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, February 4, 2015

Not Pulling the Trigger--Yet

I know, I know. I was supposed to submit Killer Eyes this week. Now it's Wednesday, and I still haven't sent it to Melange. What's the hold up? I'm still finding things that can be improved. Not just the prose. But some dialogue, too. Some consistency issues, as well. But how can that be? I've gone over it a dozen times or more.

Well, the same thing happened with my other two books. And I just don't want anything inconsistent with Killer Eyes. Because readers will catch those things. Just because it took me a dozen times to catch something, doesn't mean a sharp reader won't catch it his or her first time reading it.

So I think I caught them all now. Will I read through it one more time? Maybe I should.  But that will put me a week behind schedule. It's not as if I have a deadline. So I probably will.

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