Tag: Writing a First Novel
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Bridging Two Stories: An Excerpt from ‘Reunion: Coda’
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Reviews, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon UK, Audible, Audiobooks, Creative Writing, Kindle, Kindle Create (Publishing App), Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, Stefan (Steve) Lee, Writing a First Novel, Writing as a Craft✨ Introductory Note for the Excerpt When I first wrote Reunion: A Story back in 1998, I believed it was complete—a self‑contained tale about a man haunted by a moment he never fully understood. I didn’t know then that I would return to Jim Garraty’s world decades later, or that the emotional fault lines of…
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On the Subject of Ethical Reviewing: My Guiding Principles
On the subject of ethical reviewing: My guiding principles Last Friday, I mentioned a previous email exchange with Angela (a pseudonym), a blogger who self‑published an inspirational romance novel. She sent me her third email, again requesting that I read a sample of her book on Amazon, purchase it in Kindle or paperback format, and…
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On Writing and Storytelling: A Surreal Little Moment from the Audiobook Release
+ 🎧 A Surreal Little Moment from the Audiobook Release One of the strangest and most wonderful parts of releasing an audiobook is hearing a narrator bring your scenes to life. You think you know every beat of your own story… and then someone else performs it, and suddenly it feels new again. What really…
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Sunshine, Sweaters, and a Step Closer to Audible
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in ACX, Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon UK, Audible, Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, Life in Central Florida, Life in Florida, Life in New Hampshire (December 2023 – October 2024), Life in the United States, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, Stefan (Steve) Lee, Winter in FloridaTuesday, February 24, 2026, Orlando, Florida It’s a brisk late‑winter Tuesday in Central Florida—though “brisk” here would barely register as a shiver to anyone north of the Mason-Dixon line. As I sit down to write, it’s just past midday, the sun is working overtime, and the thermometer reads a perfectly respectable 52°F (11°C). Not exactly…
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Cloudy Sunday, Light Workload, Hope for Tomorrow
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in ACX, Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon UK, Audible, Audiobooks, Books, Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Computer and Video Games, Creative Writing, Kindle, Kindle Create (Publishing App), Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Life in Central Florida, Life in Florida, Life in New Hampshire (December 2023 – October 2024), MicroProse Software, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, Sea Power: Naval Combat in the Missile Age, Stefan (Steve) Lee, The Jim Garraty Chronicles, Winter in Florida, Writing a First Novel, Writing as a CraftSunday, February 22, 2026 — Orlando, Florida Hi, everyone. It is a grey, brooding late‑winter day in Central Florida. It’s almost noon, and as I write this, the temperature is 74°F (24°C) under cloudy skies. We’ve already had scattered light showers, and more are expected to pop up throughout the afternoon on this last Sunday…
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On Writing and Storytelling: The Case of the Rogue “44”
Wednesday, February 18, 2026, Orlando, Florida Hi there, Dear Reader. While working on the omnibus edition of The Jim Garraty Chronicles last night and reviewing the Reunion: Coda section, I stumbled across a funny little typo in the Kindle Create file. Somewhere in the process of moving the text from the original Reunion: Coda project…
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Progress, Patience, and a Quiet Anniversary
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in ACX, Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Audible, Audiobooks, Blogging, Books, Brandon Padilla, Bryan Haddock, Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, Family History, Jeronimo Diaz-Granados, Life in Florida, Personal Thoughts, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, Stefan (Steve) Lee, The Jim Garraty ChroniclesFriday, February 13, 2026 — Orlando, Florida Hi, everyone—thanks so much for joining me. Another workweek has wrapped up, and while progress on The Jim Garraty Chronicles has been slower than I’d hoped, I’m grateful to have resolved many of the formatting headaches caused by the Kindle Create app. The omnibus is still moving forward,…
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Audiobook Update: ‘Reunion: Coda’ is Complete!
A quick but exciting midweek update: I’ve officially approved the audiobook edition of Reunion: Coda. After several rounds of spot‑checking (and more than a few moments of hearing lines I’d forgotten I wrote), I’m happy to say that Stefan’s performance brings Jim’s world to life beautifully. His portrayal of the characters — across both timelines…
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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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“So You Think You Want to Write a Novel?”
“If writing were easy, everyone would do it.” – as a wise soul (or three) allegedly said At my core, I am a storyteller—a weaver of tales, a conjurer of characters, a writer with ink in my veins and metaphors rattling around in my head. The precise age when I let go of my other,…
A Certain Point of View, Too 