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.




Monday, February 25, 2013

School Back in Session

Okay, I'm back in the classroom, and the week was well spent. I am about 3/5 through the manuscript, and feel real good about it. So I figure I can wrap up the final 2/5 this week and send it back. And that will be a milestone for The Vase. Because the last two times I wrapped up the edits and sent it back, things fell apart. Not Killer of Killers, but with The Vase. The first time I sent back my response to edits, Virtual Tales folded. The second time I sent back edits, Cogito was being disrupted by internal conflicts, and it was the people handling my book that were the ones who quit the company. So now it's Penumbra, and I sure hope that it pans out this time. I am confident it will. But I've got to wrap it up first, and then we'll talk.

One of the things I have already raved about is that they are really "owning" that book. Especially Grayson, one of the top editors over there, and boy does he know his stuff. He is really picky, and I am glad he is. I wanted that. Because every little thing that he is picky about, makes the manuscript better, and that's what I want. Sure sometimes it can be a little brutal. Writers, like any artist, like to be complimented. They want to hear how good they are. They don't like to be criticized. But I'm beyond that, thankfully. Look, the book is getting published. I want every little thing perfect. Every detail perfect. And with The Vase, it's happening. Stay tuned.

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