On Hope, Hustle, and the Jim Garraty Chronicles

Shifting the Blog’s Focus

Hey, there!

If you haven’t noticed, I’ve been steering the blog more toward a “writer’s life” vibe instead of the old grab‑bag of “Here’s what’s on Alex’s mind today besides, you know, writing.”
Yep — that’s intentional.

I do miss mixing things up with personal updates, reviews of books, movies, and music, stories from my latest gaming adventures, and, of course, sharing progress on whatever writing project is currently eating my brain. But with everything happening in America — and the world — things just feel so heavy, frustrating, and downright gloomy. The nonstop bad news drains the fun out of chatting about pop culture or day‑to‑day life. And let’s be honest, my daily routine isn’t exactly edge‑of‑your‑seat material anyway.

So I figured I’d put my energy into the one thing that still brings me genuine joy: writing.

---

Where Things Stand with the Omnibus

I’m still plugging away at The Jim Garraty Chronicles — the omnibus that bundles Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, and Comings and Goings – The Art of Being Seen into one neat package. Progress is slow. Kindle Create has its quirks (and not the charming kind), but if I’m being real, the bigger challenge is keeping my spirits up.

I’m not trying to sound grumpy or like I’m fishing for sympathy — though, as Stephen King reminds us in On Writing, we writers are a needy bunch by nature. It’s just tough to sit down, open that Kindle Create file, and spend hours untangling subheading formatting when sales for the individual stories are… well, let’s just say “less than stellar.”

---

Why I Started Down This Path

To be totally upfront, I set out on this novelist path about three years ago not only because I’ve been chasing the dream of writing The Great American Novel™ since I was fifteen (which is a pretty big part of the story and follows a long trail of abandoned attempts dating back to junior high).

Another huge motivator for tackling Reunion: Coda — a project that took a little over two years — was the feeling that people genuinely wanted more stories from Yours Truly.

Seriously, if you check out the Amazon reviews for Reunion: A Story, you’ll find at least two on Amazon US and one on Amazon UK asking for a sequel or a short‑story collection from me — well, from my keyboard, anyway.

And then there’s the encouragement I’ve gotten from my now‑retired journalism professor at Miami‑Dade. His notes, advice, and emotional support helped me push through some rough patches after turning 60 in 2023. I kept thinking, Not only did I promise Mom I’d write a novel someday, but there are people out there waiting for it. I can’t let them down.

---

The Reality Check: Sales and Expectations

And yet here we are —almost a year after publishing not one but two Jim Garraty stories (which, according to every Amazon review, are pretty darn well written) — and the sales and royalties are nowhere near what I’d hoped.

If you want proof, just look at the review count for Reunion: A Story, which has been on Amazon since July 2018 in several editions, and compare it to the two books I released in 2025.

According to Kindle Direct Publishing, I did see a little movement this month — two copies of Reunion: Coda and one of Comings and Goings sold in the U.S. and UK right after New Year’s Day. Honestly, any uptick feels like a win at this point — definitely better than a poke in the eye.

Still, thinking back to Reunion’s success a few years ago — and riding what I thought was genuine reader interest — I can’t help but admit I was hoping for more this time around.

---

The Question That Keeps Nagging Me

So here’s where I’m stuck: I want to finish and publish The Jim Garraty Chronicles, both because it keeps me busy and because it gives me a chance to fix little things that bugged me in the individual stories. I’ve promised myself I’ll see it through, no matter what.

But there’s that nagging voice in the back of my head whispering, If Reunion, Reunion: Coda, and Comings and Goings aren’t exactly lighting up the charts like E.L. James’ infamous Fifty Shades of Grey, is there really a point in assembling the omnibus?

Either way, I’m determined to finish the Chronicles — come what may. I just can’t say when I’ll finally hit “publish” and send it out into the world.

---

What’s Next on the To‑Do List

I also need to send some quality‑assurance notes to Stefan “Steve” Lee about a few tracks in the Reunion: Coda audiobook. I’ll do that either tomorrow or Monday, depending on how I feel after wrestling with the messed‑up subheadings in the omnibus.