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, May 9, 2012

Dreams and Ideas

I have some interesting dreams and sometimes those dreams are ideas for scenes or even a premise. The other night I dreamed I was someone fighting aliens, but I don't consider myself a sci fi writer. One day I might try it. I've always liked sci fi as a kid. And I did begin a graphic novel that was sci fi. I even completed two episodes of a four part series.

Still, when it comes to dreams I just wonder where those things come from. There was one where I was fighting some giant monstrosity who couldn't be harmed. That might have been triggered by some movie I saw recently, but it didn't look anything like any movie I'd seen.

When I was writing KILLER OF KILLERS, at least twice I dreamed of characters from that story and things happening that I might put in there. And one thing happened that was interesting. Shoji Wada, the old master of the Martial Arts Academy had transformed at the moment of death, somehow, and I considered using that. But then I said no. It was too much like the time Obiwan Kenobi from Star Wars seemed to do just that at the moment Darth Vader killed him.

No matter what, I don't want to bite off any other story. If it's not my idea entirely, I don't want to use it. And it could very well be true that dreams don't originate from you. They might just come from someone else. And that's kind of scary unto itself.

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