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, May 30, 2014

New Book-Killer Eyes-a Thrilling Ride

I'm very excited about the recent completion of my third novel, Killer Eyes. Yeah, I'm still polishing it up, but for the most part, all of the issues have been resolved, and the story is finally complete. There are some strings that are left untied, however. That was deliberate. Just like in the first book, Killer of Killers, there were some strings left untied, deliberately, and those were resolved in this book, Killer Eyes. And because it's a continuing series, (at least for three books,) there's another subplot line that is left unresolved. No worries, I plan on resolving everything in the third book.

But when will that be? Not sure. I am only sure that I will write it. And maybe next. I did get the recent epiphany for a new story, as I've posted this week. And I may undertake that one first. But even so, the third Killer book will get written, and I am as excited about that as I've ever been. Maybe even more so, because this character, Trent Smith, is my all time favorite character. He's a great character.

As a youth, I was always a fan of that ultra cool, ultra great character as portrayed in books, movies, or even TV shows. Indeed, my all time favorite characters include:

1-Conan, as written by Robert E. Howard in his Conan books-NOT the Conan we saw in the movies or TV shows.

2-James Bond, as portrayed by Sean Connery in the movies. One of the rare examples where the movies were better than the book.

3-Captain James T. Kirk, as portrayed in the TV show Star Trek, TOS--not the movies with the original cast, (they sucked) nor the reboot movies which, to me, totally sucked.

And sure, there's more, like James West, from the TV show The Wild, Wild West, and The Man With No Name, as portrayed by Clint Eastwood in his three spaghetti western movies. And there are more.

Trent Smith in Killer of Killers is up there with those guys. I had that specifically in mind when I invented the character. He had to be a character who was the best at what he does. And when it comes to martial arts, hand to hand combat, bare knuckle fighting, etc. he is without peer. Clearly the first book, Killer of Killers, demonstrates this. In the second book, Killer Eyes, he uses swords. And in the third book, tentatively titled The Killers Guild, the story comes full circle, with empty hands fighting, and events that will establish him without a doubt as the world's best empty hands fighter.

So let me get Killer Eyes polished up and I'll proceed with my new books. It just takes a couple more read throughs, which of course depends on the home front allowing me the time to do that. It's a matter of sitting down and doing it. Which is what I intend to keep on doing.


No comments:

Post a Comment