Category: Amazon Reviews
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Three Stories, Three Reviews
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in ACX, Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Reviews, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon UK, Audible, Audiobooks, Audiobooks, Book Reviews, Books, Brandon Padilla, Bryan Haddock, Comings and Goings (Short Story), Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, Dawn Pisturino, Pooja (P.J.) Gudka, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, Thomas WikmanThree Stories, Three Reviews Every great series is defined not only by the stories themselves but by the way readers respond to them. Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, and Comings and Goings – The Art of Being Seen together form a tapestry of memory, love, regret, and the fragile beauty of human connection. Each title…
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On Writing and Storytelling: Behind the Curtain – Marty’s Origins
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in ACX, Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Reviews, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon UK, Audible, Audiobooks, Brandon Padilla, Bryan Haddock, Creative Writing, Garratyverse, Passage of Time, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, South Miami High School in fiction, South Miami Senior High School, Stefan (Steve) Lee, The Jim Garraty ChroniclesBehind the Curtain: Marty’s Origins Ever since the day I first sent my novella, Reunion: A Story, out into the world back in 2018, the questions started coming. Sometimes they arrived shy and quiet, like old friends at a backyard barbecue, and other times they landed with surprising directness. Most often, it was a fellow…
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Another Workweek, A New Month, and Another Season
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in ACX, Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Reviews, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon UK, Audible, Blogging, Brandon Padilla, Bryan Haddock, Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, Kindle, Kindle Create (Publishing App), Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Life in Central Florida, Life in Florida, Personal Thoughts, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, Stefan (Steve) Lee, The Jim Garraty Chronicles, Winter in FloridaMonday, December 1, 2025 – Orlando, Florida Another Monday, another new workweek, another new month—and, meteorologically speaking, another new season. (It’s also rent day, though thankfully my landlady is considerate and understanding of my circumstances. Compared to the steep payments I made during my ten months in Miami, this arrangement feels far less onerous.) It’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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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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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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Adventures in Audiobook Production: The First Listener Response!
🎧 Listener Spotlight: Peggy Jensen Cai I’m thrilled to share some early feedback on the Comings and Goings audiobook. Peggy Jensen Cai wrote: “I just finished listening to it and it was wonderful… I will write a review later today.” Peggy’s words mean a lot — not just because they affirm the narration and production,…
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On Writing and Storytelling: Jim, Mrs. Brillenstein, and the Confluence of Memory and Fiction
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Reviews, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon UK, Blogging, Books, Creative Writing, Life in Florida, Life in South Florida, Personal Thoughts, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, South Miami Senior High School, Writing a First Novel, Writing as a Craft2 Late to Homeroom 7:45 AM I was late for homeroom. Mrs. Brillenstein didn’t like that. She was a young-looking woman, maybe in her early thirties, with long auburn hair and big brown eyes that could be friendly or fierce, depending on her mood. She taught English 2, Regular, and drama in Room 230, which…
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A Somewhat Stressful Monday in Orlando
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in ACX, Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Reviews, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon UK, Audible, Brandon Padilla, Bryan Haddock, Comings and Goings (Short Story), Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, Life in Central Florida, Life in Florida, Life in New Hampshire (December 2023 – October 2024), Life in the United States, Personal Thoughts, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A StoryMonday, November 10, 2025, Orlando, Florida Hi, everyone. It’s Monday afternoon here in Central Florida, and I’ll be honest—it’s been a bit of a nerve-wracking day. Earlier, I had to complete a mandatory phone interview with Florida’s Department of Children and Families (DCF) to qualify for SNAP benefits—what most folks still call “food stamps.” I…
A Certain Point of View, Too 