Illuminate

Recently I read Kimberly Nichols' short story collection, "Mad Anatomy," available through Web del Sol Books.


The entire collection is an honest, moving glimpse into temporal lives. In the first story, "Painter of Hearts," a dying art critic and a painter with prescient abilities meet and all at once the reader understands we are all dignified guides for the soul. Here's an excerpt:

"That morning Malena woke up in incredible pain. She was familiar with it and in the past three years since her diagnosis, had formed an interesting relationship with it. Instead of masking it or running away from it, she became rather intimate with it. It was a powerful ally that needed consistent attention. There was room in her life for nothing else."