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.




Wednesday, July 9, 2014

You Decide: Amber Heard or Ellen Hollman

If Corey Yuen were to make Killer of Killers into a movie...or if any reputable director were to decide to do that...or even the STARZ channel, or HBO...who would get the role of Trent Smith? Well, for me right now, Dustin Clare is my top choice. Casper Van Dien, who was my original choice, is getting too old. Sorry Casper.

But the choice for Samantha Jones, the beautiful blond police detective, is still up in the air. I've been saying Amber Heard for a long time. And I still believe it. But the actress who worked with Dustin Clare before, in the STARZ show Spartacus, was Ellen Hollman. She's a pretty blond woman, too. And she was Dustin's love interest in Spartacus. So they have a history working together already.

Amber Heard




Amber Heard is up and coming. Her star is rising. She's being cast in movies and is now engaged to Johnny Depp.

Meanwhile, I don't know of any movies that Ellen Hollman has been in. In fact, she and Dustin Clare both seem to have their careers on hold. So maybe that would be a reason for STARZ to pick up Killer of Killers. Once I have all three books written, there might be a good miniseries there for them. And STARZ already has used both Dustin Clare and Ellen Hollman. So in that case, Ellen Hollman would get the nod for Samantha Jones, police detective.





Ellen Hollman

But not if it's a movie, and preferably made by Corey Yuen, the veteran martial arts movie director. You see, Samantha Jones is considered one of the most beautiful women in the world. And for a role like that, I say Amber Heard is just right. But, hey,  I wouldn't complain about Ellen Hollman getting the part, either.

So what differentiates them? Well, Amber Heard is a more effeminate beauty in my opinion. Whereas Ellen Hollman has a harder look to her. It doesn't reduce her beauty at all. She just looks tougher. And the role of Samantha Jones doesn't require that. In Killer of Killers, Samantha Jones is a police detective, but that doesn't mean she's on the streets beating people up. In fact, there are no scenes at all where she gets physical. (Well, there is, but that's a bed scene.) She never has to fight anyone, is what I mean.




So readers, that means you. If you've read the book, or even if you haven't, write a comment, or drop me a line and let me know which one you prefer. I won't mind either choice. Both are beautiful and both will work fine.

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