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, December 19, 2013

Will Giving Prompt Purchases?

I really don't know any other authors, not personally anyway, so I can't delve into their personal success stories when it comes to prompting purchases. My plan to give away free copies of Killer of Killers to bookstore owners or managers seems to be a good idea, but what if they just sit on the book, and then never buy copies to sell in their bookstores?

I guess that's a risk I'll be taking. All I can do is ask, or inquire if they would be open to buying bookstore copies to put on their shelves, but if they don't know anything about the book why should they do that? After all, they never heard of me or the book. But if they were to read a copy, and then realize that they liked it, perhaps that's when they would be inclined to buy copies to sell in their stores.

I mean it sounds logical. More so than if I didn't offer a book for them to read. I suppose it could backfire. I could give away all ten of my copies, and then all ten stores never do anything after that. There's no guarantee they'll even read it, but such is life. There are very few guarantees about anything. If any at all.

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