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, August 6, 2013

The Vase Edits Done

As hoped, the edits for The Vase are done, and I sent the file back to Penumbra. They confirmed receiving it, and it will undergo the final edits now. I hope that the next file I get will be the real deal, meaning that it will be the version that will be published. The eBook will come out first and then the print book.

Still, I haven't seen a cover yet. I think that is the next step in the process. At Melange, for Killer of Killers, they had the cover ready before the edits even. But it doesn't matter. Both are extremely important. The cover will help sell the book, but the edits are what makes the book good when it's being read. Of course, the story had better already be good. But with The Vase, I already know that's the case. I wrote it after all. And this blog is pretty much dedicated to The Vase. Just look at the header. It's all about The Vase. So stay tuned.

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