"Ultimately LITERATURE is nothing but carpentry. Both are very hard work. With both you are working with reality, a material just as hard as wood. Both are full of tricks & techniques. Basically, very little magic and a lot of hard work involved."-Gabriel Garcia Marquez #booktwt

“Postmodern irony & cynicism’s become an end in itself, a measure of hip sophistication. Few artists dare to talk about working toward redeeming what’s wrong, because they’ll look naive to all the weary ironists. Irony’s gone from liberating to enslaving.”– David Foster Wallace

ON WRITING: "All paths lead to the same goal: to convey to others what we are."-Pablo Neruda “There’s no preparation for POETRY. Four years of grave digging with a nice volume of poetry or a book of philosophy in one’s pocket would serve as well as any university.”-Charles Simic

ON WRITING: “I found I could be anybody, could enter fully into them.”- Gail Godwin "Instructions for living a life: Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it."- Mary Oliver #writerslife #writerscommunity #writing #readerscommunity #BookTwitter #booktwt JohnVanekAuthor.com

BOOK REVIEW of DEROS: “This was a surprisingly good read. I grew quickly attached to Austin. I liked DEROS so much I immediately bought the second in the series. I hope Jake Austin sticks around for a while.”- Denise Z. amazon.com/Deros-Father-J… #readerscommunity #Reading #books

ON WRITING: “I just feel more secure in a situation where I know a gun can go off at any time if things get boring.”– Elmore Leonard “Spend some time living before you start writing.”- Edna Ann Proulx JohnVanekAuthor.com #booklovers #bookworm #bookish #writerslift #writers

On WRITING & MOVIES: “I wanted to glorify the average man, not the guy at the top, not the politician, not the banker, just the ordinary guy whose strength I admire, whose survivability I admire.” - Frank Capra JohnVanekAuthor.com #writerslift #WritingCommunity #cozymystery

ON WRITING: "To me the world of poetry is a house with thousands of glittering windows. Our words and images, land to land, era to era, shed light on one another. Our words dissolve the shadows we imagine fall between."- Naomi Nye Website: JohnVanekAuthor.com #books #Writer

BOOK REVIEW of ABSOLUTION: “Each of Vanek's books brings new themes & I loved how this one seemed to dive more deeply into Father Jake's medical calling. I won't give away the ending, but the next book better be coming soon!” L.S. #BookReview #reading amazon.com/Absolution-Joh…

ON WRITING: “I write pieces and move them around. And the fun of it is watching the truthful parts slide together. What is false won’t fit.” – Elizabeth Strout Website: JohnVanekAuthor.com amazon.com/Deros-Father-J… DEROS (book 1) is now 45% off! #MYSTERY #booklovers #booktwt

ON WRITING: “Writing has laws of perspective, of light & shade just as painting does, or music. If you are born knowing them, fine. If not, learn them. Then rearrange the rules to suit yourself.” - Truman Capote #WritingCommunity #book #Reading #author JohnVanekAuthor.com

BOOK REVIEW of DEROS: “A riveting tale of mystery & murder. Superb storytelling with a deft touch by John Vanek. A fast read but the characters linger in your memory” - Ann O'Farrell Website: JohnVanekAuthor #WritingCommunity #bookish #Reviews #bookworm amazon.com/Deros-Father-J…

ON WRITING: “You don’t start out WRITING good stuff. You start out writing crap & thinking it’s good stuff, & then gradually you get better at it. That’s why I say one of the most valuable traits is persistence.”- Octavia E. Butler #writing #Writer #writerslift #BookTwitter

ON WRITING: “It’s difficult to accept what your psyche or history dooms you to write, what Faulkner called your ‘postage stamp of reality.’ Young writers often choose a certain style based on who they want to be, unconsciously trying to blot out who they actually are.”–Mary Karr

ON WRITING: “When I look back, I am so impressed again with the life-giving power of LITERATURE. If I were a young person today, trying to gain a sense of myself in the world, I would do that again by reading, just as I did when I was young.” - Maya Angelou #readingcommunity

BOOK REVIEW: “I've read all 5 books in the series. Each is excellently written with lots of twists that always keep the reader guessing. Each book is a very quick read because they are difficult to put down. I hope Vanek will embark on more mysteries.” - Kindle Customer #Reading

ON WRITING: "Like many of the people I had read about, I set out on a long journey to find truth and beauty. As usual, the road led straight back to the beginning: home, country roads, the sun setting through the woods."- Joyce Sutphen #readingcommunity #WritingCommunity #books

ON WRITING: “The most durable thing in WRITING is STYLE, & style is the most valuable investment a writer can make with his time. It pays off slowly, your agent will sneer, your publisher will misunderstand it [but it] will always pay off.” – Raymond Chandler #writerscommunity

In EPIPHANY, Father Jake Austin says: “Jesus commands us to love one another. Not the eleventh commandment, although perhaps it should be. Good advice for believers and atheists alike.” Book link: amazon.com/Epiphany-John-… #reading #Christian #booktwt #Catholic #writers #MYSTERY

ON WRITING: "I never had any doubts about my abilities. I knew I could write. I just had to figure out how to eat while doing this."- Cormac McCarthy ON WRITING: “A classic is a book that has never finished saying what it has to say.” – Italo Calvino #readingcommunity #books