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, January 28, 2011

Different Mode

Now that THE VASE is on track for publication, I will be in a different mode. Something I'm not really used to, but all writers will have to get used to it if they want to sell any of their books. I'm talking about marketing and promotion. I've never been a good salesman. I still remember when I was a kid I was asked to assist a friend in going door to door trying to sell newspaper subscriptions. Didn't sell a single one.

But with this media revolution of the computer and the internet, at least I won't be going door to door. It's the main reason I started this blog. For promotion. It's why I changed the name of the blog to THE VASE. I had a teacher's website already, and I'm promoting the book there, too. I have an author's website now on the Author's Den website, and I joined a Writer's Group.

It's kind of fun, come to think of it. That's about all I can do until the book is actually published and available for purchase. Then I'll link the purchasing sites, like Amazon or even the Virtual Tales site to the websites. I've already got Virtual Tales linked to my blog. I'll do what everyone else does and link it through the cover of the book.

Now there's another thought. What should the cover look like? I'm thinking I like the photo right here on my blog. I think that it would be a good cover, just by itself. Just a black and white photo of the vase with that same all black background - with a caption like the one I have there, or something similar. It works for me...

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