Tag: Reunion Duology
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Cold Snap, Penny Bump
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, 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, Life in Madison (NH), Life in New Hampshire (December 2023 – October 2024), Life in the United States, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, The Jim Garraty Chronicles, Winter 2023-2024, Winter in FloridaWednesday, January 28, 2026, Orlando, Florida It’s another brisk winter day here in Central Florida. As I write this, the thermometer reads 53°F (12°C) under bright, generous sunshine, though the feels-like temperature edges closer to 68°F (20°C). Not exactly frigid by national standards, but certainly cool enough to make you pause before stepping outside. Of…
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Fourteen Dollars and a Dream
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Reviews, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon UK, Book Reviews, Books, Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, Kindle, Kindle Create (Publishing App), Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, The Jim Garraty ChroniclesMonday, January 26, 2026, Orlando, Florida Hi, everyone. I’m still working on The Jim Garraty Chronicles despite my misgivings about my ability to cope with Kindle Create’s formatting issues and low expectations for how well it will sell once I publish it. Fixing subheads and nitpicking the text for errors I missed when I published…
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All Aboard the Gratitude Express! Next Stop – Betsy Matteis
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Reviews, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon UK, Books, College Life, Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, Life in Florida, Life in Miami (1972-2016), Life in South Florida, Miami-Dade Community College, Personal Thoughts, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, South Miami Senior High School, The Gratitude ExpressThe Gratitude Tour Continues – Stop #7: Betsy Matteis Hi, everyone, and welcome aboard the Gratitude Tour Express. Today, our train is rolling north to Woodstock, Georgia, where my longtime friend Elizabeth—Betsy—Matteis has made her home. Of the seven Gratitude Award recipients so far, Betsy is the one whose story with mine stretches back the…
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On Writing and Storytelling: ‘Big Things Come from Small Beginnings’
Saturday, January 24, 2026, Orlando, Florida Thank you for joining me as I revisit one of the quiet turning points in Reunion: Coda. In this excerpt, we return to January 1981, when Jim Garraty and Martina Elizabeth “Marty” Reynaud—two 10th graders at South Miami Senior High—share their first real conversation. It’s a small moment on…
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On Writing and Storytelling: The Gratitude Tour Continues – Crossing the Atlantic (Virtually) to Thank the ‘Godmother of Reunion: Coda’
Gratitude Tour, Stop #4: Meg Learner — The Godmother of Reunion: Coda Next, I want to thank someone whose influence on the Garratyverse runs deeper than she probably realizes: Meg Learner, whom I’ve affectionately dubbed the Godmother of Reunion: Coda. Meg and I first crossed paths years ago on the now-defunct writing site Persona Paper.…
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On Writing and Storytelling: Another Stop in the ‘Gratitude Tour’
Gratitude Tour, Stop #3: Denise Longrie Every writer hopes—quietly, secretly—that somewhere out there is a reader who truly gets what they’re trying to do. Someone who doesn’t just read the words, but hears the music underneath them. For me, one of those rare readers is Denise Longrie. Denise is a California-based writer and poet whose…
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On Writing and Storytelling: A Reader Who Truly Sees
A Reader Who Truly Sees: My Appreciation for Pooja Gudka’s Reviews The author also explores multiple philosophical aspects of life, such as true love, happiness, friendships, loss, and regret. Things most adults are familiar with. We also learn the importance of confessing our feelings when we have the chance because life is so incredibly unpredictable.…
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On Writing and Storytelling: When Jim Garraty First Realizes What His Heart’s Been Trying to Tell Him (Reunion: Coda)
When Jim Garraty First Realizes What His Heart’s Been Trying to Tell Him Long before Jim Garraty ever found the words for what he was feeling, there were moments—small, ordinary, almost forgettable to anyone else—that rearranged something inside him. This is one of the earliest. Not a confession, not a dramatic turning point, just a…
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When Fiction Shops Local (Even If the Store Doesn’t Stock the Book)
When Fiction Shops Local (Even If the Store Doesn’t Stock the Book) There’s a moment at the start of the Jim–Maddie arc where Maddie walks into the Moonglow Club carrying a Book Culture bag stuffed with Jim’s books. Jim, of course, has no idea. He only sees a refined stranger with caramel hair, a sky‑blue…
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On Writing and Storytelling: Excavating a Lost Branch of the Garratyverse
Excavating a Lost Branch of the Garratyverse A reflection on the story that almost was Every long-running fictional universe has its ghost trails—the paths nearly taken, the drafts that flickered briefly before vanishing, the characters who stepped forward only to retreat into the wings. Within the Garratyverse, one such spectral branch is The Best Years…
A Certain Point of View, Too 