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, November 30, 2012

It's Raining

Rain is pelting the Bay Area today. Heavy Rain, that is, and that's not too common over here. It made me wonder about how I might use rain in a novel. Of the four books I've written, it only rains in one of them. The John Dunn book, John Dunn, Heart of a Zulu. None of the others have a single rainy day in them. But that's because of the time of the year. Both Killer of Killers and Killer Eyes take place over the summer. And in both of them, the setting is America, as Trent Smith travels coast to coast throughout the duration of the books. In The Vase, the time of year is Spring, and I've learned that the climate in Israel is similar to the climate here. And there's no rain.

But in John Dunn, which takes place entirely in South Africa, in Natal and Zululand, there is plenty of rain. Heavy rain. Flooding rain. When John Dunn brings his large family and his people across the Tugela River at the start of the Zulu War, it's pouring rain. And it was fun writing about it.

Actually, I can't wait to get back to that novel. But it's last in queue because The Vase and then Killer Eyes will preceed it. But it shouldn't take too long. I'm still enjoying this writing process. But right now it's a new stage. Revisions, editing, and publishing. I like the publishing part best. Can't wait to see The Vase published. I'll be submitting the rewritten version next month. And Holy Smokes, next month begins tomorrow. Cool.

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