My new short story collection consists of 13 tales spanning the last decade of my writing career. I put a great deal of time and consideration into what I should include in this collection, focused on providing a wide range of stories comparable to my previous collection of short stories, May Cause Unexplained Ocular Bleeding. I wanted to be sure there was something for everyone in the pages of this book.

Works previously published in various anthologies and periodicals combine with stand-alone short stories that were originally made available on the Godless platform, providing readers with an exciting new experience. Ranging from splatterpunk and extreme horror to cosmic horror and crime fiction–and everything in between–these stories showcase a variety that is sure to entertain, titillate, and unnerve.

While I originally planned to self-publish this title, Candace Nola convinced me that it was something she’d like to make available through Uncomfortably Dark Horror.

Coming in digital format to Godless on January 21, 2026.

Available everywhere on February 10, 2026.

When an author puts a short story collection together, they are sifting through the ashes in the hope of finding something valuable, and breathing new life into things that were dead. Each story takes on a new context when brought together, than it had in its original life. The author paints their face with the ashes of the dead, crafting a new facade made from pieces of the old.

This collection includes 13 stories, written and published over the course of more than a decade. Some of them may be familiar, while others may provide a new experience as you lose yourself in these tales of violent revenge, exploration gone horribly wrong, and strange encounters.

Even those you’ve read before may find a different meaning this time around.

Advance Praise for We Paint Our Faces with the Ashes of the Dead:

Available now on Godless at the following link:

We Paint Our Faces with the Ashes of the Dead by Nikolas P. Robinson – GODLESS PREMIERE!