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.




Thursday, March 14, 2013

Now, The Vase is Ready

I think. I mean, I had finished all the edits last night at around 9:30, and then I took a break, spent some time with my son, and I was going to send it back to Penumbra, but at the last second, I decided just to skim through it  one last time before sending, and sure enough, there was a dangling preposition. Now, it really isn't that necessary to not have a dangling preposition, especially these days when the Word Police are more lax on stuff like that, but this particular one just wasn't needed. I remember typing it, and thinking then that it was a dangling preposition, but thought it was a necessary one. But when I skimmed though the manuscript late last night, I realized that, not only was it not necessary, it stood out like a sore thumb. So I deleted it, and the sentence reads just fine. But then I thought, heck, just wait one more day, skim through it one more time tonight, and then send it. So we'll see. Could very well be that today will be the day.

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