On Writing and Storytelling: A Small Review, a Small Joy

Friday, April 3, 2026, Orlando, Florida

A Small Review, a Small Joy

Some days, the creative life hands you a small, unexpected kindness. Today’s arrived in the form of a review — not of a book, not of something newly published on Amazon, but of a little flash fiction piece I posted on my blog a few days ago.

The Summer of Two Movies was never meant to be anything grand. It was a memory fragment, a moment from Jim Garraty’s early life that had been sitting just under the surface for years. I wrote it quickly, but not carelessly — the way you write when the emotional logic is already there, and all you have to do is open the window and let it through.

And then Pooja over at Lifésfinewhine went and reviewed it.

There’s something quietly touching about that. Flash fiction doesn’t usually get reviewed. Blog posts don’t usually get reviewed. But she took the time — not out of obligation, not because there was anything in it for her, but because the story resonated with her enough to want to talk about it.

She wrote about the descriptiveness, the balance of detail, the way the scene feels lived‑in. She mentioned the Star Wars thread — which, if you know her, is a lovely bit of overlap between her world and mine. And she said something that stayed with me: that she loved seeing more of Jim Garraty’s backstory.

That’s the part that matters.

Because that’s exactly why I wrote it.

I’ve spent decades with adult Jim — the man who narrates Reunion: A Story and Reunion: Coda, the man who carries memory like a second skin. But this little flash piece is the earliest existing version of him. The kid who didn’t yet know he’d grow up to tell stories. The kid who just loved history, movies, summer afternoons, and the feeling of being transported.

Seeing someone respond to that — to the seed crystal of the character — is its own kind of affirmation.

So yes, it was nice of Pooja to review it. More than nice, really. It was generous. And it reminded me that even the smallest stories can find their readers, and sometimes those readers send a little light back your way.

If you’d like to read her review, you can find it on her blog. And if you haven’t read The Summer of Two Movies yet, it’s still sitting right here on mine, exactly where it began.

A small story. A small joy. But a good one.