Thursday, October 15, 2026 – Orlando, Florida
This is one of my best friends from South Miami Senior High, actor-director Juan Carlos Hernandez. We met in Drama class during the 1982-83 school year; he was a junior who liked performing, and I was a senior who needed an elective because I’d taken Economics and Government in summer school to make room for “less stressful” classes like Mixed Chorus and…Drama? I was never going to become an actor, even though I could deliver lines well. Juan, for his part, thought he’d become a priest and even went off to a seminary…then realized he really wanted to be an actor. So, he became one.
I have not seen Juan in person since 1989, the year he left Miami to find his path in life, but we reconnected in the ’00s and have collaborated on a few short films that are available on YouTube. I write or co-write; he acts and directs.
Juan is also one of my few Constant Readers. He has bought and read every book I’ve published since 2012, including The Jim Garraty Chronicles. Here he is, holding his copy of the paperback edition. He honestly likes my writing, too
Oh, and not only does he like my work, but he also does his best as a filmmaker to help promote Reunion: A Story and Reunion: Coda. Here are the two promo videos he made for me:
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