Category: South Miami Senior High School
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No ‘Fair Weather’ Friend is He: Constant Reader Profile – Juan Carlos Hernandez
Thursday, October 15, 2026 – Orlando, Florida This is one of my best friends from South Miami Senior High, actor-director Juan Carlos Hernandez. We met in Drama class during the 1982-83 school year; he was a junior who liked performing, and I was a senior who needed an elective because I’d taken Economics and Government…
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On Writing and Storytelling: When Fiction Meets Reality – an Excerpt from ‘Reunion: Coda’
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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, Books, Creative Writing, Life in Florida, Life in South Florida, Reunion Duology, Reunion: Coda, South Miami High School in fiction, South Miami Senior High School, The Jim Garraty ChroniclesWhere Fiction Meets Reality – An Excerpt from Reunion: Coda If you’re a regular visitor here, you may know that several episodes in my Jim Garraty stories draw on my experiences at South Miami Senior High from late August 1980 to mid-June 1983. Jim’s academic path, however, is vastly different from mine. He is college-bound…
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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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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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On Writing and Storytelling: An Excerpt from ‘Reunion: Coda’
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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, Creative Writing, Florida Weather, Kindle, Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Life in Central Florida, Life in Florida, Life in South Florida, Reunion: Coda, South Miami Senior High School, The Jim Garraty Chronicles, The Jim Garraty Chronicles (Series)Friday, September 4, 2026 – Orlando, Florida It’s midafternoon on the first Friday of autumn 2026, but here in Central Florida, it still feels like high summer. As I write, it’s 93°F (34°C) under mostly cloudy skies, though the sun was blazing earlier. With humidity at a sticky 62% and a south wind at 8…
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On Writing and Storytelling: What I’m Doing in My Late Summer Sabbatical
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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 Sweden, Amazon UK, Books, Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, Goodreads, Kindle, Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, Royalties, South Miami High School in fiction, South Miami Senior High School, The Best of All Possible Planets, The Jim Garraty Chronicles, The Summer of Two MoviesTuesday, August 4, 2026 – Orlando, Florida Hi, everyone. Pull up a chair, pour something cold if you’re in Florida like I am, and let’s catch up. I’m still on a sabbatical from literary fiction after a busy three-year stretch that produced Reunion: Coda, Comings and Goings – The Art of Being Seen, The Summer…
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On Writing and Storytelling: Now Comes the Hardest Part….
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon DE, Amazon Reviews, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon UK, Book Reviews, Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, CreateSpace Independent Publishing, Creative Writing, Goodreads, Kindle, Kindle Create (Publishing App), Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, South Miami High School in fiction, South Miami Senior High School, The Jim Garraty Chronicles, The Summer of Two Movies, Writing and Editing, Writing as a CraftWednesday, July 15, 2026 – Orlando, Florida “The hardest part of publishing a (book) is attracting a reader, and especially one who would give a damn.” — Veronica Purcell Well, folks, I did it. The Jim Garraty Chronicles — the fourth book in a series I never planned but somehow ended up writing — is…
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THE JIM GARRATY CHRONICLES — Official Release Announcement
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon UK, Books, Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, Kindle, Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, South Miami High School in fiction, South Miami Senior High School, The Jim Garraty Chronicles, The Summer of Two MoviesTHE JIM GARRATY CHRONICLES — Official Release Announcement Some projects take years to find their final shape. Some take decades. The Jim Garraty Chronicles is a little of both. I’m very happy to announce that the Kindle edition of The Jim Garraty Chronicles will be released on July 15, with the paperback edition following on…
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All the Things She Taught Me
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, All the Things You Are, Creative Writing, Elizabeth Joan Owen, Elizabeth Joan Owen (Ms. Owen), Life in Central Florida, Life in Florida, Life in Miami (1972-2016), Melodies and Memories: Music, Songs, and Singers, Music, Music & Concert Specials, Personal Thoughts, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, South Miami High School in fiction, South Miami Senior High SchoolAll the Things She Taught Me Tuesday, July 7, 2026, Orlando, Florida On this exquisitely hot July afternoon in Central Florida, I find myself thinking about the lasting impact truly great teachers have on our lives—and how even the smallest things can bring their memories back. That feels especially true as we grow older, and…
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On Writing and Storytelling: Why Jim and Marty Had to Meet in the Chorus Room (And Not in Journalism)
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon UK, Creative Writing, Elizabeth Joan Owen (Ms. Owen), Kindle, Kindle Create (Publishing App), Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Life in Florida, Life in South Florida, Miami-Dade Community College, Personal Thoughts, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, South Miami Senior High School, Student JournalistThursday, July 2, 2026 – Orlando, Florida Why Jim and Marty Had to Meet in the Chorus Room (And Not in Journalism) Every so often, a writer hits one of those crossroads where two parts of his own past tug at him like siblings fighting over the front seat. For me, the tug‑of‑war was between…
