On Writing & Storytelling: ‘Praise for the Author’ – Selected Reviews for ‘Reunion: A Story’

In July of 2018 – nearly five years ago – I self-published the first edition of Reunion: A Story, a novella I originally wrote in 1998 to see if I could write an original work of fiction.

Back then, I didn’t think about getting it published through the traditional route of finding a literary agent, sending my manuscript to various publishing companies, and hoping an editor would find it worth offering a publishing contract to me for it. And even though I did think of sending it to a “vanity press” and having X amount of copies printed so I could give them to my mother (who celebrated her 70th birthday that year) and maybe a few of my friends, the cost was prohibitive. So, since I loved the story as if it were my firstborn child, I carefully made sure there was a way to move the Word document file from one PC to another every time I needed to upgrade from one computer/operating system to another every few years, regardless of the reason for the upgrade.

I eventually decided to share Reunion with the wider world by using Amazon’s CreateSpace Independent Publishing platform for the print edition and Kindle Direct Publishing for the e-book edition two years after I moved to the Tampa Bay area from my hometown of Miami. I had no illusions of being the next Stephen King or Tom Clancy, nor did I think Reunion would become an instant classic or #1 Bestseller on Amazon or the New York Times’ Bestsellers’ list. (Spoiler alert: It did not.)

That having been said, my novella has sold a few copies; not enough, say, to allow me to become self-supporting, much less “rich and famous.” Most writers, including me, don’t even write stories because they want to get rich or famous; they write because that’s what they love to do…what they were born to do, really.

Of course, since Amazon encourages customers to write product reviews on the site, several readers have shared their opinions of Reunion to help others decide whether they should buy it or not.

So, for your consideration and/or enjoyment, here is a sampling of reviews from both Amazon US and Amazon UK:

 A Trip Down Memory Lane

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on April 25, 2023, by “Kindle Customer”

Verified Purchase

In this bittersweet story of the innocence and naivety of youth, the reader is transported back to his or her own high school days. We’ve all been Jim. We’ve all had our Marty. Wrapping the story in today while jumping back to days past is not always easy to pull off, but it works here. A recommended read.

High school memories!

Reviewed in the United States on August 3, 2018, by Betsy M

Verified Purchase

Reunion: A Story is a sweet, sometimes bittersweet story of days gone by. It takes the reader back to the last day of high school and tells the tale of teen love and missed opportunities. Several years pass and success and time don’t always dull those feelings you had as a teen. Mr. Diaz-Granados captures the awkwardness of young love and how it can influence the rest of your life.

 Leaves you longing for more

Reviewed in the United States on July 15, 2018, by WyLo and Me

Verified Purchase

Reunion is a wonderful story that leaves you longing for just a little bit more. It’s a glimpse into the life of an extraordinary yet wholly relatable man; seeing his choices unravel, it leaves you to question everything you’ve done in your own life, and more importantly, what you’ve not done.

Excellent work by Mr. Diaz-Granados!

And from Amazon UK:

Great story, well written

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 22, 2018, by Meg Learner

Verified Purchase

A lovely lyrical book and excellently written. It makes use of flashbacks, yet these are expertly woven into the story so that you always know where you are and how they contribute to the tale. This is quite a short read (I downloaded it to my Kindle and read it on my train journey) but it certainly packs a lot into the story and the idea is fresh and novel. I have not read a story like this before. It’s not my normal type of reading material, as most of my reading these days is factual or business-related but I really enjoyed it and was sorry when it was finished.

The book basically makes the point that it is better to be sorry for sins of commission, rather than regret sins of omission, yet it also shows how the angst of high school and teen fears get in the way of true love. One point I would make – I would LOVE to see a sequel to this, written from Marty’s point of view. PLEASE?