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.




Monday, March 31, 2014

A Blog for Writers or Readers?

A Melange-Books author made a comment on the Melange-Books author's page that made sense. The comment had to do with writer's blogs. And this blog, right here, happens to be a writer's blog--meaning it's a blog written by a writer.

But the point of the other author's comment was to whom do you target your blog? To writers? Or to readers? The point was that if a writer's blog targets other writers by giving writing suggestions, or habitually posting about how to write, or giving tips about writing, etc., then you are targeting the wrong audience. You should be targeting READERS, because it's readers who would be the most likely people to actually buy and read your book!

And I agree with that comment 100%. Other writers, I've learned, have zero interest in reading another writer's books. ZERO. I'm not criticizing, I'm just pointing out a fact. So if a writer's blog is attracting other writers to their blog by posting about things other writers would be interested in, then don't expect any sales of your book to result. And maybe that's been one of my problems.

I say that because often I post about stuff only writers would be interested in. Not always. But often. And in doing that, I'm promoting a blog for writers not readers. I will need to stop posting things for writers, because writers aren't going to be buying any of my books. Readers will. This is just plain logical, common sense. It wasn't rocket science to figure that out. But sometimes you can be blind to something that's staring you right in the face.

And it's something I already knew, anyway! I've even posted about that. Yet I still blogged about writing and targeted an audience that would be writers. I hope I can stop that. I have to keep in mind to write for READERS, not writers. And that will be my focus from now on.

One thing I wanted to do, and said I would do, is post some excerpts to my two published books. That would be more suitable to readers, I would think. It might even prompt some sales. Maybe I'll begin tomorrow. Starting with Killer of Killers. OF course, the beginning of both of my books can be read already, on the publisher's websites, and on Amazon. Still, no reason not to include it on my blog, too.

No comments:

Post a Comment