Tag: Jim Garraty
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Adventures in Storytelling: The First 15 Minutes of ‘Reunion: A Story’…in Audio!
Checkpoint One: No Absolution The first 15 minutes of Reunion: A Story are now in the world, and Brandon Padilla has already proven why he was the right choice to narrate James Garraty’s most haunted chapter. This is the checkpoint recording—a standard milestone in audiobook production where the narrator records the opening scenes to establish…
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On Writing and Storytelling: A Tale Full of Sound — ‘Comings and Goings’ Begins Its Audiobook Journey
A Familiar Voice, A New Chapter Just when I thought the audio journey of Jim Garraty had found its rhythm, a new harmony emerged. Bryan Haddock — whose voice and style left a lasting impression during auditions for Reunion: A Story — reached out with a quiet surprise. He’d already downloaded Comings and Goings –…
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On Writing and Storytelling: The Taste of Memory
🍺 The Taste of Memory: How Beer Became a Quiet Motif of Emotional Growth in the Garratyverse In Reunion: Coda, beer isn’t just a beverage—it’s a threshold. When Mark Prieto hands Jim Garraty his first Heineken, it’s not about rebellion. It’s about presence. About offering comfort without commentary. About saying, I see you, in the…
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Books, Friends, and the Weight of Quiet Ambition
Late Morning, Tuesday, September 9, 2025 – Bithlo, Florida It’s 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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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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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 Garraty—not 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 he’s dramatic. Not because…
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Mapping the Heart: Navigating the Garratyverse
🔍 Introduction The Garratyverse is not just a series—it’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. 🧠 Emotional Themes 📘 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🧩 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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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 Craft📝 Soft Light, Quiet Courage: Writing First-Time Intimacy with Emotional Grace There’s a moment in Comings and Goings—quiet, unadorned—where Jim confesses to Kelly that his first time didn’t last long. He’s not ashamed. Just honest. And Kelly, in turn, doesn’t flinch, correct, or console. She simply says: “Then it was perfect. You were kind. You…
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Garratyverse Motif Map: Memory, Music, and Emotional Echo
Introduction to My Motif Map Understanding the Threads That Weave My Stories When I begin to dive into a story, I often find myself tracing patterns—recurring symbols, images, or themes—that act as connective tissue running through the narrative. I call this intricate web a “motif map.” For me, a motif map is more than just…
A Certain Point of View, Too 