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, February 12, 2013

Waiting for One, Working on the Other

So while I'm waiting to review the edits on The Vase, I'll continue to revise Killer Eyes, and I'm glad I am. I've got all the POV issues finished, so that's no longer a problem. But I am considering deleting a scene, and maybe an entire subplot. The question I have to ask myself is does it add to the story?

If it doesn't then I would be wise to delete it. The story has already been trimmed about 5,000 words by now. From 91,000 plus words down to 86,000. And if I delete one or all three scenes in question, that might be another thousand words or so. And then there's the ending. It was an ending to the Trent Smith story line. I mean the final ending. That doesn't mean the death of Trent Smith, so don't go jumping to that conclusion. I won't say exactly what kind of ending, though, other than a final one.

And the reason I might delete it is because of my intention to write a third book in the series. And if I want it to continue to be a series, meaning more than just three, then maybe that ending, which is over  4,000 words should never be included in any of the books. So, we'll see how it goes.

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