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.




Tuesday, June 21, 2011

A Lot of Progress on John Dunn

My research isn't complete, but I have a good start already on my historical novel on John Dunn.

I am finished with the research on the Zulu Civil War battle in which John Dunn fought, and a bunch of stuff about his early life. So I went ahead and started the book. I had about five pages done, as I’ve posted earlier. But today I put in a marathon of writing. Got the first chapter done, and it’s near seven thousand words and 24 pages now. That was over five thousand words and near twenty pages of writing I got in today.

But what a chapter! Talk about beginning a book with a lot of action. How about a huge final battle of an African civil war? I mean the Zulus did NOT kid around when it came to waging war. Anyone who knows anything about Shaka Zulu knows that. We’re talking about 30,000 to 40,000 fatalities here. In one day of fighting. And that includes not just soldiers, or impi as the Zulu called their warriors. But we’re talking about women, children, the aged, the infirm, the whole deal slaughtered on the losing side.

A River Runs Red. That’s what happened to the Tugela River when the killing was over. It ran red with the blood of Mbuyasi’s clan. I think it’s a great name for a chapter. Maybe even for the book. I don’t have a title for it yet. (John Dunn as a title just doesn’t cut it.) But A River Runs Red sounds good. That will be something I’ll consider, anyway.

And I found out in my research that John Dunn wasn’t the only white man to fight in that battle. It’s true he was the only white man on Prince Mbuyasi’s side. But not to be outdone by his brother, Cetshwayo went and got a white man to fight for his side, too. That is a fact, but I had a little fun with it, and in my story the two faced off for a showdown of their own. I don’t have to tell you who won. (Hey the book’s about John Dunn!) So I got a little fiction in there. It’s based on the true story of John Dunn, but I’m going to spiff it up a bit.

Heck, I don’t have to spiff it up too much. I mean how much spiffing up does a guy with fifty wives and a hundred plus kids need?
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