Category: Blogging
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Cold Snap, Penny Bump
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Books, 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, Life in Madison (NH), Life in New Hampshire (December 2023 – October 2024), Life in the United States, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, The Jim Garraty Chronicles, Winter 2023-2024, Winter in FloridaWednesday, January 28, 2026, Orlando, Florida It’s another brisk winter day here in Central Florida. As I write this, the thermometer reads 53°F (12°C) under bright, generous sunshine, though the feels-like temperature edges closer to 68°F (20°C). Not exactly frigid by national standards, but certainly cool enough to make you pause before stepping outside. Of…
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Falling Temperatures, (Modestly) Rising Earnings
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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 Direct Publishing (KDP), Life in Central Florida, Life in Florida, Life in New Hampshire (December 2023 – October 2024), Personal Thoughts, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, Winter in FloridaTuesday, January 27, 2026 — Orlando, Florida Today’s chapter opens on a brisk—fine, let’s be honest, downright arctic by Floridian standards—January morning. At the heroic hour of 6:45 A.M., I rolled out of bed to find the temperature sulking in the mid‑30s, barely edging out a popsicle’s comfort zone (32°F/0°C). The house is mercifully warm…
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All Aboard the Gratitude Express! Next Stop – Betsy Matteis
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Reviews, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon UK, Books, College Life, Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, Life in Florida, Life in Miami (1972-2016), Life in South Florida, Miami-Dade Community College, Personal Thoughts, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, South Miami Senior High School, The Gratitude ExpressThe Gratitude Tour Continues – Stop #7: Betsy Matteis Hi, everyone, and welcome aboard the Gratitude Tour Express. Today, our train is rolling north to Woodstock, Georgia, where my longtime friend Elizabeth—Betsy—Matteis has made her home. Of the seven Gratitude Award recipients so far, Betsy is the one whose story with mine stretches back the…
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On Writing and Storytelling: The Sixth Stop on the Gratitude Tour
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in Adria K. Woomer-Hernandez, Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Reviews, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon UK, Anthony (A.J.) Hernandez, Blogging, Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, Juan Carlos Hernandez, Movies, Personal Thoughts, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, The Gratitude ExpressThe Sixth Stop on the Gratitude Tour: Juan Carlos Hernandez Hey there, my cherished reader! Thanks for hopping aboard yet another leg of my Gratitude Tour. Today, the Gratitude Express is rumbling its way into the heart of New York City—the city that never sleeps and, incidentally, the home of our honoree, Juan Carlos Hernandez.…
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My Dream Job (WordPress Daily Prompt)
My Dream Job (WordPress Daily Prompt)Today’s Daily Prompt: “What is your dream job?” If you’ve spent any time around here—whether you’re a long‑timer or you just wandered in with a cup of coffee—you already know my dream job: being a writer. Not “wanting to be a writer,” not “dabbling in writing,” but actually being one.…
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On Writing and Storytelling: My Ex-Co-Editor, Always
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Reviews, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon UK, Audible, Audiobooks, Book Reviews, Books, Brandon Padilla, Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, Garratyverse, Personal Thoughts, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, South Miami High School in fiction, South Miami Senior High School, The Jim Garraty Chronicles, Writing as a CraftGratitude Tour, Stop Five: My Ex-Co-Editor, Always When I first mapped out my “Gratitude Tour,” the plan was simple: shine a little light on the readers who not only devoured the three existing Garratyverse books—Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, and Comings and Goings – The Art of Being Seen—but also took the time to leave…
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On Writing and Storytelling: When Jim Garraty First Realizes What His Heart’s Been Trying to Tell Him (Reunion: Coda)
When Jim Garraty First Realizes What His Heart’s Been Trying to Tell Him Long before Jim Garraty ever found the words for what he was feeling, there were moments—small, ordinary, almost forgettable to anyone else—that rearranged something inside him. This is one of the earliest. Not a confession, not a dramatic turning point, just a…
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A Small, Bright Victory to Start the Week
A Small, Bright Victory to Start the Week Monday, January 5, 2026 — Orlando, Florida “Writing fiction, especially a long work of fiction, can be a difficult, lonely job; it’s like crossing the Atlantic Ocean in a bathtub. There’s plenty of opportunity for self-doubt.”— Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft Florida winter—such…
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The Night Jim Garraty Kept Someone Up Reading
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in ACX, Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Reviews, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon UK, Audible, Audiobooks, Bryan Haddock, Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, Personal Thoughts, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, Stefan (Steve) Lee, The Jim Garraty ChroniclesWhen a Reader Reminds You Why You Write Every so often, something happens that cuts through the noise — the sales dashboards, the algorithms, the endless comparisons to writers with marketing budgets the size of small nations — and brings you back to the heart of why you sit down to tell stories in the…
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On Resolutions, Realism, and the Year That Surprised Me
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in ACX, Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Audible, Brandon Padilla, Bryan Haddock, Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, Family History, Kindle, Kindle Create (Publishing App), Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Life in Florida, Personal Thoughts, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, Stefan (Steve) Lee, The Jim Garraty ChroniclesWednesday, December 31, 2025 — Orlando, Florida I’ve never been much for New Year’s resolutions. That just wasn’t the kind of tradition our little, lopsided family—Mom, my older half‑sister, and Yours Truly—ever took seriously. Sure, one of us might toss out a hopeful line now and then: “This is the year I’ll finally hit the…
A Certain Point of View, Too 