Author: Alex Diaz-Granados
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Music Album Review: ‘Yo-Yo Ma & Bobby McFerrin: Hush’
Yo-Yo Ma & Bobby McFerrin: Hush Artists: Bobby McFerrin (vocals), Yo-Yo Ma (cello) Year of Release: 1992 Record Label: Sony Masterworks Genre(s): Classical, Jazz Some recordings earn their place in a library because they’re impressive; Hush earns its place because it’s disarming. More than three decades after its release, this collaboration between Bobby McFerrin and…
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On Writing and Storytelling: I Needed a Sabbatical – But I Can’t Wait For It to End!
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in Album Reviews, Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Brazil, Amazon Canada, Amazon Germany, Amazon Italy, Amazon Japan, Amazon Mexico, Amazon Reviews, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon Sweden, Amazon UK, Blogging, Book Reviews, Books, Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, Life in Florida, Movie Reviews, Movies, Movies & Television, Music, Music & Concert Specials, Music Reviews, Personal Thoughts, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reviews, Summer 2026, The Jim Garraty Chronicles, The Jim Garraty Chronicles (Series), The Summer of Two Movies, Writing and EditingSunday, August 2, 2026 — Orlando, Florida Hello, everyone. It’s a gray, humid late-summer day in Central Florida. The temperature is currently 84°F (29°C) under mostly cloudy skies, but high humidity and a 12 MPH (16 km/h) breeze from the southwest make it feel like 88°F (31°C). We’ve already reached the forecast high, and scattered…
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A New Month Begins….and the Creative Writing Department Takes a Brief Summer Vacation
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Brazil, Amazon Canada, Amazon Germany, Amazon Italy, Amazon Japan, Amazon Mexico, Amazon Poland, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon Sweden, Amazon UK, Blogging, Books, Creative Writing, Kindle Create (Publishing App), Life in Central Florida, Life in Florida, Life in New Hampshire (December 2023 – October 2024), Life in South Florida, Life in the Tampa Bay area, Life in the United States, Personal Thoughts, Summer 2026, Summer in Florida, The Jim Garraty Chronicles, The Jim Garraty Chronicles (Series)Saturday, August 1, 2026 – Orlando, Florida Hi there. Central Florida Weather Check To no one’s surprise, August has arrived in Central Florida with its usual late-summer combination: oppressive heat, heavy humidity, and the afternoon threat of rain and thunderstorms. As I write this from my corner of Orange County, the temperature is 91°F (33°C),…
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On Writing and Storytelling: A Pause in the Writing Front…but Marketing is Ongoing
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Brazil, Amazon Canada, Amazon Germany, Amazon Italy, Amazon Japan, Amazon Mexico, Amazon Poland, Amazon Reviews, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon Sweden, Amazon UK, Book Reviews, Books, Comings and Goings (Short Story), Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, Juan Carlos Hernandez, Kindle, Kindle Create (Publishing App), Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, The Jim Garraty Chronicles, The Jim Garraty Chronicles (Series), The Summer of Two Movies, Writing a First Novel, Writing and Editing, Writing as a CraftFriday, July 31, 2026 – Orlando, Florida Hi, everyone. I’m taking a break from working on a new story. Since March 2023, I’ve written three Jim Garraty-centric works (Reunion: Coda, Comings and Goings – The Art of Being Seen, and The Summer of Two Movies), revised one for publication (Reunion: A Story), and assembled an…
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Steel, Fire, and Blood in the Sunda Strait: A ‘Sea Power’ Narrative
Steel, Fire, and Blood in the Sunda Strait By David Reynolds, TIME Correspondent, Darwin July 22, 1985 DARWIN — The men of Task Group 77.3 arrived in Australia’s Top End looking less like victors than survivors. Their ships bore the scars of a week-long gauntlet through one of the most contested waterways in the world,…
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Notes from a Fighting Admiral: A ‘Sea Power’ Update
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in Cold War-Turns-Hot Games, Cold Waters, Computer and Video Games, Computer Games, M1 Tank Platoon (1989 PC Game), MicroProse Software, Naval Warfare Simulations, Regiments (2022), Sea Power: Naval Combat in the Missile Age, Steam, Strategic Command series, Strategic Command WWII: World at War, Strategy Games, Triassic GamesWednesday, July 29, 2026 – Orlando, Florida “I wish to have no connection with any ship that does not sail fast; for I intend to go in harm’s way.” — John Paul Jones Why Pacific Strike ’85 Stands Out One of the things I love about Sea Power: Naval Combat in the Missile Age (MicroProse/Triassic…
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An Afternoon Musicale for a Hot Summer’s Day in Florida
It’s midafternoon on a torrid Central Florida Tuesday. I don’t have anything particularly noteworthy to share today, so here are a few music videos instead:
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My Revised Copy of the ‘Jim Garraty Chronicles’ is Here!
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Brazil, Amazon Canada, Amazon Germany, Amazon Italy, Amazon Japan, Amazon Mexico, Amazon Poland, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon Sweden, Amazon UK, Books, Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, Goodreads, Kindle, Kindle Create (Publishing App), Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, The Jim Garraty Chronicles, The Jim Garraty Chronicles (Series), The Summer of Two Movies, Writing a First Novel, Writing and Editing, Writing as a CraftMonday, July 27, 2026 – Orlando, Florida Hi, all. A few minutes ago I walked out to the street-side mailbox and retrieved my latest Amazon delivery — the freshly printed, newly revised copy of The Jim Garraty Chronicles: A Life in Four Movements. I haven’t had time for a deep inspection yet; the ink is…
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A Hot Florida Weekend and a Cold War Victory
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Books, Computer and Video Games, Creative Writing, Florida Weather, Life in Central Florida, Life in Florida, MicroProse Software, Personal Thoughts, Reunion Duology, Reunion: Coda, Sea Power: Naval Combat in the Missile Age, Summer 2026, Summer in Florida, The Jim Garraty Chronicles, The Jim Garraty Chronicles (Series), Triassic GamesSunday, July 26, 2026 – Orlando, Florida Hi, everyone. It’s a scorching midsummer day here in Central Florida. We’re in the middle of a particularly brutal heat spell—official temperatures in the high 90s, barely any rain, and a stubborn drought that refuses to break. I’m in good health for a 63‑year‑old man, but even so,…
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The Strait of Fire (A ‘Sea Power’ Pacific Strike ’85 Campaign Episode)
TIME Magazine — July 15, 1985 THE STRAIT OF FIRE U.S. Task Group Battles Through Palawan as Asia Erupts By Tony Lau, Staff Correspondent, Singapore Bureau The first hint that Southeast Asia had become the newest front in the widening global conflict a month after its outbreak came not from the burning skyline of Singapore…
A Certain Point of View, Too 