John Furek has accomplished many things; the list includes but is certainly not limited to being a U.S. Naval submarine veteran, a retired German teacher, current president of the Muskingum County Democratic Club, president of the MCLS Friends of the Library, and, as of the release of the book, Solomon Cain and Other Profiles: Tales from the Pandemic, a published author.
“I’ve been writing for a long time, but writing to be published is something that is fairly new to me. And I’m experimenting. I did a lot of experimenting in this book. And some of what I wrote is all right. Some of it, I think, is really good. I was talking to somebody yesterday, and he said, where do the ideas come from? And it’s like there’s different things that will inspire me, I guess. And a lot of times, when I create a character, I just let the character go. And the character will determine how the story ends. I mean, it’s really interesting how it works,” explained Furek.
Solomon Cain and Other Profiles: Tales from the Pandemic was published in 2025. In this literary fiction, several stories are told from various perspectives and situations during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. The book opens with a section called Random Notes, and then goes into six short stories: Collateral Damage, Prison Break, The Grandfather I Never Knew, Fred, Awakening, and lastly Solomon Cain.
“The first two stories are somewhat bleak. The middle two, I love those. The last two are very autobiographical,” Furek shared.
Solomon Cain and Other Profiles: Tales from the Pandemic can be purchased on Amazon in both hardcover for $16.99 and paperback for $12.99. A Kindle version is also available.
“The only feedback I have are from friends of mine, so of course they say they love it. I’m anxious. I’d like to hear what other people think. Some of the stories they probably won’t like because they’re bleak, because of the subject matter, but some of them I think they really like. I was talking to a lady, and she read the book, and she finished the story, and she said she was crying. It was very emotional for her, which I could understand. There’s emotional parts in some of the stories. I’m anxious to get more feedback, good or bad. That’s the only way that you grow,” Furek said.
A second book is already in the works for Furek, but he has not set a date for when it will be published just yet.
“I write when I feel like writing,” Furek explained. ” I like to get up in the morning, make my cup of coffee, and sit down and write, because I have these ideas come out overnight. I write for a little bit, and then I go and do other things. There are days when I could write several pages at a time, and other days when if I write a paragraph, I’m lucky.”
Furek plans to attend at least two book fairs this summer, one in Coshocton and another in Newark, where he will have copies of his book. He will also have a book signing once his second book comes out.
CAPTION: John Furek pictured with his book, Solomon Cain and Other Profiles: Tales from the Pandemic. | CREDIT: Lynette Dotson, The Buzz
