a letter, i didn't know any better

Hudson Ellis is good at his job. Somehow, he manages not to annoy people when he knocks at their doors and asks them to contribute to the charity he works for - instead, he gets them to sign up for sponsoring programmes and fish whatever spare change they have out of their pockets. Even the infamously tough residents of New York City are falling victim to Hudson's easy-going ways and wide smile; that is, until one woman renders him speechless with sarcastic refusals and slams her door in his face. Perhaps Hudson would be able to forget her - if it wasn't for the fact that she lives on the same floor of the next apartment over, and they both have floor-to-ceiling windows that allow for a rather generous view into each other's flats.

❝ She was soft-hued; muted in color. Like peaches 'n' cream. Or pastel macarons- tough exterior, shell-like; soft interior, cream-like. . . . Delicate and collapsible. ❞ - T. D. † English Literature student, Tristan Delacroix never thought of himself as a poet; merely an observer. A linguaphile who captured moments of deceptive insignificance on his typewriter. Street muralist, Faye Hughes never thought of herself as a bohemian landscapist; merely a girl who liked colors and mixing her own paints. A pastelist who smeared moments of juxtaposing emotions on Philly's walls. And on one fateful starry night, the word-loving observer met the bohemian landscapist... Copyright © 2014 Madhu

Does every relationship deserve a second chance? When chief romantic Rose Delaney scores her dream job at London's quirkiest new attraction, The Museum of Broken Hearts, she thinks she's got it made. Sure, it's a little depressing dealing with relics of failed relationships each day, but Rose is determined not to let it break her 'love conquers all' spirit. After discovering the museum's handsome curator is nursing a broken heart of his own, Rose steps in to fix it. Can Rose heal the rift, or will this happy ending go awry?

"Because I really don't have a future. I don't believe in myself. I'm not sure if I know myself anymore. That's why I come up here, because I am scared." ~ What would you give to not have to tread on eggshells everyday, scared off tipping the balance? What would you give to be able to believe in yourself just once? What would you give to be able to just speak up and say what you want to say? Someone, somewhere would give anything. Delilah is a someone looking for a voice but to her she's drowning and doesn't know what to do with life. But there is one thing she clings on to. The stars. When the sky turns dark blue and the stars come out, she can escape to her own world, be herself for once. But as things start to unravel and come out into the open, thanks to a mysterious boy, will Delilah ever realise what she's looking for and believe in herself? ~ Copyright ©2013 by Y u e h-C h i a L o | All Rights Reserved.

***Ranked #4 in Non-fiction - "It's a thing of beautiful nonsense to be young." ***Featured original non-fiction for Pivot TV's Secret Lives of Americans. I Drew a Monkey in a Math Book and Now I'm Married is the true story of how I met my wife Jennie and our awkward teenage romance that followed. The book began as little more than a simple blog post about what it is like being married at the age of 18 and life 10 years later. As I began to catalog more and more of our story, I realized that what I had written was far more than just a blog post. It was a full chronicle of the the year leading up to when we were married and the precious memories that serve as the genesis of our family's story. In the end, it was a poor man's gift to his wife on the morning of their tenth anniversary, dedicated to her and shared with anyone wishing to experience a true teenage romance. I Drew a Monkey in a Math Book and Now I'm Married includes our personal coming of age story between two lovers on the in the twilight of childhood and adult life. You'll see our real life twists of fate, pitfalls and triumphs together, what we learned along the way, and the anecdotes of the misadventures of youth, including, but not limited to a touch of vandalism and the rewards that come with taking risks. I hope you enjoy the first few pages of our Book of Love. Some of it is transcendental. Some of it's just really dumb.