Category: Garratyverse
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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…
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On Writing and Storytelling: The Movies That Built Jim Garraty (and, Let’s Be Honest, Me Too)
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in A Bridge Too Far (1977 film), Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Reviews, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon UK, Casablanca (1942), Close Encounters of the Third Kind: 40th Anniversary Edition, Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial, Films by Steven Spielberg, Garratyverse, Indiana Jones Movies, Indiana Jones: The Complete Adventures (2012 Blu-ray Set), Kindle, Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Movies, Movies & Television, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Star Wars, Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, Summer of ’42 (1971), Superman: The Movie, The Longest Day (1962), West Side Story (1961 Film)🎬 The Movies That Built Jim Garraty (and, Let’s Be Honest, Me Too) Somewhere in the middle of revisiting old scenes from Reunion, I stumbled onto a realization that made me laugh out loud: Jim Garraty’s 1983 movie shelf is basically a psychological X‑ray of who he was at seventeen — and who I was,…
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On Writing and Storytelling: Giving a Fictional Universe a Theme Song
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon UK, Billy Joel, Books, Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, Forgotten Dreams, Garratyverse, Kindle, Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Leroy Anderson, Melodies and Memories: Music, Songs, and Singers, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, The Jim Garraty ChroniclesThe Garratyverse Has a Theme Song — And It’s “Forgotten Dreams” Every now and then, a creative universe taps you on the shoulder and says, Hey, I know what I sound like.Today, the Garratyverse did exactly that. If the world of Jim Garraty — his memories, his ghosts, his quiet victories — had to be…
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On Writing and Storytelling: Meanwhile, in the Land of ACX…
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in ACX, Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon UK, Audible, Audiobooks, 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, Reunion: Coda, Stefan (Steve) Lee, Writing a First Novel, Writing as a CraftThursday, February 12, 2026 — Orlando, Florida “Patience, he thought. So much of this was patience—waiting, and thinking, and doing things right. So much of all this, so much of all living was patience and thinking.”—Gary Paulsen, Hatchet Hi, everyone! It’s been nearly 24 hours since I sent off the audio files for Reunion: Coda…
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Audiobook Update: ‘Reunion: Coda’ is Complete!
A quick but exciting midweek update: I’ve officially approved the audiobook edition of Reunion: Coda. After several rounds of spot‑checking (and more than a few moments of hearing lines I’d forgotten I wrote), I’m happy to say that Stefan’s performance brings Jim’s world to life beautifully. His portrayal of the characters — across both timelines…
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Gray Skies, Cold Wind, and Editing Misadventures
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Reviews, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon UK, Books, Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, Garratyverse, Kindle, Kindle Create (Publishing App), Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Life in Central Florida, Life in Florida, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, Royalties, The Jim Garraty Chronicles, Winter in Florida, Writing as a CraftSaturday, January 31, 2026 — Orlando, Florida Hello again, Dear Reader. Central Florida is wearing its grayest winter coat today. The sky is a solid sheet of cloud, the air sits at a brisk 59°F (15°C), and the wind promises to make things even chillier as the afternoon rolls on. It’s hardly the sort of…
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All Quiet on the Writing Front….
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Blogging, Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, Garratyverse, Kindle, Kindle Create (Publishing App), Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Kindle Unlimited (subscription service), Life in Central Florida, Life in Florida, Novella, Personal Thoughts, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, Royalties, Stalled Projects, The Jim Garraty Chronicles, Winter in FloridaFriday, January 30, 2026 — Orlando, Florida It’s early afternoon here in Central Florida, and while the weather is cooler than usual — 69°F (21°C) under bright, steady sunshine — it’s still a lovely late‑January day. Several cold‑weather alerts remain in effect until February 1, but the chill will pass soon enough. No snow, no…
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On Writing and Storytelling: My Ex-Co-Editor, Always
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Reviews, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon UK, Audible, Audiobooks, Book Reviews, Books, Brandon Padilla, Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, Garratyverse, Personal Thoughts, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, South Miami High School in fiction, South Miami Senior High School, The Jim Garraty Chronicles, Writing as a CraftGratitude Tour, Stop Five: My Ex-Co-Editor, Always When I first mapped out my “Gratitude Tour,” the plan was simple: shine a little light on the readers who not only devoured the three existing Garratyverse books—Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, and Comings and Goings – The Art of Being Seen—but also took the time to leave…
A Certain Point of View, Too 