Love Crushed

by Toshia Slade

  Thank you all so much for taking the time to read my story. I hope to hear from you, and I love getting messages hearing what you thought of the book. And if you could please head over to the purchase site and leave a review, I would be forever grateful! An indie author relies on reviews, so if you could just take a few moments and leave a simple review of how you felt about my book, it would help tons. Again, thank you!

  To my readers that have been here with me from the beginning, thank you from the bottom of my heart for showing patience when I had a rough patch. I hope this story lived up to everything you’d thought it would be. You all mean the world to me, and I would be nothing if it weren’t for y’all. Hopefully, I’ll get the chance to meet you all at some of the signings this year. Much love to y’all! XO

  References

  Any and all songs used in this work of fiction were found on the Internet. The author makes no claim to any songs used in this book, nor does she make any money from the promotion of the mentioned songs.

  The idea for Josh and Tiffany’s wedding vows was found here. -{MISSING SYMBOL Wide-headed rightwards arrow} http://www.greatofficiants.com/design-your-ceremony/57

  Acknowledgments

  First, I want to thank my husband and son for loving me and supporting me when I was deep into writing and didn’t get the house clean or dinner on the table. Joey, thank you for picking up all the slack and making sure Will and I had food and clean clothes. I know it’s so hard when I miss out on so much, but it never fails that you all back me. Even when I cry and whine because I’m tired of missing everything and spending countless hours in front of the computer, you push me to continue to do what I love. Your love and support mean the world to me. I love you, J-Dow! Will, you are my whole world and will always be my baby, no matter how old you are. Love you, bugga butt!

  Mom — I can never thank you enough for always being there for me. You dropped everything to keep Will for me, and you even spent a week at my house to try to hold it together while I hid in the cave. You’re my hero and the true definition of a great mother. You’re my best friend, and I’ll always love you to the moon and back.

  Linda — I’m blessed because not only do I have one mom, but I have two. Thank you for always supporting me and for reading everything I write. You will never know how thankful I am to have you and Bill in my life. Thank you for putting up with our absence while I was trying to meet this crazy deadline and for taking your Hopsing during spring break so I could work. I love you guys!

  Danita — Gosh, where do I even start? You’re the sister I lost and my soul sister in every way possible. If it wasn’t for our daily talks, or you always being there for me, even if I kept you up until three a.m., I’m not sure what I would do. Thank you for pushing me to get this book done and for giving me a swift kick in the ass when I wanted to get off track. I can’t wait to see what this year brings for us, and I so look forward to our summer of trouble. I love you crazy, momma!!

  To the rest of my family and friends, thank you all for being my number-one fans and cheering me on from the sidelines.

  Carolyn and Rox – Can I just say, I would be nowhere without our little Reality Check. You two don’t put up with my shit and tell it to me straight. Shit or get off the pot. No matter what, y’all are there for me, and I can’t thank you enough! You two have come to mean so much to me, and my world wouldn’t be the same without you. Thank you for always letting me vent and for dropping everything to brainstorm with me. One day, the three of us will get together, and all I can say is, look out, here comes trouble. I effin’ love you girls.

  My Betas — Cat Underwood, Jenn Wood, Jessica Fleming, Danita Schwaller, Ronda Brimeyer, Bj Gaskill, Erin Thompson, Amanda Ferguson, and Racquel Reck, THANK YOU!! You all worked on a deadline and finished way before you had to. I can’t thank you all enough for all that you’ve done for me, and y’all’s excitement for this story… there are no words. I will forever be indebted to you. Major love to each and every one of you!

  PixelMischiefDesign.com – Girl, you never fail to blow my mind, and I’m so blessed to have such an amazing, creative mind behind all my covers and graphic designs. I would seriously be lost without you. Thanks for all the amazing work and the crazy conversations. Cam’s bunny will never be the same! Ha-ha.

  Robin Anderson and Maja Dujak – Thank you girls so much for all the help and for letting me bounce ideas off you when it came to Tiffany’s doctor needs. You guys helped me figure out what I needed to do for it to work. You’re both awesome chicks. Much love sent y’all’s way! XO

  JB and Cristin – You two are my inspiration, and your love and support mean the world to me. Words can never express the love and gratitude I have for y’all. Cristin, I can’t wait for the honor of signing with you this year. It’s going to be a freaking blast!! JB, I hope to see you again this year, and hopefully next year I’ll get the chance to sign with you. Thank you both for always being there for me! XO

  A huge thanks to the team over at Red Adept Editing for getting me and editing Love Crushed. You ladies rock, and I’ll never be able to put into words what your kindness has meant to me. Thank you!!

  Give Me Books Blog – What can I say, girls, I love you all. I miss being a part of your team and miss you all terribly since I’ve not been there. Kylie, you kick ass at what you do, and I owe you huge thanks for helping me become such a success! Thank you all for everything you do!

  To all of the fans and readers – Every message I received asking when I was publishing Love Crushed kept me going. NEVER in my life have I felt so loved and blessed. You all know how to make my heart happy! Thank you for every share and each pimp. They all mean the world to me. I HEART YOU ALL!!

  To all of the Bloggers – Thank you so much for being a part of Love Crushed. I know how much time, work, and effort goes into that stuff. So, thank you so damn much for your hard work. It helped me out TONS! I wish I could list you all, but then I would be here all night. Just know, I heart you!!

  To anyone that critiqued my story on CC – Thank you so much for helping me grow tough skin and for wonderful guidance. My story wouldn’t be what it is today if it wasn’t for all of you.

  About the Author

  Toshia resides in Nicholasville, Kentucky, with her husband, son, a dog, and a cat. Growing up in the small area known as Poosey, she was a tomboy and country girl at heart. At nineteen, she married her husband, and then at twenty-one she was blessed with a beautiful baby boy. She's been a stay-at-home mom since he was born, enjoying watching her son grow up.

  Now, five years later, she is an avid reader and known in the book world as a reviewer. She is currently running a group for another author on Facebook. It was there, in that group, that she found the strength and courage to write her own book. Always having a love for writing, she finally said, "I can do this; I can write my own book and share the stories that are in my head." She released her first book, Ten Year Crush, in August 2014.

  You can find her here.

  Facebook, Twitter, Google, Goodreads, and her Website