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.




Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Indie Publishers Fill a Void

Everyone knows that big publishers usually don’t want to take a chance with an unknown writer. But it really is true that unknown writers have great stories to tell. I think there are more of them than people realize. Going by the writing blogs alone, there are tons of writers out there. For them, getting published by a big house publisher is next to impossible.

And that’s why independent publishers have been cropping up all over the place. They give the unknown writer an opportunity. It’s got to be tough, not only for new writers, but for new publishers, too. Yet some of these new authors and new publishers are making it big. They succeed because they know their craft.

I have to believe that publishers who succeed know how to succeed. It’s a business after all. And they have got to be good businessmen to succeed. Like an author, they have to work hard and they have to be dedicated. They have to be selfless and put their business first. If you aren’t willing to do that, then most likely you won’t succeed no matter what you’re trying to do.

That’s most definitely the way it is for writers, and I bet it’s just as true for publishers. It’s just the way it is for most everything.

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