The Chronicles, the Coda, and the Chaos

Wednesday, December 10, 2025 – Orlando, Florida

Now that most of my belongings are finally here in Orlando instead of languishing in a warehouse in South Florida, I can turn my attention—at least in theory—to other priorities. Chief among them are the omnibus edition of The Jim Garraty Chronicles and making sure the Audible release of Reunion: Coda lives up to the high standard set by Comings and Goings – The Art of Being Seen.

Realistically, though, I doubt I’ll finish editing the subheadings in the Reunion: Coda section anytime soon. Kindle Create, for all its utility, lacks basics like a spellchecker or grammar editor, and it offers no way to apply formatting changes globally. Fixing those glitchy subheadings—which serve to anchor time and place across two intertwined timelines—isn’t especially difficult, but it is tedious. It demands patience and perseverance, two virtues I’m running short on after the upheaval of moving from Miami to Orlando and the uncertainty that still lingers. Wrestling with Kindle Create’s quirks requires both in abundance.

Motivation is another hurdle. It’s hard to pour energy into a major project when sales of my existing titles remain discouragingly low. The omnibus edition is, after all, a bargain—three stories in one volume—but even readers who once urged me to keep writing after enjoying Reunion seem to have overlooked Reunion: Coda and Comings and Goings. That indifference takes the wind out of my sails.

Still, ideas persist. Just yesterday, I found myself sketching out a possible scenario for a new story in the 2026 writing season. At the moment it’s only a faint spark, but then again, Reunion: Coda began as nothing more than a fragment—until an encouraging email reminded me not to squander my talent.

There is one bright spot: among the boxes we hauled up from Miami was the one containing most of my writing resources. Inside I rediscovered my first copy of Stephen King’s On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft and three invaluable guides from Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi—The Emotion Thesaurus, The Negative Trait Thesaurus, and The Positive Trait Thesaurus. I own several more of their books in Kindle format, but these well-worn paperbacks were my constant companions when I began Reunion: Coda back in March 2023.

It’s still early on this second Wednesday of December. If I can summon enough determination, I’ll tackle those Kindle Create gremlins and push The Jim Garraty Chronicles a step closer to completion. It certainly beats gnashing my teeth—or rending my garments—in frustration.

---