On Writing and Storytelling: Playing Catch-Up After Replacing a ‘Dead’ PC

Monday, April 20, 2026, Orlando, Florida

Hello there, dear readers!

It’s a moody, blustery Monday here in Central Florida, the kind of day when clouds gather like gossiping neighbors and the wind seems intent on rearranging every stray leaf. As I write this, early afternoon is upon us. The thermometer reads a friendly 75°F (24°C), but with the north-northeasterly breeze galloping along at 17 MPH (28 Km/H) and a humidity that’s hanging around at 65%, the “feels-like” temperature dips to 72°F (22°C)—just brisk enough to make you reach for a sweater that’s probably still in the back of the closet.

Sundays are usually sacred “Do Not Disturb” territory for me, but last week’s emergency quest for a replacement for my dearly departed Lenovo AIO IdeaCentre threw my schedule out the window. Not only did I lose several precious workdays, but my Kindle Create files—the lifeblood of every Jim Garraty story since 2023—vanished along with the old machine. Even the shiny new omnibus edition, which bundled Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, Comings and Goings – The Art of Being Seen, and The Summer of Two Movies into one delightful package, was trapped in digital limbo. Thankfully, the original manuscripts are safe as Word documents, but those elusive .kpf files needed for Kindle Direct Publishing are now just memories stored in the graveyard of my dead IdeaCentre.

I’m not losing sleep over the three Garratyverse stories—Reunion, Reunion: Coda, and Comings and Goings—that are already living happily ever after on Amazon and Audible. Those titles have been revised more times than I care to admit, from 2023 through just a few weeks ago. They’re not flawless (show me a book that is!), but you won’t find many “printer’s devils” lurking in the latest editions. The current e-book and print versions should treat you well, even if my inner perfectionist still twitches when I spot an errant comma.

My real focus now is finishing The Jim Garraty Chronicles before the year wraps up. If all goes well, I’d love to have it ready by the end of summer or the start of fall, but even a Holidays 2026 release would make me happy. To make up for last week’s forced hiatus, I spent much of yesterday wrangling a Master Document for the omnibus in Word, then converting it into Kindle Create format. That was just the prelude to the real fun: selecting a visual theme and wrestling with those pesky subheadings that seem determined to test my patience every time I format a book for publication.

I’m not sure how much progress I’ll make on the Chronicles today. It’s already past 1 PM, and my afternoon work shift usually wraps up at 5—other evening duties call, and I like to keep the household peace. No rest day for me, though; I’m just deciding how many hours to dedicate to untangling the endless subheadings and chapter subtitles in Reunion: Coda. I’m aiming for a productive two hours, but if the wind or my stamina falter, I’ll happily settle for a little less.