Friday, October 17, 2025 – Orlando, Florida
Here we are again—another workweek winding down, the weekend just over the horizon. It’s a nice, somewhat cool (for Florida, anyway) autumn morning in my corner of Orange County, and I’m settling into another day in the life of a working writer.
Yesterday afternoon brought a welcome update from Stefan Lee, the producer and narrator of the audiobook edition of Reunion: Coda. He messaged me via ACX:
“Hi Alex. I hope all is well. I just uploaded the audio recordings for ‘Prologue’ and ‘A Night at the Moonglow.’ Just a couple of things:
- I played around with Jim’s voice and the other characters to see if they could make the story more lively.
- If there are instances where I’m reading too fast, let me know right away and I’ll fix it.
- Please listen to the stems. If you have any concerns about the reading or characterizations, don’t hesitate to reach out.”
I listened to both tracks, and Stefan’s work is strong. Each character—Jim, Mark, Maddie, Jim’s mom, Cheryl Lynn (one of Jim’s exes), and the emcee at the Moonglow Club—has a distinct voice, and the narration flows with clarity and care. I’ll give them another listen before sending feedback, but so far, Reunion: Coda is shaping up to be a beautiful audiobook.
Meanwhile, my author’s copy of Reunion: Coda is making its way to me. Amazon notified me this morning that it’s being processed at a facility here in Orlando, having arrived from Davenport sometime after midnight. If I’d ordered the hardcover at its retail price of $30, I would have received it weeks ago. But because Amazon assigns its lowest delivery priority to “MOD Non-Retail” orders, I’ll get my copy tomorrow. Good thing I don’t urgently need it—or that I didn’t take that bit of unsolicited advice to order 100 copies to sell in person, right?
Today carries a different kind of weight. It’s my late mother’s 97th birthday. Some people think I shouldn’t dwell on it or talk about her anymore, but I still miss her. Especially now—ten years since her passing, and in the same year I published both Reunion: Coda and Comings and Goings – The Art of Being Seen. I inherited my love of reading from her and my grandparents, and I think she would have been proud of these two Garratyverse stories. She read the first edition of Reunion: A Story when I wrote it in 1998 and loved it. I’m sure she’d have enjoyed the newer works, too.
So yes, today is a little strange. A little tender. But also full of quiet gratitude—for the stories, the voices, the memories, and the people who help bring them to life.
A Certain Point of View, Too 
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