Tag: Reviews
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A Fateful Morning in June of 1983: An Excerpt from ‘Reunion: Coda’
The morning of June 17, 1983, rose slowly over South Miami, pressing its familiar heat against the city long before the sun cleared the horizon. It was the kind of summer day that promised sweat, glare, and the restless energy of endings. Across the city, seniors from the Class of ’83 were waking up to…
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How Pop Culture and Music Inform the Garratyverse
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in A Bridge Too Far (1977 film), Alex Diaz-Granados, All the Things You Are, All the Things You Are (Kern and Hammerstein), Amazon, Billy Joel, Classical music, Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, John Williams (Composer), Kindle, Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Ludwig van Beethoven, Melodies and Memories: Music, Songs, and Singers, Movies, Music, Music & Concert Specials, Pop Music, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, Star Wars, Superman: The Movie, The Summer of Two Movies, West Side Story – Original Broadway Cast (1957)How Pop Culture and Music Inform the Garratyverse If you spend enough time inside the Garratyverse, you eventually notice something: Jim Garraty’s world doesn’t just contain pop culture and music—it breathes through them. Songs, films, TV shows, and the cultural noise of their eras aren’t background decoration. They’re emotional weather systems. They shape memory, mood,…
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Music Album Review: ‘West Side Story – Original Broadway Cast Recording’
West Side Story – Original Broadway Cast Recording (1957, 1990 CD Reissue) Label: Columbia – CK 32603 Format: CD, Album, Reissue Released: 1990 Genre: Classical, Stage & Screen Style: Soundtrack, Musical West Side Story has generated several indispensable recordings, but the 1957 original Broadway cast album remains the most historically revealing of them. Released shortly…
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On Writing and Storytelling: The Back-to-Work Monday Blues
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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, Personal Thoughts, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, Summer 2026, Summer in Florida, The Jim Garraty Chronicles, The Summer of Two Movies, Thomas Wikman, Writing and EditingMonday, June 8, 2026, Orlando, Florida Hi, everyone. It’s another steamy summer day in Central Florida, which means the sun is once again auditioning for the role of tyrannical overlord. I’ve already rescued the mail from the curbside mailbox, so I can now spend the rest of the workday indoors, where the air‑conditioning—and my better…
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On Writing and Storytelling: A Small Review, a Small Joy
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, All the Words I Kept Inside, Amazon, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon UK, Book Reviews, Books, Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, Kindle, Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Perfect, Pooja (P.J.) Gudka, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, The Jim Garraty Chronicles, The Summer of Two MoviesFriday, April 3, 2026, Orlando, Florida A Small Review, a Small Joy Some days, the creative life hands you a small, unexpected kindness. Today’s arrived in the form of a review — not of a book, not of something newly published on Amazon, but of a little flash fiction piece I posted on my blog…
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On Writing and Storytelling: Giving a Fictional Universe a Theme Song
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon UK, Billy Joel, Books, Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, Forgotten Dreams, Garratyverse, Kindle, Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Leroy Anderson, Melodies and Memories: Music, Songs, and Singers, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, The Jim Garraty ChroniclesThe Garratyverse Has a Theme Song — And It’s “Forgotten Dreams” Every now and then, a creative universe taps you on the shoulder and says, Hey, I know what I sound like.Today, the Garratyverse did exactly that. If the world of Jim Garraty — his memories, his ghosts, his quiet victories — had to be…
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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 Writing and Storytelling: Why Dishonest Praise‑Circle Reviews Harm Indie Authors, the Industry, and Readers
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in ACX, Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Reviews, Audible, Blogging, Book Reviews, Book Reviews, Books, Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, CreateSpace Independent Publishing, Creative Writing, Ethical Reviewing, Kindle, Kindle Create (Publishing App), Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Miami-Dade Community College, Personal Thoughts, Praise Circles, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, Student Journalist, WordPressWhy Dishonest Praise‑Circle Reviews Harm Indie Authors, the Industry, and Readers I’ve been writing entertainment reviews for most of my life—long before “content creation” became a buzzword and long before social media turned book promotion into a popularity contest. My first real assignments came in high school, where I cut my teeth as a student…
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Florida’s Cold Snap Meets My Audible Warm‑Up
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in ACX, Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Reviews, Amazon UK, Audible, Audible Reviews, 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 Florida, Life in New Hampshire (December 2023 – October 2024), Personal Thoughts, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, Stefan (Steve) Lee, Winter in FloridaWednesday, February 25, 2026, Orlando, Florida “Heat is a blunt instrument, but warmth is relative. We feel warmer for knowing that it’s freezing outside.”― Katherine May Another day dawns in Central Florida—sunny, yes, but carrying a surprising chill for late winter. By midmorning, the thermometer sits at 56 °F (13 °C) beneath a sky as blue as a…
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On Writing and Storytelling: The Music of Memory: Why These Four Pieces Score the Garratyverse
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Reviews, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon UK, Billy Joel, Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, Kindle, Kindle Create (Publishing App), Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Melodies and Memories: Music, Songs, and Singers, Music, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: CodaTaken together, these pieces form a musical arc that mirrors Jim Garraty’s journey: Elegy (Death of Falstaff) Renewal (All the Things You Are) Continuity (This Night) Memory (Forgotten Dreams) It’s a progression from grief to love to understanding — from silence to song.
A Certain Point of View, Too 