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 15, 2020

Volume 1 Rockin' the First Steps



My fist album of original music will be on this CD. It doesn't exist yet, because I skipped it when I decided to put my music on CDs. But I certainly do intend, one day soon, to get there. It's not such a rockin' album really. As I said before, these are mostly love ballads and slow tunes.

No, this is not a painting by me. This is a painting by Jean-Francois Millet and I thought it would make for a good first album design.

You can guess why I might call my first CD of music Rockin' the First Steps. Clearly it's because these were my first steps at writing original songs. But again, it's not really a rockin' album. And that's really not me. Which is why I skipped it.

But I'm on the home stretch of putting my music on CDs right now, and since the world of publishing is on hiatus at this time, (at least as far as I'm concerned,) I'm focusing on my music. And since this CD will contain the fist songs I ever wrote, I thought I'd post it first. So there you are. Next up will be Volume 2 Rockin' the Millennium. That one does exist.