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, March 28, 2012

Research Should be Varied

My Historical novel, JOHN DUNN involved a lot of research. Writing about life in the nineteenth century made research a must. It probably took half of the time I put in on writing the book. But KILLER OF KILLERS needed research, too. Martial Arts moves and philosophies, medical research, scientific research, and more.

In KILLER EYES, the research is in Nuclear medicine. That is the turn the story takes. But how many people are hip to nuclear medicine? Nuclear physicists, perhaps. But now I'm pretty familiar with it. Not so much that I could teach an advanced class on nuclear medicine, but enough to concoct a story that contains that element.

One thing that results from writing books, I must say, is that you become a little bit smarter about a lot of different things. Reading those books will make you smarter, too. That's pretty cool.

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