Category: Books
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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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Which Trope in Fiction Annoys Me the Most? The Meet Cute
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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, Literary Fiction, Literary Genres, Meet-Cute, Meet-Smart, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, The Jim Garraty Chronicles, The Jim Garraty Chronicles (Series), Tropes in Fiction, Writing a First Novel, Writing and Editing, Writing as a CraftWhich Trope in Fiction Annoys Me the Most? The Meet‑Cute — And Why My Work Favors the Meet‑Smart Every writer has a trope that makes them wince. For some, it’s the chosen one. For others, it’s the villain who monologues. For me, the most grating trope — the one that feels flimsy, overused, and emotionally…
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Musings and Thoughts for Monday, August 31, 2026
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Books, Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, Depression, Florida Weather, Life in Florida, Personal Thoughts, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, Summer 2026, Summer in Florida, The Jim Garraty Chronicles, The Summer of Two Movies, Writer’s BlockMonday, August 31, 2026 – Orlando, Florida Hi, folks. Well, here we are on the last day of August, which is also the last day of meteorological summer. As I write this, it’s afternoon in my corner of Central Florida, and befitting the season, it’s cloudy, humid, and potentially stormy. I am not crazy about…
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On Writing and Storytelling: An Unexpected Boost in Sales!
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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, Books, Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, Epinions, Life in Florida, Movie Reviews, Movies, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, Summer 2026, The Jim Garraty Chronicles, The Jim Garraty Chronicles (Series), Writing as a CraftWednesday, August 26, 2026 – Orlando, Florida Hi, everyone — and happy Wednesday from the land of iced drinks, sunscreen, and weather that still hasn’t gotten the memo about fall. Well, folks, summer may be winding down on the calendar — meteorological fall begins on September 1 — but here in Central Florida, the weather…
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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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On Writing and Storytelling: ‘The Jim Garraty Chronicles’ is Almost One Month Old!
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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, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, The Jim Garraty Chronicles, The Summer of Two MoviesWednesday, August 12, 2026 – Orlando, Florida Hi, everyone. It’s hard to believe, but it’s been almost a month since I published The Jim Garraty Chronicles: A Life in Four Movements, an omnibus that presents Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, Comings and Goings – The Art of Being Seen, and the bonus tale The Summer…
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On Writing and Storytelling: My New Book Earns a First Review!
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Brazil, Amazon Canada, Amazon Germany, Amazon Italy, 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, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, The Jim Garraty Chronicles, The Jim Garraty Chronicles (Series), The Summer of Two MoviesSunday, August 9, 2026 – Orlando, Florida Hi, there! I’m pleased to announce that The Jim Garraty Chronicles, my latest book, has earned its first customer review on Goodreads. Yep. That’s right. As of last night, Amazon-owned Goodreads published Adria K’s five-star write-up of my omnibus! Here it is: August 8, 2026 Alex Diaz-Granados has…
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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…
