Will iconic images recorded in the grooves of an ancient vase unite the Holy Land or rip it further apart?

THE VASE

A novel by Mark M. DeRobertis

Muhsin Muhabi is a Palestinian potter, descended from a long line of potters. His business is run from the same shop owned by his ancestors since the day his forebears moved to Nazareth. The region's conflict saw the death of his oldest son, and rogue terrorists are in the process of recruiting his youngest in their plot to assassinate the Pope and Israeli prime minister.

Professor Hiram Weiss is an art historian at Nazareth’s Bethel University. He is also a Shin Bet operative on special assignment. With the help of fellow agent, Captain Benny Mathias, he plans to destroy the gang responsible for the death of his wife and only child. He puts a bomb in the ancient vase he takes on loan from Muhsin’s Pottery Shop.

Mary Levin, the charming assistant to the director of Shin Bet, has lost a husband and most of her extended family to recurring wars and never-ending terrorism. She dedicates her life to the preservation of Israel, but to whom will she dedicate her heart? The brilliant professor from Bethel University? Or the gallant captain who now leads Kidon?

Harvey Holmes, the Sherlock of Haunted Houses, is a Hollywood TV host whose reality show just flopped. When a Lebanese restaurant owner requests his ghost-hunting services, he believes the opportunity will resurrect his career. All he has to do is exorcise the ghosts that are haunting the restaurant. It happens to be located right across the street from Muhsin’s Pottery Shop.




Monday, January 3, 2011

Back to Work

It seems like a long time has gone by since I've been sitting in this classroom. But after two weeks, here I am in this classroom. Doesn't look like anyone has set foot in here in the meantime. No one, not even a custodian. That's OK. The kids will be here in half an hour, and it will be like old times.

But now is when the publishing world will kick back into gear. I was mildly surprised to receive a request for a full from a prospective publisher on December 22nd. Because I was believing no publishers would be working during those two weeks. But it came, I sent the full, and they told me their "board of directors" is reviewing the manuscript even then. I guess it only means that not all publishers go into hibernation over the holidays.

But I did get my two finished manuscripts finished even more, and I am content that KILLER OF KILLERS and THE VASE are good to go, at least until some editor makes professional edits while working with me toward the publication of one or both of them. This particular publisher said they typically take two months to make a decision, but people from Absolute Write advised that they can take as little as two weeks. It's better than the typical six months that publishers will take to make a decision.

But if you snooze you lose, and I think it's why one publisher already offered a contract for THE VASE. They thought it was good enough for them to decide at their earliest opportunity. That feels great, but as I said before, I can't just jump at the first contract offered because it may very well not be the best contract for me. We'll see what this latest one has to say. And who knows...now that the holidays are done, maybe some of those other publishers might respond. You never know.

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