“Shooting” First March Acceptance From Asinine Assassins

Well, first there was UNCOMMON ASSASSINS, then INSIDIOUS ASSASSINS, with me sharing in these with “The Wellmasters Daughter” and “The Labyrinth,” respectively. Exotic tales set in locations such as the Sahara Desert and the ancient ruins at Knossos, Crete. Then yesterday evening brought word of the acceptance of a third offering, this one with the action in . . . California.

So the anthology as announced last month by Smart Rhino Publications may be a bit out of step with the others too, with the title to be ASININE ASSASSINS. The “asinine” element must be critical to the plot — we particularly like dark humor, but we’ll also consider anything comedic, zany, or surreal. Stories can be any genre (although the focus is on suspense), but they must fit the anthology’s theme. That took some thought, but I did have one story, a reprint (albeit a bit on the short side) originally published in the UK in the Autumn 2006 FORGOTTEN WORLDS called “Shooting Fish,” a science fiction tale of, as I put it, an advance scout for an alien invasion of Earth who finds himself in a situation where he must assassinate a fish.

Asinine enough? Well I gave it a shot and Tuesday evening the answer came back: I’m happy to accept your story, “Shooting Fish,” for the ASININE ASSASSINS anthology! It’s a welcome departure from most of the stories I’ve received — the only science fiction story I’ve accepted so far. It’s a fun story and I think the readers will enjoy it.