Crush

by Laura Susan Johnson

  They sit, eating until they're both ready to pop, cheering us on, along with a houseful of old, salt-coated fishermen who've found that they love New Wave and Jammin' Oldies.

  acknowledgements:

  My sincere thanks to my cousin, Leslie Purkey and to my mother, Joan Johnson, for being the first readers of Crush and providing your honest feedback.

  To Sean Jones and Jacob Woods for reading advance copies and giving your invaluable critique and feedback.

  To my friends Becky Baron, Joel Moran, Patsy Moran, Bonny York, Heidi Rose, Sherrie Harris, Annie Kelly, Cheryl Headford, and Cathy Witbrodt, for your enthusiasm and support. I know I've missed a few others who also deserve recognition.

  To Mark Coker and the amazing people at Smashwords: thank you for publishing Crush as an eBook and for tirelessly working to help dreamers like me share our work with the world.

  Thanks to Debbie McGowan and the staff at Beaten Track Publishing in England for reading, proofing and helping me to spread the word about Crush.

  Thanks to Carol Lynn Pearson for her gracious permission to use my favourite poem of hers in this book.

  To Lulu.com for making it possible to produce a beautiful, professional looking hardcover.

  To my family: I love you.

  To my "kids", who I will always love and miss wherever they go, and wherever they are:

  Ted, Sals, Sam, Toby, LeeLoo, Sylvester, Ginger, Pepper, Sugar, Patsy, Misty, Mollie and Baby.

  resources for lgbtq

  youth and adults:

  The Lesbian and Gay Foundation

  lgf.org.uk

  Queer Youth Network

  queeryouth.org.uk

  Schools Out

  schools-out.org.uk

  London Lesbian and Gay Switchboard

  llgs.org.uk

  Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement

  lgcm.org.uk

  Coalition for Equal Marriage

  c4em.org.uk

  Stonewall

  stonewall.org.uk

  OutRage!

  outrage.org.uk

  resources for

  animal rights:

  People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals

  peta.org.uk

  Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals

  rspca.org.uk

  Humane Society International

  hsi.org

  Dogs Trust

  dogstrust.org.uk

  about the author:

  Laura Susan Johnson was born in California in 1970. She lives back and forth between California, Idaho and the coast of northern Oregon. She began writing stories at the age of eleven and was a staff journalist in high school. First and foremost, she is a writer, but she is also a nurse, a web designer, a quilter, a traveller and a wanna-be vegan gourmand.

  Her other written works include the short stories: Burdens, Our House, and Old Cars

  She is currently working on her second novel.

  Her website can be found at:

  http://peachhambeach.jigsy.com

  www.beatentrackpublishing.com