shadows?

Alex Crespo’s queer haunted house mystery is equal parts spine-tingling thrills, a celebration of found family, and must-read for paranormal romance fans.

ISBN-13: 9781682635773
Publisher: Holiday House
Publication date: 06/06/2023
Age Range: 14 – 17 Years

Filed under: Guest Post