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.




Friday, September 7, 2012

Or Time to Take a Break

Maybe it's time to just take a break from writing. I began five years ago. I wrote Killer of Killers over summer vacation, used the next nine months to revise it, then wrote The Vase over the next summer vacation. I used the next nine months to revise it, and then I wrote Killer Eyes over the next summer vactation. But I didn't use the next nine months revising that one. I spent the next nine months polishing both Killer of Killers and The Vase, and found an agent for Killer of Killers.

Well, the agent thing sure didn't work out for reasons documented on this blog, but three publishers offered contracts for The Vase. (which, also, didn't work out.)

Meanwhile, the next summer vacation I wrote John Dunn, Heart of a Zulu, and the ensuing months resulted in a contract for Killer of Killers. And now Killer of Killers is published, although I am waiting for the latest file to be reloaded for when I order my own copies of it. Hopefully that will be any day now.

And after a pretty good submission process for The Vase, on which I am still awaiting news, I think a break of maybe a week or two is in order. At least until I settle down with my new book in hand and collect my senses about what direction I want to go.

We'll see.

No comments:

Post a Comment