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A star-studded collection of essays from acclaimed and bestselling authors and celebrities that illuminates the lasting power of desire and longing, and celebrates our initiation into the euphoria, pain, and mystery that is our first celebrity crush.

You never forget your first crush . . .

CRUSH brings together stories of heartbreak, humiliation, and hilarity from a roster of popular luminaries, including James Franco, Carrie Fisher, Stephen King, Roxane Gay, Jodi Picoult, Emily Gould, and Hanna Rosin, who share intimate memories of that first intense taste of love. Here are funny, whimsical, sometimes cringe-worthy tales of falling head over heels for River Phoenix, Mary Tyler Moore, Howard Cosell, Jared Leto, and a host of other pop culture icons.

A few contributors channeled their devotion into obsessively writing embarrassing fan letters. Some taped pics in school lockers. Others decorated their bedroom walls with posters. For tweenaged Karin Tanabe, it was discovering bad boy Andy Garcia--playing the gun-loving mobster Vincent Corleone in The Godfather III. Barbara Graham unsuccessfully staked out an apartment on Park Avenue for a glimpse of her blue-eyed soulmate, Paul Newman. There was only one puppy for six-year-old Jodi Picoult--Donny Osmond--while Jamie Brisick's pre-teen addiction was Speed Racer.

Swoon-worthy and unforgettable, the essays in CRUSH will leave you laughing, make you cry, and keep you enthralled--just like your first celebrity crush.

Dave Singleton is an award-winning writer/producer and multimedia communications expert who has worked for multimedia/publishing companies including Hearst Magazines, Scholastic, Time Warner, BNA, and AARP Media. He writes for numerous publications and websites on topics including pop culture, dating and relationships, health, caregiving, food, travel, social trends, and LGBT life. He also teaches at the Writing Center in Washington, DC.

Lynde Houck is an AudioFile Earphones Award-winning narrator.

Stephen King has written more than fifty books, many hitting the #1 spot on the New York Times bestsellers list. He has won the World Fantasy Award, several Bram Stoker Awards, and the O. Henry Award for his story The Man in the Black Suit. He is the 2003 recipient of the National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, and in 2007 he received the Grand Master Award from the Mystery Writers of America.

Jodi Picoult is the world-renowned #1 New York Times bestselling author of My Sister's Keeper, Lone Wolf, Sing You Home, and many others. She studied creative writing at Princeton University and received her masters from Harvard. Picoult has won numerous awards for her work, most notably an Alex Award and a lifetime achievement award from the Romance Writers of America. She lives in Hanover, New Hampshire with her family.

Kaleo Griffith is an Earphones Award-winning audiobook narrator and classically trained actor. He graduated cum laude from Franklin Pierce University with a BA in theater, holds an MFA in acting from Rutgers University, and is a graduate of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. He has appeared in such television series as Law & Order and Reggie's Family & Friends, among others.

James Franco is an acclaimed actor, director, artist, writer, and narrator. His film appearances include 127 Hours, Milk, Pineapple Express, Oz the Great and Powerful, Spring Breakers, and the Spider-Man trilogy. He has written and directed several films, and his visual art has been featured in solo shows in Los Angeles and New York. His writing has appeared in Esquire, the Wall Street Journal, McSweeney's, and other publications. He has an MFA degree in creative writing from Brooklyn College.

Dave Singleton's work has appeared in The Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, PBS's Next Avenue, AARP Media, Yahoo, MSN, the BBC, Washingtonian, Harper's Bazaar, and OUT. His two previous books are The Mandates and Behind Every Great Woman. His honors include the Media Industry Award for Outstanding Exclusive Coverage, GLAAD Award for Outstanding Multimedia Journalism, and two NLGJA Excellence in Online Journalism awards. He's a Caring.com columnist and teaches at The Writer's Center in Washington, D.C. Visit his website www.davesingleton.com and follow him on Twitter @DCDaveSingleton.

Cathy Alter's feature articles, essays, and reviews have appeared in local and national newspapers and magazines including The Washington Post, Washingtonian, The Atlantic, The Huffington Post, Self, McSweeney's, and SMITH Magazine. Her book, Virgin Territory: Stories from the Road to Womanhood was released in 2004 and her memoir, Up for Renewal: What Magazines Taught Me About Love, Sex, and Starting Over was released in July 2008. She holds an M.A. from Johns Hopkins University, where she is currently a faculty member and nonfiction advisor.