Tag: Garratyverse
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Books, Friends, and the Weight of Quiet Ambition
Late Morning, Tuesday, September 9, 2025 â Bithlo, Florida Itâs a warm, humid, and mostly cloudy morning in Orlando with a current temperature of 78°F (26°C). Winds are from the east-northeast at 4 MPH (7 Km/H), and humidity is sitting at 90%, making it feel closer to 90°F. Scattered light showers are expected today, with…
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A New Chapter Begins: From Miami to Orlando
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon UK, Creative Writing, Garratyverse, GoFundMe, Kindle, Kindle Create (Publishing App), Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Life in Florida, Life in Miami….Again, Life in New Hampshire (December 2023 – October 2024), Life in South Florida, Life in the Tampa Bay area, Personal Thoughts, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: CodaMidday, Tuesday, September 2, 2025 â East Orlando, Florida Hello, friends. As you may have noticed from the heading, Iâm no longer in South Florida. After decades rooted in Miami, Iâve relocated about 200 miles north to the Orlando area. The move wasnât smoothâour first attempt on Saturday was derailed by trailer issues that left…
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The Garratyverse Explained: Marty’s Entrance in ‘Reunion: Coda’…and Why It Matters
The Chorus Room Door: How Marty Reynaudâs Arrival Sets the Emotional Tone of the Garratyverse In the Garratyverse, entrances matter. Theyâre not just logisticalâtheyâre emotional overtures. And few are as quietly seismic as Martina (Marty) Reynaudâs first appearance in the chorus room. She doesnât burst in. She creaks in. The door opens slowly, hesitantly, as…
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On Writing and Storytelling: When a Reader Sees You
When a Reader Sees YouReflections on a Review That Resonated Thereâs a quiet kind of joy that comes when a reader truly sees your workânot just the plot or the prose, but the emotional architecture beneath it. Dawn Pisturinoâs recent review of Reunion: A Story did just that. She saw Jim Garraty not as a…
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When Your Characters Feel Too Much: Writing Emotional Truth That Overwhelms Even the Author
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon UK, 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), Personal Thoughts, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, South Miami High School in fiction, Writing a First Novel, Writing as a CraftWhen Your Characters Feel Too Much: Writing Emotional Truth That Overwhelms Even the Author There are nights when I sit with Jim Garratyânot as his creator, but as his witness. I wrote him. I shaped his world. And still, there are moments when his emotional clarity leaves me breathless. Not because heâs dramatic. Not because…
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Mapping the Heart: Navigating the Garratyverse
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đ Introduction The Garratyverse is not just a seriesâit’s a recursive emotional journey. Through three interlinked works, readers follow Jim Garraty across decades as he wrestles with memory, intimacy, and the quiet heroism of being seen. đ§ Emotional Themes đ Book-by-Book Breakdown Title Timeframe Emotional Focus Key Motifs Reunion: A Story June 1983 (with 1998…
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The Garratyverse: A Life Told in Echoes
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Books, Comings and Goings (Short Story), Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, CreateSpace Independent Publishing, Creative Writing, Garratyverse, Kindle, Kindle Create (Publishing App), Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda𧊠The Garratyverse: A Mosaic of Memory and Connection Reunion: A Story “A lyrical tale of regret for chances not taken, told in dreams and memories.” – Denise Longrie The emotional nucleus. Set primarily on one day in June 1983, it captures the ache of unspoken feeling and the quiet fracture of youth. Bookended by…
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Writing Doesnât Pay the Movers: An Update from Alex Diaz-Granados
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Blogging, Comings and Goings (Short Story), Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, Garratyverse, GoFundMe, Insomnia, Kindle, Kindle Create (Publishing App), Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Personal History, Personal Thoughts, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, TransitionsFriday Afternoon, August 22, 2025 â Miami, Florida Hi, friends. I wish I could sit down today and write about storiesâespecially those in the Garratyverseâand the quiet ways they unfold. But clarity eludes me at the moment. Itâs Laundry Day, and while Iâve got about half an hour before the dryer cycle ends, my mind…
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On Writing and Storytelling: Kelly, Jim, and the Quiet Art of Being Chosen
đŻď¸ Authorâs Note: The Quiet Bravery of Being Chosen Thereâs a moment in Comings and Goingsâjust after the party, just before the kissâwhere Jim steps into Kellyâs apartment and into something quieter, more deliberate. Itâs not just a change of setting. Itâs a shift in emotional gravity. When she opened the door, I stepped into…
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On Writing and Storytelling: Writing First-Time Intimacy with Emotional Grace
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Books, Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, Garratyverse, Kindle, Kindle Create (Publishing App), Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Love and Sex, Love, Sex, & Relationships, Personal History, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, Sex, Writing as a Craftđ Soft Light, Quiet Courage: Writing First-Time Intimacy with Emotional Grace Thereâs a moment in Comings and Goingsâquiet, unadornedâwhere Jim confesses to Kelly that his first time didnât last long. Heâs not ashamed. Just honest. And Kelly, in turn, doesnât flinch, correct, or console. She simply says: âThen it was perfect. You were kind. You…
A Certain Point of View, Too 