Category: The Jim Garraty Chronicles
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On Writing and Storytelling: Behind the Curtain – Marty’s Origins
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in ACX, Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Reviews, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon UK, Audible, Audiobooks, Brandon Padilla, Bryan Haddock, Creative Writing, Garratyverse, Passage of Time, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, South Miami High School in fiction, South Miami Senior High School, Stefan (Steve) Lee, The Jim Garraty ChroniclesBehind the Curtain: Marty’s Origins Ever since the day I first sent my novella, Reunion: A Story, out into the world back in 2018, the questions started coming. Sometimes they arrived shy and quiet, like old friends at a backyard barbecue, and other times they landed with surprising directness. Most often, it was a fellow…
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Another Workweek, A New Month, and Another Season
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in ACX, Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Reviews, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon UK, Audible, Blogging, Brandon Padilla, Bryan Haddock, Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, Kindle, Kindle Create (Publishing App), Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Life in Central Florida, Life in Florida, Personal Thoughts, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, Stefan (Steve) Lee, The Jim Garraty Chronicles, Winter in FloridaMonday, December 1, 2025 – Orlando, Florida Another Monday, another new workweek, another new month—and, meteorologically speaking, another new season. (It’s also rent day, though thankfully my landlady is considerate and understanding of my circumstances. Compared to the steep payments I made during my ten months in Miami, this arrangement feels far less onerous.) It’s…
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Adventures in Audiobook Production: Waiting, Wondering, and Hoping for ACX Approval
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in ACX, Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Reviews, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon UK, Audible, Audiobooks, Audiobooks, Books, Brandon Padilla, Bryan Haddock, Comings and Goings (Short Story), Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, Kindle, Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, Stefan (Steve) Lee, The Jim Garraty ChroniclesThursday, November 6, 2025 – Orlando, Florida “We never live; we are always in the expectation of living.” —Voltaire Today marks the first full day since I approved Brandon Padilla’s audiobook adaptation of my novella Reunion: A Story on ACX, Amazon’s platform for independent audiobook production. The project—47 minutes of audio paired with a cover…
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Omnibus in Progress, Comfort in Limbo
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in ACX, Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon UK, Audible, Audiobooks, Autumn in Florida, Books, Brandon Padilla, Bryan Haddock, Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Computer and Video Games, Creative Writing, Garratyverse, Kindle, Kindle Create (Publishing App), Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Kiri Sings Kern, Kiri Te Kanawa (Dame Kiri), Life in Central Florida, Life in Florida, Life in Madison (NH), Life in South Florida, MicroProse Software, Military History, Music, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Rick Atkinson, Sea Power: Naval Combat in the Missile Age, Stefan (Steve) Lee, The Fate of the Day: The War for America, Fort Ticonderoga to Charleston, 1777–1780, The Jim Garraty Chronicles, Things I MissMonday, November 3, 2025 – Orlando, Florida “Work. Don’t Think. Relax.” — Ray Bradbury There’s a certain comfort in structure, especially for those of us who live by stories. As much as I love the creative process—and I do, or I wouldn’t be doing this—I try to keep my writing life tethered to a Monday-through-Friday…
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My Plans for a Restful Sunday
Sunday, November 2, 2025, Orlando, Florida It’s late morning here in Central Florida as I write this—my 2,214th post on WordPress. True to late autumn in this part of the world, it’s a bright but cool day: 74°F (23°C) under sunny skies, with a forecast high of 80°F (27°C) and mostly sunny conditions. Being the…
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On Writing and Storytelling: Working on Weekends – Hope and Persistence, or Quixotic Hubris?
Sunday, October 12, 2025 📍 Orlando, Florida A Chilly Morning and a Familiar Ritual This morning greeted me with an unexpected chill—low 60s, which, by Florida standards, qualifies as brisk. The sun had barely crept over the horizon when I stirred, debating whether to return to sleep. Light tends to sabotage my rest once it…