Category: Garratyverse
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On Writing and Storytelling: Playing Catch-Up After Replacing a ‘Dead’ PC
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon UK, Audible, Books, Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, Florida Weather, Garratyverse, Kindle, Kindle Create (Publishing App), Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Life in Central Florida, Life in Florida, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, Spring 2026, Spring in Florida, The Jim Garraty Chronicles, The Summer of Two Movies, Writing as a CraftMonday, April 20, 2026, Orlando, Florida Hello there, dear readers! It’s a moody, blustery Monday here in Central Florida, the kind of day when clouds gather like gossiping neighbors and the wind seems intent on rearranging every stray leaf. As I write this, early afternoon is upon us. The thermometer reads a friendly 75°F (24°C),…
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On Writing and Storytelling: Back at the Desk, One Restart Later
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon UK, Audible, Books, Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Computers, Creative Writing, Garratyverse, Kindle, Kindle Create (Publishing App), Lenovo C560 All-in-One PC, Lenovo IdeaCentre (PC), Life in Central Florida, Life in Florida, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, The Jim Garraty ChroniclesFriday, April 17, 2026, Orlando, Florida Hi, everyone. I’m writing today’s update from my new Lenovo IdeaCentre, which arrived yesterday morning right on schedule. With help from my landlady, Nina, I had it unboxed and set up in no time. Like my previous two Lenovo desktops, it’s an all‑in‑one machine — no tower, no cable…
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Goodbye, IdeaCentre. Hello, Unexpected Debt
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon UK, Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Computers, Creative Writing, Florida Weather, Garratyverse, Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Lenovo – IdeaPad S340 15″ Touch-Screen Laptop, Lenovo C560 All-in-One PC, Lenovo IdeaCentre (PC), Life in Central Florida, Life in Florida, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, Spring 2026, Spring in Florida, The Jim Garraty ChroniclesTuesday, April 14, 2026, Orlando, Florida It’s early afternoon on this second day of my workweek, and as I sit here typing, I feel like I’m baking in a sunny spring oven. The weather gods have decided to turn up the heat, blessing us with 82˚F (28˚C) and a humidity that seems determined to hug…
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On Writing and Storytelling: When the Spark Won’t Catch
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in ACX, Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon UK, Audible, Audiobooks, Books, Brandon Padilla, Bryan Haddock, Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, Florida Weather, Garratyverse, Kindle, Kindle Create (Publishing App), Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Life in Central Florida, Life in Florida, Life in the United States, Personal Thoughts, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, Spring 2026, Spring in Florida, Stefan (Steve) Lee, The Jim Garraty Chronicles, The Summer of Two MoviesTuesday, April 7, 2026, Orlando, Florida It’s a gray, sodden spring day in Central Florida, the kind that feels more like November than April. As I write this, it’s just shy of noon. The temperature sits at 66°F (19°C), a light rain drifting across the neighborhood like a half-hearted curtain. The forecast promises more of…
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On Writing and Storytelling: The Elementary School That REALLY Wasn’t
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in Amazon, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon UK, Books, Creative Writing, Garratyverse, Kindle, Kindle Create (Publishing App), Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Life in Florida, Life in South Florida, Reunion Duology, Reunion: Coda, South Miami High School in fiction, South Miami Senior High School, Writing a First Novel, Writing and EditingThe Elementary School That REALLY Wasn’t (A Funnier Follow‑Up) So, remember how I said I fixed the Kinloch Park reference in Reunion: Coda, and everything was good and tidy and ready for KDP? Yeah. About that. It turns out Jim and Mark’s elementary school wasn’t just mentioned once in the Prologue. Or twice. Or even…
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On Writing and Storytelling: A World I Didn’t Mean to Build (But Did Anyway)
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Reviews, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon UK, Audible, Brandon Padilla, Bryan Haddock, Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, Florida Weather, Garratyverse, Kindle, Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Life in Florida, Personal Thoughts, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, Spring 2026, Spring in Florida, Stefan (Steve) Lee, The Jim Garraty Chronicles, The Summer of Two MoviesFriday, March 27, 2026, Orlando, Florida Hey there! Here in Central Florida, another workweek is rolling to a close on a sun‑soaked, muggy spring afternoon that’s auditioning for summer. Right now, it’s a balmy 81°F (27°C), skies are clear, and the humidity’s flexing at 58%. The wind meanders in from the southwest at just 3…
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Getting Ready to Battle the Gremlins in Kindle Create
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon UK, Blogging, Books, Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, Garratyverse, Kindle, Kindle Create (Publishing App), Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, The Jim Garraty Chronicles, The Summer of Two Movies, Writing and Editing, Writing as a CraftThursday, March 26, 2026, Orlando, Florida ¡Hola, amigos! Hello, friends! It’s a warm, humid spring afternoon here in Central Florida. As I type this, it’s 82°F (28°C) under partly sunny skies. The humidity is sitting at 56%, with a light 4 MPH breeze drifting in from the east-southeast. Thanks to that moisture in the air,…
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The Garratyverse: An Official Description…Thanks to Google
The Garratyverse: An Official Description Every so often, the internet surprises you. This morning, Google Search surprised me by offering a tidy, unexpectedly perceptive summary of something I’ve spent decades building one quiet story at a time: the Garratyverse. Since the term has now escaped into the wild, it feels like the right moment to…
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From Memory to Flash Fiction
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in A Bridge Too Far (1977 film), Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Blogging, Creative Writing, Garratyverse, Life in Florida, Life in Miami (1972-2016), Life in South Florida, Movies, Personal Thoughts, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, Star Wars, The Jim Garraty Chronicles, The Summer of Two MoviesHow a 4K Disc of A Bridge Too Far Sparked the Fourth Jim Garraty Story Yesterday, I wrote about finally ordering the 4K UHD release of A Bridge Too Far — a movie that has been part of my personal mythology since the summer of 1977. I thought the post would be nothing more than…
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The Summer of Two Movies: A Jim Garraty Story
Author’s Note: Introducing a Garraty Prequel Every so often, a childhood memory resurfaces with enough clarity that it feels less like recollection and more like a scene from a story you once lived. This one comes from the summer of 1977, when Jim Garraty was twelve years old, the Miami heat was relentless, and the…