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.




Friday, October 18, 2013

Nope, Not Sent Yet

So it's Friday, and the week went by and I still wasn't satisfied that I would not be wanting to make any more changes to Killer of Killers. Just last night, I was tweaking the Prologue. The Prologue! 

One might have thought that The Prologue would have been finalized long ago. But after scrutinizing every sentence, every word, including the meanings, the connotations, the clarity, and possible inferences, I decided to rewrite a couple sentences here and there, yes, in the Prologue.

So, I will wait until the weekend. And then probably until next week. But I will let you know when it does happen. That is something of which you can be sure.

Monday, October 14, 2013

Long Awaited Reboot Imminent

The Second Edition of Killer of Killers will be submitted this week. It's been a long time coming, and I am aware of that. I know I've been saying it over and over, but this time it's true. The thing was that I wanted to be darn sure that this was indeed the final version, and no more revisions or changes of any kind would be needed. That was absolutely necessary. And after going over it a dozen times or so since last August, I am confident that I have achieved that goal.

So I'm finishing up the last couple chapters today, and I do believe I will send to Melange by tomorrow. I will keep you posted. And if it does indeed happen, then I should be back to my daily posts, too. Stay tuned.