Author: Alex Diaz-Granados
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On Writing and Storytelling: Writing Romance Without Reading Romance
📖 Writing Romance Without Reading Romance: Why Reunion: Coda Works I’ll admit something: when I started writing Reunion: Coda, I worried. I don’t, as a general rule, read romance novels. My shelves are filled with history, memoir, and fiction of other stripes, but not much in the way of “romance.” So when I realized my…
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Movie Review: ‘Evita’ (1996)
Evita (1996): Style, Spectacle, and the Woman Behind the Myth Alan Parker’s Evita is a film that dazzles with spectacle but struggles to reveal the heart of its heroine. Starring Madonna as Eva Duarte de Perón, Antonio Banderas as Che, and Jonathan Pryce as Juan Perón, the movie adapts Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s…
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Whoa, I Wrote That
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in ACX, Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Reviews, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon UK, Audible, Audiobooks, Books, Brandon Padilla, Bryan Haddock, Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, Ronnie and the Pursuit of the Elusive Bliss, Stefan (Steve) Lee, Writing as a CraftMonday, November 24, 2025, Orlando, Florida Most writers don’t bother rereading their own books. You’d think we’d want to relive the glory—but after wrangling with my first novel, Reunion: Coda, I get it. I spent two years chasing inspiration across three cities—Tampa, Madison (NH), Miami—all just to produce a 400+ page epic that hops between…
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Music Album Review: ‘Billy Joel – Greatest Hits, Volumes I & II (1973-1983)’
🎶 Billy Joel – Greatest Hits: Volume I & Volume II Some albums become more than music—they turn into companions. For me, Billy Joel’s Greatest Hits: Volume I & Volume II was exactly that. I received the cassette in 1986 for my 23rd birthday, one of my last big celebrations. That tape became a lifeline:…
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On Writing and Storytelling: An Unexpected (if Modest) Bonanza of Royalties
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in ACX, Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Reviews, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon UK, Audible, Audiobooks, Audiobooks, Books, Brandon Padilla, Bryan Haddock, Comings and Goings (Short Story), Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, Kindle Create (Publishing App), Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, Stefan (Steve) LeeSaturday, November 22, 2025 – Orlando, Florida Hi, everyone. Last night, I checked my Kindle Direct Publishing account’s Reports page for the first time in about a month. I had been focusing most of my attention on the progress of the audiobooks for Reunion and Comings and Goings. I wanted to see if there were…
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Adventures in Audiobook Production: Six Purchases, One Garratyverse
The Garratyverse has officially set sail on Audible—and six listeners have already come aboard. Four chose Comings and Goings, while two picked up Reunion: A Story. Whether purchased outright, redeemed with credits, or discovered through iTunes, each copy represents a reader willing to carry Jim Garraty’s voice into their own world. For me, this is…
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Old Gamers Never Die: A Look at ‘Sea Power’ A Year Into Its Run
⚓ Sea Power: Naval Combat in the Missile Age A Gamer’s Reflections on Year One When Sea Power: Naval Combat in the Missile Age (Triassic Games, MicroProse) launched in November 2024, I was there on Day One. As someone who grew up on naval sims like Strike Fleet, Red Storm Rising, Harpoon Classic ’97, Fleet…
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On Writing and Storytelling: What Amazon Readers Say About ‘Reunion: A Story’
The audiobook edition of Reunion: A Story – my first work of fiction – is now available on Audible and Amazon. “A profound ‘what if’ scenario, poignantly told.” —Amazon Reviewer It is February 1998. 33-year-old Jim Garraty is a respected history professor and bestselling author who lives in New York City. Popular with both students…
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Book Review: ‘Carrier: A Guided Tour of an Aircraft Carrier’
⚓ Carrier: Tom Clancy’s Guided Tour of American Sea Power Tom Clancy’s Carrier, the sixth installment in his Guided Tour nonfiction series, offers readers a vivid exploration of the U.S. Navy’s most iconic asset: the aircraft carrier and its accompanying battle group (CVBG). More than six decades after Pearl Harbor signaled the end of battleship…
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‘Reunion: A Story’ Lands on Audible!
📣 Release Announcement: Reunion: A Story I’m thrilled to share that Reunion: A Story: A Novella (The Reunion Duology Book 1) is now officially available for purchase on Audible and Amazon, with iTunes availability coming in just a few days. Produced by Brandon Padilla, this audiobook successfully passed ACX’s rigorous quality assurance reviews—Cover, Metadata, and…
A Certain Point of View, Too 