Author: Alex Diaz-Granados
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On Books and Reading: My Summer TBR Stack
☀️ What’s on my summer reading list? It’s a mix of deep dives into history and personal journeys through memory and meaning. These titles are stacked on my nightstand (okay, maybe overflowing), waiting to be explored between afternoon storms and long stretches of quiet. • The Fate of the Day: The War for America, Fort…
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🎓 Unraveling Jim Garraty: Memory, Love, and the Courage to Return
🎓 Unraveling Jim Garraty: Memory, Love, and the Courage to Return There’s something quietly powerful about stories that revisit the past not for nostalgia’s sake, but for reconciliation. Reunion: Coda is one of those stories. At the heart is Jim Garraty, a history professor whose life is shaped by silence as much as speech. Split…
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Book Review: ‘The Greatest Generation’
The Greatest Generation By: Tom Brokaw Publisher: Random House (now Penguin Random House) Year of Publication: 1998 Genre: American history, World War II, Biographical Portraits/Non-Fiction Reconsidering “The Greatest Generation”: A Reflection on Tom Brokaw’s Timeless Tribute There was a time I questioned the phrase Greatest Generation—it sounded too sweeping, too sentimental, maybe even a little…
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🎭 Socks, Subplots, and Second Chances: The Accidental Novel I Wrote on Purpose
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Comings and Goings (Short Story), Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, Garratyverse, Kindle, Kindle Create (Publishing App), Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Life in New Hampshire (December 2023 – October 2024), Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: CodaBack in the summer of 1978, I made a solemn pronouncement over breakfast toast: “Mom, someday I’m going to write a novel like Stephen King does.” She smiled with a bemused expression that said, “Sure, sweetie—after you remember to pick up your socks.” Forty-seven years later, I’ve finally made good on that promise… and yes,…
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Reflections on Revisiting My Writing
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Books, Comings and Goings (Short Story), Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, Garratyverse, Juan Carlos Hernandez, Kindle, Kindle Create (Publishing App), Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Life in New Hampshire (December 2023 – October 2024), Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle: Stories and Tips from Thirteen Years with a Leonberger, Thomas WikmanWhy I Write and Revisit My Work “I write for the same reason I breathe — because if I didn’t, I would die.” – Isaac Asimov As the four-month anniversary of the publication of Reunion: Coda approaches, I find myself reading it again—this time not only for professional reasons, like fixing issues or being self-critical, but…
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Thomas Wikman (Leonberger Life) Reviews ‘Reunion: Coda’!
My longtime friend, fellow former Epinions reviewer, and author-blogger Thomas Wikman recently reviewed my first novel, Reunion: Coda. Did he give it a thumbs up or a thumbs down? To find out, read his blog post on his Leonberger Life blog! You can get from here to there by clicking here.
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More Lessons I Learned from Writing a Novel
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Books, Comings and Goings (Short Story), Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Copyright, Creative Writing, Garratyverse, Kindle, Kindle Create (Publishing App), Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Novella, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, Stephen King (Author), Writing a First Novel, Writing as a CraftUnexpected Lessons in Writing On April 4, nearly four months ago, I published Reunion: Coda, the second book in my Reunion Duology and my first novel. The first book, Reunion: A Story, is a novella. I spent a little over two years writing this novel. I began in March 2022 while living in Tampa, wrote…
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Music Album Review: ‘Superman: The Movie – Original Sound Track (1987 CD Edition)
💫 Superman: The Movie (1987 CD Soundtrack Review & Reflection) Before Rhino Records unveiled its deluxe 2-CD edition 25 years ago, the 1987 Warner Bros. release was the lone CD version of John Williams’ score for Superman: The Movie. Conducted by Williams and performed by the mighty London Symphony Orchestra, this abridged album still captures…
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Music Album Review: ‘Billy Joel Greatest Hits, Volume III’ (1997)
Billy Joel’s Greatest Hits, Volume III: A Late Discovery Worth the Wait I’ll admit it — I nearly passed this one by. When Greatest Hits: Volume III dropped in 1997, I hesitated. Joel’s post-An Innocent Man output hadn’t exactly lit up my radar, and with my classical collection growing, I wasn’t keen on spending limited…
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Movie Review: ‘Summer of ’42’ (1971)
Summer of ’42 (1971) Directed by: Robert Mulligan Written by: Herman Raucher Starring: Gary Grimes, Jerry Houser, Oliver Conant, Jennifer O’Neill, Christopher Norris, Lou Frizzell Music by: Michel Legrand Studio: Warner Bros. Summer of ’42: The Art of Being Seen Originally reviewed in 2003. This expanded reflection carries forward the emotional imprint of that first…
A Certain Point of View, Too 