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, March 19, 2013

Blogs, Yes and No

Yesterday I was writing about how some blogs were helpful to me, and at the same time, how I didn't like the people who wrote them. Well, I could be just another one of them. My blog is probably not helpful at all to anyone. So what if I don't swear on here. For all I know, no one even reads this thing. I have no doubt that this blog does nothing to increase sales for my book. It could very well be true that this is just a waste of time. And wasting time is something I would rather not do.

So, just how long I continue writing this blog is up in the air right now. You write because you love to write, and writing a blog is just another form of writing, I suppose. But there is another factor. Purpose. You write for another reason than just the love of writing. You would think people write because they want other people to actually read what they write. Now, on the stats page of this blog, it indicates that people are reading this thing. You wouldn't know by the comments, but the stats do provide the data. And from all over the world, every corner of the globe.

But I would hope that the other reason for writing this blog would be panning out. That would be promoting Killer of Killers, and soon The Vase to the point that people actually buy those books and read them. Has it happened for Killer of Killers yet? Not sure. I will make that determination by this summer. If it seems like it's happening, then I will continue. If not, then I discontinue. It's that simple.

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