Category: Reunion Duology
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On Writing and Storytelling: First One In….
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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, Creative Writing, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, The Jim Garraty Chronicles, The Jim Garraty Chronicles (Series)Friday, September 18, 2026 – Orlando, Florida It’s early afternoon on a cloudy, hot, and humid day in Central Florida. The temperature sits at 86°F (30°C) under partly sunny skies, but with 70% humidity and an east‑northeast breeze at 12 MPH (19 Km/H), it feels closer to 93°F (34°C). Scattered rain showers are expected later,…
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The Jim Garraty Chronicles’ Hardcover is Now Available for Orders!
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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, Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, Goodreads, Kindle, Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, The Jim Garraty Chronicles, The Jim Garraty Chronicles (Series), The Summer of Two MoviesThursday, September 17, 2026 – Orlando, Florida Hi there, Dear Reader. I hope this Thursday finds you well, whether you’re easing into fall weather where you are or, like me here in Central Florida, still waiting for the thermometer to get the memo. It’s a warm but breezy early autumn day in Central Florida. Currently,…
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On Writing and Storytelling: A Hardcover at Last
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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, Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), The Jim Garraty Chronicles, The Jim Garraty Chronicles (Series)A Hardcover at Last After a surprising amount of wrestling with KDP’s trim sizes, templates, and cover quirks, The Jim Garraty Chronicles will finally be available as a hardcover edition. It took more doing than I expected — a page‑count limit forced me to change the trim size, which in turn forced a complete redesign…
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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: Should ‘The Jim Garraty Chronicles’ Get a Hardcover Edition?
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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, Kindle, Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), The Jim Garraty Chronicles, The Jim Garraty Chronicles (Series)Monday, September 14, 2026 – Orlando, Florida Should The Jim Garraty Chronicles Get a Hardcover Edition? It’s another humid early fall afternoon here in Central Florida — the kind where the air feels like warm syrup and the sky can’t decide whether it wants to stay sunny or break into a quick rain shower. Perfect…
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On Writing and Storytelling: The Little Scene That Became a North Star
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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, Films by Steven Spielberg, Melodies and Memories: Music, Songs, and Singers, Movies, Music, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, West Side Story (1961), West Side Story (2021), West Side Story – Original Broadway Cast (1957), West Side Story: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (2021)The Little Scene That Became a North Star Every long‑form project has its origin myths — the moments that, in hindsight, shaped everything that came after. Sometimes these moments are deliberate. Sometimes they’re the result of careful planning, thematic intention, or structural foresight. And sometimes they arrive quietly, almost innocently, in a first draft written…
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On Writing and Storytelling: Why “Somewhere” was the Only Song Jim and Marty Could Sing
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Books, Creative Writing, Films by Steven Spielberg, Melodies and Memories: Music, Songs, and Singers, Music, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, West Side Story (1961), West Side Story (2021), West Side Story – Original Broadway Cast (1957), West Side Story: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (2021)Why “Somewhere” was the Only Song Jim and Marty Could Sing Every writer knows the moment when a story makes a choice for you. You think you’re the one selecting the detail — the street name, the shade of blue, the song on the radio — but in truth, the story has already decided. Your…
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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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On Writing and Storytelling: The Weight of Small Corrections
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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, Kindle, Kindle Create (Publishing App), Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Reunion: Coda, Royalties, The Jim Garraty Chronicles, The Jim Garraty Chronicles (Series), Writing and Editing, Writing as a CraftThursday, September 10, 2026 – Orlando, Florida Hi, there. I’m off to a late start with my blogging today. Partly because I’m physically and mentally exhausted from stress and anxiety, but mostly because I had to make a minor but necessary correction to The Jim Garraty Chronicles in the section devoted to Reunion: Coda. It…
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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…
A Certain Point of View, Too 