Tag: book-review
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On Ethical Reviewing: Honesty is the Best (and Only) Policy
My Reviewing Philosophy: Loving Something Enough to Tell the Truth About It I’ve been a Star Trek fan for most of my life. I grew up with Kirk, Spock, and McCoy. I admire William Shatner—yes, genuinely—and I wanted nothing more than to love Star Trek V: The Final Frontier when it premiered in 1989. I…
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On the Subject of Ethical Reviewing: My Guiding Principles
On the subject of ethical reviewing: My guiding principles Last Friday, I mentioned a previous email exchange with Angela (a pseudonym), a blogger who self‑published an inspirational romance novel. She sent me her third email, again requesting that I read a sample of her book on Amazon, purchase it in Kindle or paperback format, and…
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When Amazon Says Yes Before the Sun Does
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in ACX, Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Reviews, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon UK, Audible, Audible Reviews, Audiobooks, Book Reviews, Books, Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, Florida Weather, Kindle, Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Life in Central Florida, Life in Florida, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, Stefan (Steve) Lee, Winter in FloridaSaturday, February 28, 2026 — Orlando, Florida “Sometimes the clouds in the sky are mistaken. They didn’t come to block the sunlight. They came to embrace it.” — Kaylee Stepkoski Late winter days—no matter your zip code or circumstances—have a knack for being gray and a touch moody, even here in Central Florida, where the…
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On Writing and Storytelling: Choosing Craft Over Coddling
Friday, February 27, 2026, Orlando, Florida Above all else, I consider myself a storyteller. To be specific, I’m a writer with deep roots in journalism and media criticism, and I’ve dabbled in poetry, screenwriting, and literary fiction. My journey down this winding path began way back in the early 1970s—picture a kid at Tropical Elementary…
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The Sunshine State of Mind (and Sales Reports)
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in ACX, Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Reviews, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon UK, Audible, Audible Reviews, Audiobooks, Audiobooks, Books, 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, Royalties, Royalties, Stefan (Steve) Lee, The Jim Garraty Chronicles, Winter in FloridaThursday, February 26, 2026, Orlando, Florida Hi, there! It’s a cool but gradually warming day in Central Florida. As I write this, it’s 71°F (22°C) under mostly sunny skies. Still a touch cooler than my comfort zone—my climatic sweet spot is 75°F (24°C) or a bit higher—but far better than yesterday’s mid‑30s wake‑up call. I’ve…
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On Writing and Storytelling: All Too Quiet on the ACX Front
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in ACX, Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Reviews, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon UK, Audible, Audiobooks, Books, 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, Royalties, Stefan (Steve) Lee, The Jim Garraty Chronicles, Writing a First Novel, Writing as a CraftFriday, February 20, 2026, Orlando, Florida Another Friday in Central Florida, another workweek wrapped up. This one has been frustrating on several fronts. My producer for the Reunion: Coda audiobook, Stefan Lee, finished recording on Tuesday, February 10. I submitted the project to ACX the following morning, which kicked off their four‑step quality assurance process—a…
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On Writing and Storytelling: When the Weather Moves Faster Than the Workflow
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in ACX, Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Reviews, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon UK, Audible, Audiobooks, Audiobooks, Books, Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, Florida Weather, 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 Florida, Writing as a CraftTuesday, February 17, 2026 — Orlando, Florida A Sunny Day, a Slow Queue, and a Stubbornly Hopeful Writer Hello, my wonderfully patient reader. Today, Central Florida is showing off. The sun is bright, the air is gentle, and winter feels like it’s quietly packing its bags. My window thermometer reads a pleasant 71°F (22°C) under…
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A Quiet Sunday and a Waiting Game
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in ACX, Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Reviews, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon UK, Audible, Audiobooks, Books, Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, Florida Weather, Kindle, Kindle Create (Publishing App), Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Life in Florida, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, Stefan (Steve) Lee, The Jim Garraty Chronicles, Winter in FloridaSunday, February 15, 2026, Orlando, Florida Hi, there, and welcome to my 52nd post of the year on A Certain Point of View, Too. As I write this, it’s almost noon in my corner of Central Florida. Currently, the temperature is 77°F (25°C) under partly sunny conditions. This being the subtropical zone, we’re expecting warmer…
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Progress, Patience, and a Quiet Anniversary
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in ACX, Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Audible, Audiobooks, Blogging, Books, Brandon Padilla, Bryan Haddock, Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, Family History, Jeronimo Diaz-Granados, Life in Florida, Personal Thoughts, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, Stefan (Steve) Lee, The Jim Garraty ChroniclesFriday, February 13, 2026 — Orlando, Florida Hi, everyone—thanks so much for joining me. Another workweek has wrapped up, and while progress on The Jim Garraty Chronicles has been slower than I’d hoped, I’m grateful to have resolved many of the formatting headaches caused by the Kindle Create app. The omnibus is still moving forward,…
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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…
A Certain Point of View, Too 