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.




Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Feeling Good About Chances

I'm still waiting on word from the publishers who have partials and fulls. Now that the holiday season is over, the responses are likely to come. I wonder how many responses will arrive from those publishers to whom I only sent queries.

I have gone through this before with agents, and everyone seems to have their own way of saying no. IMO, a simple "not for me" or "doesn't fit" is a cool rejection. But I don't buy it when they say things like, "the writing isn't there yet." Since I have an agent and a contract in hand, that's all the proof I need to believe my writing is "there." So when an agent or editor implies otherwise, I know to take it with a grain of salt. These agents or editors probably didn't even read the material. That's OK, just spare me the BS, that's all.
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