Jeremiah Quick (35 page)

People in acute emotional distress or who
suffer from severe, chronic mental illness sometimes
do
commit suicide, and there is little the rest of us can do about
it.

If you are feeling suicidal: It gets better.
Please don't leave. Call the lifeline and ask for help.

Nati
onal Suicide Prevention
Lifeline
(United States) 1-800-273-8255

Acknowledgments

Thanks to my beloved family, who may not
understand my need for terrible and beautiful stories, but give me
time and space to write them.

Thank you, 19, my dear friend, who helped me
create the cover of this book, but more so the way you brought
Jeremy back to me in so many ways, not just through stories, but
also through Our Conversation.

Thanks to my beta readers, JC Andrijeski,
Coral Russell, and Bluerabella, and to my new and delightful local
writers' group, Kathleen, Nicole, and Sam. I couldn’t pull any of
it off without you.

And finally, thanks to Jeremy Olson (RIP)
not just for being, but for being you
.

Please be aware: Poetry and song lyrics are
my own, except for microcosmically brief quotes from Behind Blue
Eyes (The Who), Storm (Lifehouse), and Beautiful Thing (Romantic
Torture). I encourage readers to investigate, buy, and enjoy all
music referenced in
Jeremiah Quick
. I made a conscious
effort to give credit to artists within the text, but if you need
to know a song title/artist for a music reference, email me at
[email protected]
, and
I'll be happy to tell you what I know.