Category: Book Reviews
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On Writing and Storytelling: Why Rhythm and Cadence Matter
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Brazil, Amazon Canada, Amazon Germany, Amazon Italy, Amazon Japan, Amazon Mexico, Amazon Poland, Amazon Reviews, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon Sweden, Amazon UK, Book Reviews, Books, Creative Writing, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, The Jim Garraty Chronicles, The Jim Garraty Chronicles (Series), Writing a First Novel, Writing and Editing, Writing as a CraftThoughts About Writing and Storytelling I’ve been a writer since I was a student in the Dade County Public Schools system between 1972 and 1983. More accurately, I spent much of that time as an aspiring writer. I wrote only one poem—or was it a story?—in fourth grade for the Dade County Youth Fair &…
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Thoughts and Musings for Friday, August 21, 2026
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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 Direct Publishing (KDP), Reunion: A Story, Royalties, The Jim Garraty Chronicles, The Jim Garraty Chronicles (Series), The Summer of Two MoviesFriday, August 21, 2026 – Orlando, Florida Hi, everyone. It’s afternoon on a spectacularly hot and potentially rainy late summer day in Central Florida. Currently, the temperature is a sizzling 94°F (35°C) under partly sunny skies, but with a weak 3 MPH (5 Km/H) breeze blowing from the east southeast and humidity at 58%, it…
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Vox Critici: What Readers Say About the Jim Garraty Stories
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Brazil, Amazon Canada, Amazon Germany, Amazon Italy, Amazon Japan, Amazon Mexico, Amazon Reviews, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon Sweden, Amazon UK, Book Reviews, Book Reviews, Books, Creative Writing, The Jim Garraty Chronicles, The Jim Garraty Chronicles (Series)Vox Critici: What Readers Say About the Jim Garraty Stories Reunion: A Story – The Jim Garraty Chronicles Book 1 (Originally written in 1998, based on a college creative writing class assignment in 1987. First edition published in 2018; second edition published in 2023) From the Publisher: It is June 1983. Jim Garraty is a…
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Thoughts and Musings for Friday, August 7, 2026
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Brazil, Amazon Canada, Amazon Germany, Amazon Italy, Amazon Japan, Amazon Mexico, Amazon Poland, Amazon Reviews, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon Sweden, Amazon UK, Book Reviews, Book Reviews, Books, Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, Royalties, Royalties, The Jim Garraty Chronicles, The Jim Garraty Chronicles (Series), The Summer of Two MoviesFriday, August 7, 2026 – Orlando, Florida It is a dreary, stormy late summer day in Central Florida. It has been raining heavily here for the past 30 minutes, which keeps the otherwise torrid temperatures down to a tolerable level but nevertheless makes for a somewhat depressing environment. Right now, the temperature is 85°F (29°C),…
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On Writing and Storytelling: I Needed a Sabbatical – But I Can’t Wait For It to End!
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in Album Reviews, Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Brazil, Amazon Canada, Amazon Germany, Amazon Italy, Amazon Japan, Amazon Mexico, Amazon Reviews, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon Sweden, Amazon UK, Blogging, Book Reviews, Books, Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, Life in Florida, Movie Reviews, Movies, Movies & Television, Music, Music & Concert Specials, Music Reviews, Personal Thoughts, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reviews, Summer 2026, The Jim Garraty Chronicles, The Jim Garraty Chronicles (Series), The Summer of Two Movies, Writing and EditingSunday, August 2, 2026 — Orlando, Florida Hello, everyone. It’s a gray, humid late-summer day in Central Florida. The temperature is currently 84°F (29°C) under mostly cloudy skies, but high humidity and a 12 MPH (16 km/h) breeze from the southwest make it feel like 88°F (31°C). We’ve already reached the forecast high, and scattered…
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Finishing Touches on ‘The Jim Garraty Chronicles’
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Brazil, Amazon Canada, Amazon Germany, Amazon Italy, Amazon Japan, Amazon Mexico, Amazon Poland, Amazon Reviews, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon Sweden, Amazon UK, Book Reviews, Books, Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, Goodreads, Kindle, Kindle Create (Publishing App), Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, The Jim Garraty Chronicles, The Summer of Two MoviesTuesday, July 21, 2026 – Orlando, Florida Hi, everyone. It’s another exquisitely hot and sticky midsummer day in Central Florida. As I write this, it’s just past noon, and the temperature outside is a sizzling 91°F (33°C) under sunny and windy conditions. Add 59% humidity to the mix, and the heat index is 98°F (37°C).…
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Waiting for My Paperback to Arrive
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon DE, Amazon Reviews, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon UK, Book Reviews, Books, Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, Goodreads, Kindle, Kindle Create (Publishing App), Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, The Jim Garraty Chronicles, The Summer of Two MoviesSaturday, July 18, 2026 – Orlando, Florida I’m at my desk, because of course I am, on a brutally hot Central Florida afternoon, waiting for the Amazon Prime van like a kid watching for Santa’s sleigh. Today’s delivery? My first paperback copy of The Jim Garraty Chronicles. I ordered it Thursday, the moment the paperback…
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Four Stories, One Chronicle, and a Little Optimism
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in ACX, Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon DE, Amazon Reviews, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon UK, Audible, Audiobooks, Book Reviews, Books, Brandon Padilla, Bryan Haddock, Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, Goodreads, Kindle, Kindle Create (Publishing App), Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Kindle Unlimited (subscription service), Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, Stefan (Steve) Lee, The Jim Garraty Chronicles, The Summer of Two MoviesThursday, July 16, 2026 – Orlando, Florida “Persistence can look a lot like stupid.” ― Kristen Lamb, Are You There, Blog? It’s Me, Writer Pull up a chair, friend—today comes with a little publishing news and the faint aroma of freshly brewed optimism. Yesterday morning, Kindle Direct Publishing released my fifth and latest book, The…
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When a Friend Publishes a Book: Why Honest Reviews Matter
When a Friend Publishes a Book: Why Honest Reviews Matter One of the trickiest situations a writer or reviewer can find themselves in is this: a friend publishes a book, and you’re asked — directly or indirectly — to review it. On the surface, it sounds simple. You read the book, you write your thoughts,…
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Book Review: ‘Perfect’ (2026)
Perfect By: P.J. GudkaPublisher: Wild Ink PublishingYear of Publication: 2026Genre(s): Murder Thriller, Psychological Fiction, Psychological Thriller From the Publisher A mother protecting her son.A boy spiraling into darkness.A girl who never stood a chance. Sally thinks she’s succeeded in breaking generational curses until she finds out her eldest son, James, is the prime suspect in…
A Certain Point of View, Too 