​Henry's endeavors to collect exotic artwork seemed all but lost to his aging memory. His life and the fate of his art collection take a dramatic turn when the eccentric artist Paulo arrives with a portrait painted with a deadly toxin. On the eve of the exhibit's grand debut, Henry is attacked and the painting is stolen. Although an increasing occurrence of his collection, the venomous portrait vexes his curiosity. Due to Paulo's incoherent behavior and the local police's lack of empathy, Henry finds himself solving the mystery of the stolen paintings alone.
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Yet he discovers something unearthly while he investigates further into the enigma of Paulo's painting. The poison is not what it seems. Will this art lover remain safe on the other side of the velvet ropes, or is his wildest adventure about to begin? Find out in this story you will find difficult putting down. If a picture is worth a thousand words then there are a thousand reasons to discover the truth.

This short story was originally birthed during a random idea of an artist painting with poison. The work was then part of a collaborative work of short stories by other authors. Due to timing and other projects, I pulled the story from the collection to focus on other endeavors.
Meanwhile, my skills in writing improved. With the success of XR-404 and feedback from my incredible critique group, I had to enter this into the contest at Constellation NE. While there, I spoke to the incredible artist guest of honor, ​Arden Ellen Nixon, who went beyond my imagination for the spectacular cover art.
This work was inspired by my love of the classic Twilight Zone and Outer Limits shows. I hope you enjoy Paint Me a Picture of Poison and write a review of it on Amazon.
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​During my time at Grace University, poetry became one of my passions. Many of the poems found in Musings of the Northern Poet came from my experience there. As such, one poem that I performed during a talent show became one of my favorite parody pieces. And so I give you my rendition of The "Grace" Raven, a parody of Edgar Allen Poe's classic.

I met Arden Ellen Nixon at a few conventions in the past. Her artwork always drew my eye toward the darker colors and details. She truly has a gift for paintings. In fact, she even did the cover art for my short story, Paint Me a Picture of Poison. This gift bled onto her typewriter as she crafted an incredible story. Here is my review of her book, Make-Shift Angel, available now on Kindle from Amazon.

​"It’s the simple pleasures in life that can bring us to our vice. But what happens when familiar passions are stripped from you? What happens when it’s stripped from an angel? Rand finds solace in those simple vices as he searches to answer the question of why such things were taken from him. Through his friendship with a medicated comic shop owner and another celestial, Rand searches for his purpose again. However, this is not so easy to come by for an immortal with insomnia.


Arden does an incredible job of bringing us inside one of her paintings. I found myself reading in awe at the masterpiece created by this author and artist. I hope you also enjoy the journey through the dark strokes of a celestial life created in this story. They say a picture paints a thousand words; yet through this story, a thousand images are formed."



I hope you get the opportunity to read it as well and vote up my review here:
https://www.amazon.com/review/R12X64QTTBV22/ref=cm_cr_dp_title?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B01N5HS1B6&channel=detail-glance&nodeID=133140011&store=digital-text

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​Influenced by his love of God, his wife, and the Renaissance festivals; this collection of syllabic poetry will lighten the reader through its couplets and verse. From his best poems written while attending a Biblical college, to his lighter works from his involvement at local Renaissance Faires, these poems seek to inspire and reach the limits of the mind's emotions. Split into three sections, it is Matthew's desire to have others experience his life's passions: faith, hope, and love.

These lines are a brief glimpse into the soul written throughout this collection of poetry. For over a decade, these poems have helped the author through some of the darkest times to remind him of the Light. Of course, it must include a section for those who would seek to find the more traditional love poem. And for those who like to skip to the end, you will find more of the quirky and specific works for those who share his love for Renaissance festivals and poetry.
For a taste of what you can find in the Musings of over 80 poems, here is one that was written after the compiling of poetry:

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Culicidae Plague
The cloud descends over all exposed skin
Causing even the saintly ones to sin
Poison burrows in the fleshly recess
As the assailants thrive in the darkness
They squeeze in our locked houses and safe cars
Taking nothing yet leaving pain and scars
One resorts to a primitive reply
Grabbing whatever object is nearby
But the effects leave a sticky layer
Leaving with a numb taste to the sprayer
As we yell for this summer plague to end
Furiously beating abhorrent wind
While lighting our fires to protect and fight
The tiny deviled spirits of the night
Satisfied in their annihilation
When the faithful Deet brings our salvation

​Find it here:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00PB3A52E/ref=pd_aw_sim_sbs_351_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=CSWKJ5G5YV70JGD80MJV
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 I had the privilege of meeting Quincy J Allen at a convention in 2014. He is one of the two authors who inspired me to pursue my writing career with a serious passion. I hope to repay his inspiration in my review of his book Out Through the Attic:
“This buffet of brilliant short stories is perfect for a good read before bed. Each story had its own unique twists and turns to it. Quincy does a wonderful job weaving the Steampunk goodness in his mind to the stories.
It is hard to pick a favorite story out of all of them. I would have to say that the best surprise happened in “17” (I will not spoil it for you! Enjoy his imagination yourself). Each story worked its way around the words at a quick pace. I enjoyed picking up the morsels he shared with us and hope to feast on more of his work in the future.”

I hope you get the opportunity to read it as well and vote up my review here:

http://www.amazon.com/review/RNID2KNX7408Y/ref=cm_cr_dp_title?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B00KVR06XS&channel=detail-glance&nodeID=133140011&store=digital-text
 
You can read more about it by clicking this link.

This story could be classified as a thriller mixed with dark comedy. As a flash fiction story, the entirety of the story is less than 1,000 words. It is a great read during a lunch break or something to make you smile throughout your day.
This story is the start of many short stories that will be happening in the same universe. Please let me know what you think about it on Amazon or in the comments below. I hope you enjoy the future stories and the search for XR-404.

Jake Bonner is given a task he is not at all pleased to undertake. However, his more intelligent computer counterpart named Odin insists he use the odd jobs to help pay off his debts.
Their small scout ship is accompanied by the pop singing sensation, Evvie Martini, and the adventure takes a whole new spin. Jake must do his best to put up with the spoiled star as he tries to set up plans for his other task: leading a rebellion on Antioch Two.
With the star at his side and the AI overhead, Jake leads the planet to a rebellion that you would not expect. Be prepared to set aside time for this read as you will find it difficult to put down.
Robert Collins takes us down a trip into our imaginations to a fun time in our future. His use of pop references and science fiction nods are witty and quick. The dialogue is easy to follow and breathes life into the characters. I enjoyed the ride.

You can find more of his books and info about this great author here:  http://robertlcollins.blogspot.com/
He is also very active on Twitter (https://twitter.com/robertLcollins) and other social media.

​A PRESCHOOL TEACHER’S PRAYER
Of all the saddest phrases, this one is true
It’s at the moment I say “good-bye” to you
No more seeing your energetic smiles each day
No more teaching and coaching as you play
It’s like a college separation
Knowing you won’t see them on vacation
As I filled them with numbers and ABCs
I hope there’s still time for “thank you”s and “please”
Such moments when they finally understand
Hesitations and fears when they grab your hand
No reward in life could ever match
Even the simplest of activities like catch
For farewells of their last lesson’s theme
No more time to pretend and dream
Now leaving but echos of “why”s and roars
And so with all their art on refrigerator doors
They begin the year of kindergarten
I just hope their preschool teacher won’t be forgotten
–Matthew E Nordin
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Don’t make those grumpy bird faces, get the pout-pouts away and be a happy llama!