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.




Thursday, February 7, 2013

Stories and the Characters in Them

First you need a great story. Then you need great characters to "act" it out. Sometimes a great character can make a story, and sometimes a great story will work with any characters. But when you have both, a great story and great characters, you've got something special. And if you can add great writing to the mix, you've got a real winner.

But there's always that intangible element.  It's called opinion, or personal taste. Meaning, what is great to one person may not be so great to another. And it's about taste. Some people love stories with action, shoot 'em ups, and a lot of blood. But that kind of story could be repulsive to other people. Just like War Stories. Some people love them and some hate them.

And don't get me started on Romance stories. I can't stand them, but obviously a lot of women love nothing better. Actually, I do like a little bit of romance in a story. After all, Killer of Killers has a romantic subplot, and so do my other books. It's not the main focus of the stories, but since romance is a part of life, I did make it a part of them.

If you weave romance into a story with a good helping of action, suspense, and intrigue, then I believe you've got a great story. That's what I've done with all four of my books. And since Killer of Killers is published, and The Vase is in queue to be published, and Killer Eyes is up next, as the sequel to Killer of Killers to be published, I can be happy with how things are turning out. Can't wait to get back to John Dunn. That one's quite a story, too. And completely different than the other three. But not when it comes to romance. I guess that is the one common element in all of them.
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