Tag: Short Story
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On Writing and Storytelling: Behind the Curtain – Marty’s Origins
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in ACX, Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Reviews, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon UK, Audible, Audiobooks, Brandon Padilla, Bryan Haddock, Creative Writing, Garratyverse, Passage of Time, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, South Miami High School in fiction, South Miami Senior High School, Stefan (Steve) Lee, The Jim Garraty ChroniclesBehind the Curtain: Marty’s Origins Ever since the day I first sent my novella, Reunion: A Story, out into the world back in 2018, the questions started coming. Sometimes they arrived shy and quiet, like old friends at a backyard barbecue, and other times they landed with surprising directness. Most often, it was a fellow…
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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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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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On Writing and Storytelling: Six Sales, One Soul: A Quiet Celebration of Connection
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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: CodaSix Sales, One Soul: A Quiet Celebration of Connection August has been quietly kind to me. Six sales. Not six hundred, not sixty thousand—just six. But each one feels like a small act of trust, a reader somewhere choosing to spend time inside the emotional architecture I’ve built. Reunion: A Story and Comings and Goings…
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On Writing and Storytelling: Kelly, Jim, and the Quiet Art of Being Chosen
🕯️ Author’s Note: The Quiet Bravery of Being Chosen There’s a moment in Comings and Goings—just after the party, just before the kiss—where Jim steps into Kelly’s apartment and into something quieter, more deliberate. It’s not just a change of setting. It’s a shift in emotional gravity. When she opened the door, I stepped into…
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Writing Intimacy with Reverence: A Scene from ‘Comings and Goings’
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Billy Joel, Comings and Goings (Short Story), Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, Kindle, Kindle Create (Publishing App), Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Love, Sex, & Relationships, Music, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda🛋️ Writing Intimacy with Reverence: A Scene from Comings and Goings There’s a scene in Comings and Goings that still lingers with me—not because it’s dramatic, but because it’s quiet. It’s Jim Garraty, nineteen, sitting in Kelly’s apartment in Mission Hill, letting the world slow down long enough to feel something real. It’s a moment…
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A Breath Between Heartbeats, Now Protected
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Comings and Goings (Short Story), Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Copyright, Creative Writing, Kindle, Kindle Create (Publishing App), Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, U.S. Copyright OfficeLate Morning, Friday, August 15, 2025 – Miami, Florida Well, folks, it’s official: Comings and Goings – The Art of Being Seen is now under copyright protection. As I may have mentioned earlier this summer, I registered my short story—a “breath between heartbeats” set between Reunion: A Story and Reunion: Coda—with the United States Copyright…
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Writing Intimacy with Grace: A Garratyverse Reflection
Writing Intimacy with Grace: A Garratyverse Reflection In the Garratyverse, intimacy is never just about bodies—it’s about breath, memory, and the quiet courage it takes to be seen. I don’t write sex scenes. I write moments of emotional sanctuary, where characters undress not just physically, but emotionally, in the presence of someone who makes it…
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Three Poems (Inspired by ‘Comings and Goings – The Art of Being Seen’)
Three Poems Inspired by “Comings and Goings – The Art of Being Seen” These three poems draw their inspiration from my short story, Comings and Goings – The Art of Being Seen (2025, ADG Books via Kindle Direct Publishing). They are composed from the distinct perspectives of both central characters, Jim and Kelly, each offering…
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On Being Understood: Reflections on the Response to ‘Comings and Goings’
It’s been just over a month since Comings and Goings – The Art of Being Seen was released into the world, gently and without fanfare. I didn’t expect a wave of attention—not for a story that doesn’t chase drama, but rather leans into stillness, nuance, and the kind of empathy that often goes unnoticed. Jim…