Tag: South Miami High in Fiction
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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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‘Reunion: A Story’ Lands on Audible!
📣 Release Announcement: Reunion: A Story I’m thrilled to share that Reunion: A Story: A Novella (The Reunion Duology Book 1) is now officially available for purchase on Audible and Amazon, with iTunes availability coming in just a few days. Produced by Brandon Padilla, this audiobook successfully passed ACX’s rigorous quality assurance reviews—Cover, Metadata, and…
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On Writing and Storytelling: Jim, Mrs. Brillenstein, and the Confluence of Memory and Fiction
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Reviews, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon UK, Blogging, Books, Creative Writing, Life in Florida, Life in South Florida, Personal Thoughts, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, South Miami Senior High School, Writing a First Novel, Writing as a Craft2 Late to Homeroom 7:45 AM I was late for homeroom. Mrs. Brillenstein didn’t like that. She was a young-looking woman, maybe in her early thirties, with long auburn hair and big brown eyes that could be friendly or fierce, depending on her mood. She taught English 2, Regular, and drama in Room 230, which…
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Understanding ‘Reunion: Coda’: Why the High School Chapters Matter
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Book Reviews, Creative Writing, Kindle, Kindle Create (Publishing App), Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Life in Florida, Life in South Florida, Personal Thoughts, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, South Miami Senior High SchoolWhy the High School Chapters Matter: A Reflection (and Rebuttal) I didn’t hate high school. I didn’t romanticize it either—not like those who peaked there and never quite came down. But South Miami Senior High gave me something I didn’t expect: a sense of community. I sang in the choral department, wrote for the newspaper,…
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From Typewriter Dreams to Storytelling Realities: A Writer’s Journey
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Blogging, Books, College Life, Coral Estates Park (Miami-area Neighborhood), Creative Writing, Kindle, Kindle Create (Publishing App), Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Life in Florida, Life in Miami (1972-2016), Life in Miami….Again, Life in South Florida, Miami-Dade Community College, Miami-Dade Community College, Personal Thoughts, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, South Miami High School in fiction, South Miami Senior High School, Writing a First Novel, Writing as a CraftLate Morming/Midday, Wednesday, June 18, 2025, Miami, Florida “But there’s a story behind everything. How a picture got on a wall. How a scar got on your face. Sometimes the stories are simple, and sometimes they are hard and heartbreaking. But behind all your stories is always your mother’s story, because hers is where yours…
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Blending Personal History and Fiction: Jim Garraty’s Commencement (A Reunion: Coda Excerpt)
Forty-two years ago today, I sat in a sea of white robes at the Gibson Center, alphabetically wedged between beauty and blemishes, equal parts restless and terrified. Years later—during the depths of a snow-blanketed New England winter—I wrote this chapter of Reunion: Coda, channeling the bittersweet chaos of that June afternoon. Jim Garraty, ever the…
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Dear Reader, Let Me Tell You a Story…About Homecomings and Memories (a ‘Reunion: Coda’ Excerpt)
Revisiting the Past: Two Sequences from the Coda of Reunion: Coda Returning home is rarely a simple act. It carries the weight of memory—both cherished and bittersweet—and forces a confrontation between who we were and who we’ve become. In Reunion: Coda, Jim Garraty’s journey back to Miami is more than a physical return; it’s a…
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Dear Reader, Let Me Tell You a Story of…Warm Spring Mornings and a Novelist’s Odyssey
Late Morning, Friday, April 18, 2025, Miami, Florida Hi there! As I sit here enjoying the beautiful, summer-like spring morning in South Florida, I can’t help but feel grateful for the sunshine. The current temperature is a pleasant 79°F (26°C), warmed by mostly sunny skies. Even though the humidity is at 58%, and there’s a…
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Dear Reader, Let Me Tell You a Story…: Where Memories, Music, and Fiction Cross Paths
The Winter Concert: A Glimpse into ‘Reunion: Coda’ In various chapters of Reunion: Coda, I’ve sought to weave together echoes of my past and the vibrant, emotional textures of high school life. This particular excerpt comes from “The Winter Concert,” a chapter based on my memories of South Miami Senior High School in the early…
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Dear Reader, Let Me Tell You a Story…About the Characters and Settings in ‘Reunion’
Q: Is Reunion: A Story inspired by real people and events, or is it purely a product of imagination? A: It’s a mix of both. When I began crafting this story in the mid-1980s, the primary setting was always South Miami Senior High, my high school in Miami-Dade County, Florida. Even in its earliest form—a…
A Certain Point of View, Too 