Category: Blogging
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Have a Good Monday!
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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, And the Horse You Rode In On, Blogging, Life in Central Florida, Life in Florida, The Jim Garraty Chronicles, The Jim Garraty Chronicles (Series)Monday, September 28, 2026 – Orlando, Florida Hi, everyone. I’m running behind schedule on this sunny, warm afternoon in Central Florida. Aside from yesterday’s arrival – in the late afternoon hours – of my hardcover copy of The Jim Garraty Chronicles, I don’t have much in the way of news. I also need to work…
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A Hardcover on the Way, and a Hint of Fall in the Air
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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, Autumn 2026, Autumn in Florida, Books, Creative Writing, Life in Central Florida, Life in Florida, Life in Madison (NH), Personal Thoughts, The Jim Garraty Chronicles, The Jim Garraty Chronicles (Series), Winter (2023-2024)Sunday, September 27, 2026 – Orlando, Florida It’s early afternoon on this last Sunday of September 2026. The current temperature is 82°F (28°C) under sunny skies, but with 37% humidity and a southeasterly breeze blowing at 5 MPH (8 Km/H), it feels more like early summer than early fall. The oppressive heat of this past…
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Hope with a Receipt
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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, And the Horse You Rode In On, Conservatism in the U.S., Creative Writing, Life in the United States, Personal Thoughts, The Jim Garraty Chronicles (Series)Saturday, September 26, 2026 – Orlando, Florida Writing fiction—telling stories—is hard work. There: I said it, and my shoulders already feel lighter. Say it with me, people: storytelling, especially when you’re trying to earn a living from it, is not a career one chooses lightly. It does not arrive with a pension plan, sensible shoes,…
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On Writing and Storytelling: Stepping Up to the Plate…for the Fifth Time
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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, Book Reviews, Books, Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, Kindle, Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Personal Thoughts, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, Royalties, Royalties, The Jim Garraty Chronicles, The Summer of Two Movies, Writing as a CraftSunday, September 20, 2026 – Orlando, Florida “The scariest moment is always just before you start.”― Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft Hi there, Dear Reader! I woke up this morning to one of those small but welcome surprises that occasionally drift into a writer’s inbox: a notification from Amazon Accounts Payable.…
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Images of Autumn
It’s meteorological fall here in the Northern Hemisphere, although where I live (Central Florida), you wouldn’t know it unless you’ve lived here for decades. It doesn’t look much different from summer, does it? I did, briefly, live in New England and got to see all four seasons before I had to move back to Florida…
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On Writing and Storytelling: Decisions, Decisions…..
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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, Autumn 2026, Autumn in Florida, Books, Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, Florida Weather, Kindle, Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Life in Florida, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, The Jim Garraty Chronicles, The Jim Garraty Chronicles (Series), The Summer of Two MoviesTuesday, September 15, 2026 – Orlando, Florida Hi, everyone. It’s a gray-shrouded, rainy early autumn afternoon here in Central Florida. Fortunately, we’re getting the gentler side of the weather—steady showers rather than the crackling thunderstorms that usually roll through this time of year. The sky has been mostly overcast since morning, and the temperature is…
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On Writing and Storytelling: The Jock vs. Nerd Rivalry I Refuse to Write — And How Reunion: Coda Subverts It
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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, Creative Writing, Jock vs. Nerd Trope, Kindle, Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Literary Fiction, Literary Genres, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, South Miami High School in fiction, South Miami Senior High School, The Jim Garraty Chronicles, Tropes in Fiction, Writing a First Novel, Writing and Editing, Writing as a CraftThe Jock vs. Nerd Rivalry I Refuse to Write — And How Reunion: Coda Subverts It Some high‑school tropes never die. They show up in movies, TV shows, YA novels, and even adult fiction: the artsy, awkward kid pining for the girl; the confident quarterback who already has her; the rivalry that becomes the story’s…
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Why I Started a GoFundMe for My AdventHealth Bill
Why I Started a GoFundMe for My AdventHealth Bill Every so often life throws you a curveball that isn’t dramatic enough for a memoir chapter but still manages to knock your balance off-kilter. For me, that curveball arrived in the form of a medical bill from AdventHealth — $530.26, no more and no less. It’s…
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Somewhere, Not Anywhere: Why Specificity Gives Fiction Its Soul
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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, Arbetter’s, Books, Creative Writing, Kindle, Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Life in Florida, Life in Miami (1972-2016), Life in South Florida, Personal History, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, South Miami High School in fiction, South Miami Senior High School, The Jim Garraty Chronicles, The Jim Garraty Chronicles (Series), Things I Miss, Writing a First Novel, Writing and Editing, Writing as a CraftThere’s a peculiar trope that shows up in fiction across genres and skill levels: the generic setting, the “It Could Be Anywhere” school, town, neighborhood, or city. You’ve seen it. A thriller introduces a group of high‑school students, but the school has no name, no mascot, no colors, no hallways with personality. The town has…
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Musings and Thoughts for Sunday, September 6, 2026
Sunday, September 6, 2026 – Orlando, Florida Hi, everyone — and happy Sunday from the steamy side of Central Florida. It’s early afternoon here on this first Sunday in September, and Orlando is doing what Orlando does best: pretending the calendar is merely a suggestion. The sky is bright, the sun is enthusiastic, and the…
