Tag: Book Reviews
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Being Seen in Kenya: A Quiet Thank You to Pooja
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon UK, Book Reviews, Book Reviews, Books, Comings and Goings (Short Story), Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, Garratyverse, Kindle, Kindle Create (Publishing App), Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Pooja (P.J.) Gudka, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, ReviewsThere are moments in a writer’s life when the work speaks louder than the person. When a reader—not just any reader, but one who truly listens—echoes back the emotional architecture you’ve spent years building. Pooja Gudka, the voice behind Lifesfinewhine, has done just that. Her review of Comings and Goings – The Art of Being…
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On Writing and Storytelling: The Rewards of Being a Storyteller
✈️ A Chewed Cover, a Plane Ride, and the Gift of Lost Love: Gratitude Reflections Sometimes, the most meaningful moments begin with a bit of chaos. Last night, my friend Dayna Pitcher shared a story that touched me deeply—not just because she praised Reunion: A Story, but because of how the book found its way…
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Echoes of Emotion: What a Thoughtful Review Reveals About ‘Reunion: Coda’
💬 Echoes of Emotion: What a Thoughtful Review Reveals About Reunion: Coda When Thomas Wikman reviewed Reunion: Coda on his Leonberger Life blog, I expected kindness. What I didn’t expect was emotional precision—the kind that doesn’t just summarize a book but listens to its heartbeat. Thomas called it “a love story complicated by life.” That…
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On Writing and Storytelling: How – and Why – I Wrote ‘Reunion: Coda’
🎼 Writing the Coda: How Music, Memory, and Missed Chances Shaped Reunion: Coda When I first wrote Reunion: A Story in 1998, I didn’t imagine it would become the central panel of a literary triptych. It was a novella born from grief, memory, and a quiet experiment in fiction—an elegy for a classmate lost too…
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On Writing and Storytelling: When a Reader Sees You
When a Reader Sees YouReflections on a Review That Resonated There’s a quiet kind of joy that comes when a reader truly sees your work—not just the plot or the prose, but the emotional architecture beneath it. Dawn Pisturino’s recent review of Reunion: A Story did just that. She saw Jim Garraty not as a…
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The Garratyverse: Amazon Reviews That Matter
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Book Reviews, Books, Comings and Goings (Short Story), 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: CodaThe Garratyverse: Amazon Reviews That Matter. In a literary landscape often dominated by algorithms and fleeting attention, it’s easy to overlook the quiet power of a reader who truly sees you. The Garratyverse—my evolving universe of emotionally intelligent fiction—has always been about memory, intimacy, and the dignity of small moments. So when readers respond not…
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On Writing and Storytelling: Reviews Matter! (A Lot! Really!)
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Book Reviews, Book Reviews, Books, Comings and Goings (Short Story), Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, Garratyverse, Kindle, Kindle Create (Publishing App), Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Reunion: Coda, Reviews, Writing as a Craft✍️ Echoes and Endings: What Readers Are Saying About Comings and Goings By Alex Diaz-Granados When I released Comings and Goings – The Art of Being Seen, I didn’t expect fanfare. It’s a quiet story — 51 pages long — about a first-time encounter that isn’t quite romance, isn’t quite nostalgia, but something softer, more…
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On Writing and Storytelling: Why a Prologue Was Necessary: Reopening the Door to Jim Garraty’s Emotional Past
Why a Prologue Was Necessary: Reopening the Door to Jim Garraty’s Emotional Past When I returned to the world of Reunion: A Story nearly 25 years after its original publication, I wasn’t simply revisiting old characters—I was confronting the emotional residue they left behind. Reunion: Coda demanded more than a sequel; it required a bridge.…
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Understanding ‘Reunion: Coda’: Why the High School Chapters Matter
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Book Reviews, Creative Writing, Kindle, Kindle Create (Publishing App), Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Life in Florida, Life in South Florida, Personal Thoughts, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, South Miami Senior High SchoolWhy the High School Chapters Matter: A Reflection (and Rebuttal) I didn’t hate high school. I didn’t romanticize it either—not like those who peaked there and never quite came down. But South Miami Senior High gave me something I didn’t expect: a sense of community. I sang in the choral department, wrote for the newspaper,…
