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, December 13, 2013

Now What? Keep Writing--But...

Yes, when you've finished a book, like I've finally finished Killer of Killers and The Vase, you keep on writing. You go on to your next project. And for me, that would be the sequel to Killer of Killers, which I've been calling Killer Eyes. But I might change that to The Killers Guild, since I introduce a Killers Guild in that book. I was going to reserve the title The Killers Guild for the third installment of this limited series, but I'm not so sure about that any more.

Regardless, there is something else that is just as important as a commitment to writing. And that is promoting your work. I've promoted both Killer of Killers and The Vase since publication, but there is so much more I can do. I've decided that it will be necessary to get free books to people who would be most likely to enjoy the books, but people who are also in a position to see those books made available to others who would be likely to buy them.

The most obvious people are people in book stores. Meaning the people who own, run, or work in bookstores. I'll have to have a small collection of my books and take them to these people. Tell them about the books, let them have a free copy, and hope that they will take the time to read them. Once they do, I'm confident they will enjoy the stories and then order some copies to sell in their bookstore.

So, yeah. That's my next step. Just as soon as I get my copies from Melange. I'll keep you posted on that progress.

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