Tempus Fugit: One Year After ‘Reunion: Coda’

Saturday, April 4, 2026, Orlando, Florida

Hi, everyone.

It’s the first weekend of April 2026, and it’s off to a torrid start. As I write this, early in the afternoon, it’s 84°F (29°C) under partly sunny skies. With humidity at 44% and an east‑southeast breeze at 8 MPH (13 km/h), the heat index is already 90°F (32°C). Later today we can expect mostly sunny conditions and a high of 85°F (30°C). And, because this is Florida in mid‑spring, there’s the usual 30% chance of a passing sprinkle.

Today marks the first anniversary of completing Reunion: Coda, the second book of the Reunion Duology and my first fully realized attempt at writing a novel. As I wrote in the afterword:

Completing this novel is the realization of a dream born one summer morning in 1978. I sat at breakfast with my mother, gazing at her with all the solemnity a fifteen-year-old could muster, and declared, “Mom, someday I’m going to write a novel like Stephen King does.” She smiled, perhaps pondering whether I’d remember to put my socks in the laundry basket before chasing literary fame.

Back then, I imagined my first bestseller emerging before I turned thirty—a grand tale of military triumphs or epic space adventures inspired by A Bridge Too Far and Star Wars. Yet, life had other plans. It wasn’t until my mid-thirties that I penned my first work of fiction, Reunion: A Story, and not until 2025 that this novel, the one you’re holding, came to fruition. While my habit of properly handling socks began earlier, my stories took their sweet time weaving into the tapestry of my life.

Jim Garraty’s story, inspired by a creative writing class in 1987, has lingered in my imagination for thirty-eight years. Alongside his loyal friend Mark Prieto, the enigmatic Marty, and now Maddie, these characters have patiently waited to step into the spotlight. Publishing through Kindle Direct fills me with equal parts triumph and nostalgia—they are finally free to share their tale with the world.

Reunion: Coda isn’t the novel my fifteen-year-old self dreamed of writing. Back then, I sought dramatic adventures and grandiosity. Now, with years behind me, I’ve grown to appreciate quieter triumphs—the joys found in subtle wonders and the moments of introspection that bring depth to everyday life. As these characters take their first steps into readers’ hearts, I am reminded that stories, like milestones, often unfold in their own time, rewarding patience with richness and a sense of purpose.

When I first sat down in March of 2023 to begin writing this novel, I was confident, overly so, that it would be finished in time for a Winter 2023 release. Once I realized it was a continuation of Reunion: A Story, the timeline seemed perfectly reasonable. But, as the poet reminds us, “the best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry.” Life, with its sense of humor and unpredictability, had other ideas.

In less than two years, I moved twice—first from the Tampa Bay area to New Hampshire, and then from the Granite State back to my hometown of Miami. These changes, along with other unexpected twists, pushed the release date from Winter 2023 to Fall 2024, and eventually to… well, now. Although the timeline shifted, what emerged during this period was a story that surprised even me.

A day after typing the final lines on my trusty Lenovo IdeaCentre in my rented Miami room, I published Reunion: Coda in hardcover, paperback, and Kindle e‑book. The audiobook wasn’t even a glimmer of an idea yet, much less part of a marketing plan. And, as usual, I uploaded the manuscript to KDP with the laughable notion that it wouldn’t need many post‑publication edits.

While my optimism about edits proved misplaced, I’ve embraced the rhythm of updating the text every few months. I may not be setting the literary world ablaze, but I take genuine pride in having completed Jim Garraty’s “main saga” with the Reunion Duology.

Over the past year, the Garratyverse has grown:

• a new novelette, Comings and Goings – The Art of Being Seen,
• a flash fiction piece, The Summer of Two Movies,
• and the ongoing work of assembling The Jim Garraty Chronicles, the omnibus that will collect all four stories.

I’m also gearing up for Story No. 5, And the Horse You Rode In On…, which will become the first (in‑universe) tale in Jim Garraty’s saga.

If you’re curious about Jim’s journey, most of his adventures are available on Amazon and Audible — except for The Summer of Two Movies, which currently lives here on the blog. Explore them at your own pace. With any luck, you’ll find a story that resonates or simply offers a quiet moment away from the ordinary.