Category: Amazon Reviews
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On Writing and Storytelling: The Comfort of Lasagna, the Weight of Goodbye
By the time I began writing Reunion: Coda in the spring of 2023, I was facing an uncomfortable truth: this was my third attempt to write a novel since 2015 and my fourth attempt overall. Each previous project had stalled out somewhere between ambition and exhaustion. I knew I couldn’t afford to abandon another one.…
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On Writing and Storytelling: Why Brahms’ Poco Allegretto Has Become Jim’s ‘Letter Music’ for Me
Wednesday, June 15, 1983 My dearest Martina, I’m not sure if I am doing the right thing by telling you this now, or if I should tell you this at all. I wish I had the answers. I can’t believe our three years at SMSH have come to an end. It seems as though only…
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When a Florida Spring Gives the Keys to Summer Prematurely
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Reviews, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon UK, Audible, Audiobooks, Book Reviews, Book Reviews, Books, Brandon Padilla, Bryan Haddock, Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, Denise Longrie, Florida Weather, Life in Central Florida, Life in Florida, Life in New Hampshire (December 2023 – October 2024), Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, Scrivener 3 for Windows, Spring 2026, Spring in Florida, Stefan (Steve) Lee, The Jim Garraty Chronicles, Writing and Editing SoftwareFriday, May 1, 2026, Orlando, Florida “God, it was hot! Forget about frying an egg on the sidewalk; this kind of heat would fry an egg inside the chicken.” – Rachel Caine May didn’t stroll in this year — it kicked the door open and asked where the nearest sauna was. Today isn’t so much…
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“The Morning I Became Someone Else” — A Poem from Jim Garraty’s POV
Every so often, while revisiting Reunion: A Story and Reunion: Coda, I find myself returning to the emotional fault lines that shaped Jim Garraty long before he ever set foot in Cambridge or New York. Graduation Day 1983 is one of those fault lines — the day when childhood ended, adulthood began, and the girl…
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On Writing and Storytelling: Small Victories Are Better Than None
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Reviews, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon UK, Book Reviews, Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Computers, Creative Writing, Florida Weather, Kindle, Kindle Create (Publishing App), Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Lenovo IdeaCentre (PC), Life in Central Florida, Life in Florida, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, Spring 2026, Spring in Florida, Writing as a CraftWednesday, April 29, 2026, Orlando, Florida Hi, everyone. Central Florida is doing its best impression of late July today. As midday slides into early afternoon, we’re sitting at 86°F (30°C) under mostly sunny skies, humidity at a deceptively polite 46%, and a shy little southwesterly breeze at 3 MPH (4 km/h). The heat index, however,…
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On Writing and Storytelling: Under Partly Sunny Skies, I Keep Going
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Reviews, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon UK, Audible, Blogging, Book Reviews, Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, Depression, Florida Weather, Kindle, Kindle Create (Publishing App), Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Life in Central Florida, Life in Florida, Life in Miami (1972-2016), 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, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Scrivener 3 for Windows, Semiquincentennial, Spring 2026, Spring in Florida, The Jim Garraty Chronicles, WriteItNow 5/6, Writing and Editing SoftwareTuesday, April 28, 2026, Orlando, Florida It’s a hot, muggy mid‑spring afternoon here in my corner of Orange County on this second day of my workweek. As I write, the temperature sits at 82°F (28°C) under partly sunny skies. With humidity at a sticky 60% and an east‑southeast breeze of 4 MPH (6 Km/H), the…
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The Garratyverse: Official Guide to the Books by Alex Diaz‑Granados
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Reviews, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon UK, Audible, Brandon Padilla, Bryan Haddock, Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, Garratyverse, Kindle, Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, Stefan (Steve) LeeThe Garratyverse is a literary universe created by Alex Diaz‑Granados, centered on the life of Jim Garraty and the quiet, formative moments that shape who he becomes. Told through interconnected stories that blend memory, nostalgia, emotional intimacy, and the quiet heroism of everyday people, the Garratyverse explores how small encounters and long‑carried regrets echo across…
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A Case of Literary Serendipity: Two Writers, Two Novels – One Year Apart
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, All the Words I Kept Inside, Amazon, Amazon Reviews, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon UK, Book Reviews, Books, Creative Writing, Florida Weather, Kindle, Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Life in Central Florida, Life in Florida, Life in New Hampshire (December 2023 – October 2024), Perfect, Personal Thoughts, Poetry, Pooja (P.J.) Gudka, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, Spring 2026, Spring in Florida, Writing a First NovelSunday, April 5, 2026, Orlando, Florida Hello, everyone—and Happy Easter to all who celebrate! I hope your day is filled with chocolate eggs, laughter, and good company. It’s another hot, sticky spring morning here in Central Florida. The sun is playing peekaboo behind the clouds, and the thermometer already reads 82 ° F (28 °…
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On Writing and Storytelling: A Dispatch from the Battle of the Errant Subheads
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Reviews, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon UK, Books, Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, Florida Weather, Kindle, Kindle Create (Publishing App), Life in Central Florida, Life in Florida, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, Spring in Florida, The Jim Garraty Chronicles, The Summer of Two Movies, Writing a First Novel, Writing and EditingWednesday, April 1, 2026, Orlando, Florida Hi there! Today in Central Florida, we appear to have skipped spring altogether and leapt straight into a steamy prelude to summer. As I write, it’s just before noon on April Fool’s Day 2026, but the weather isn’t joking around—79 ° F (26 ° C), mostly sunny, and humid…
