Don’t judge a name by its colors. MacKenzie Hamilton has the unique ability to see letters and numbers in colors. Her synesthesia seemed almost useless until she decided to start categorizing people based on their names’ color combinations. For instance, her parents’ names are pretty, so they’re destined to reconcile. And David Shaw, the boy next door, has an ugly name, so of course, she had to push him away. For three years, she’s lived with a false sense of security until senior year, when her color theory is put to the test in the worst way possible. David Shaw doesn’t understand why MacKenzie ghosted him. One minute, they were BFFs, and the next, it was like he never existed. But with money being tight, he has bigger problems to worry about. College may not be in the cards, especially music school. When David is paired with MacKenzie for a class mock-marriage project, he hopes she’ll finally tell him what went wrong. He would love to be friends again… maybe even more. The more they work together, the closer they become, causing MacKenzie to question her rationale for ditching David in the first place. Perhaps David’s name isn’t so ugly after all. As long as he never discovers why she shunned him, everything will work out. Famous last words.

Start Ugly is a celebration of the messy creative process and a call to face the obstacles of that process with mindfulness and humanity. This is a book for anyone who has ever wished they were "more creative."

This lexicon is popularly attributed to Craig Conley (author of HarperCollins' One-Letter Words: A Dictionary, Weiser Books' Magic Words: A Dictionary, and Webster's Dictionary of Improbabe Words, to name but three of hundreds). Conley himself neither disclaimed the work nor officially confirmed it as his own. It was discovered with no byline and possibly unfinished (though who can say? No lexicon is ever complete, given how language grows). Because this work features only literary examples of usage, Conley's idiosyncratic voice betrays itself, if at all, solely through the precise curation of terms. Note that certain entries feature asterisks, the significance of which is still being studied, with no contemporary theories having proved conclusive. They have been retained in this edition, exactly as they appeared in the original typescript.

A family in crisis. An impossible choice. A race against time. An unplanned pregnancy turns the lives of Deanna, her husband Max, and her teenage son upside down. But there’s something else wrong... After baby David receives a cancer diagnosis, Deanna drops everything to focus on finding a cure. Max has other ideas. Based on his own troubled past, Max challenges Deanna to consider quality of life versus quantity. Their opposing opinions throw their marriage into chaos and Deanna seeks treatment options alone. Caught in the middle, Alex must navigate this family crisis on his own. An unexpected friendship with a cancer survivor may offer the perspective he needs. With the clock ticking, Deanna stops at nothing to save baby David’s life... but her relationship with her family may not survive the process. David’s Summer is an emotionally rich and compelling family drama about love, sacrifice, forgiveness, and a frantic race for a cure. Praise for David's Summer: "This book...It had me from the very beginning til the very end. I loved it! I felt like I was a part of this family. I have to warn you...It is a tear-jerker but I think you'll love it, too." "This book left me in tears. I could not put it down. The question of how far would you go to save your child is epic. A story of cancer and support when your world is turned upside down." "This story is an emotional one. How could a story not be when a baby is diagnosed with cancer? I was actually most taken with Alex and I wish there would have been more regarding his feelings about his brother." "I would definitely read more from this author." "As I read this book, I cried through the honesty of the family and what they were going through. The value of a human being is priceless, especially a child. This book is an emotionally charged read and will stay with you for a long time. Excellent!" "This is a riveting story of crisis within a family and the toll taken when one is extremely ill and the family is floundering in the midst of pain and suffering. It is an important story and one felt by countless families every day. I was deeply affected by the teenage son's experience, as he lost his support team." "Totally heartbreaking. Deanna and Max and their two boys, Alex and David, and how lives can change suddenly. Nobody knows when changes occur and the effect it has on everyone. A captivating story which will keep you reading to the end." "This was a good story. It wasn't as sad as I thought it was going to be. There was a lot of growth and communication happening for this family throughout this tragedy they experienced." "What an excellent and well written story. Gabel took a very difficult subject and was able to intertwine a story around it in such a way that I just had to keep reading. Can't wait to see what he writes next!" "David's Summer was very well set from the beginning. Some parts made me smile, while others made me cry. I rate a book by my heart. This book pulled at my heart strings. This book was full of raw emotions. Anyone who has dealt with cancer knows its fury. A MUST read."