Where Awesome Book Readers Meet Awesome Writers
About Jorge Alejandro Paez
Jorge Alejandro Paez is a Venezuelan American writer raised in New York and now living in Florida. He has been writing short stories since age eleven, often handing them in for school assignments. One early thread followed two close friends who kept reappearing across different pieces, a pair he hopes to revisit in a future book. He even completed a novel in middle school and tried to publish it. Although it did not go anywhere, the attempt cemented a lifelong habit of writing.
His published work currently includes one debut story with many more projects underway.
The Inspiration Behind The Garden of Grace
Jorge’s debut, The Garden of Grace, grew out of a personal ritual for letting go. Whenever he needed closure after a breakup or the loss of a friend, he would write a letter on his computer and then delete it. Sometimes he imagined the other person actually reading it. That imagined conversation became the seed of a story.
The book also explores the hard edges of grief. What happens if you part ways with someone and learn days later that they died. What do you wish you had said. What guilt do you carry when you cannot make amends. He recalls a story from Chicken Soup for the Soul about a boy who refused to tell his father he loved him and returned from school to devastating news. In The Garden of Grace, the setting is Heaven because that is where he envisions the next meeting and the chance to finally speak the words left unsaid.
Writing Habits and Creative Process
Jorge describes himself as a gardener rather than an architect. He does not outline. In high school, refusing to turn in outlines nearly sank his English grades. Instead, he sits down with a spark of an idea or a thesis and writes until the thoughts are out. Some nights he reaches four thousand words. Then he prunes, expands, and shapes the draft, much like tending a garden.
Literary Influences
Khaled Hosseini’s novels (The Kite Runner, A Thousand Splendid Suns, And the Mountains Echoed) showed Jorge how epic storytelling can be deeply human and grounded in real life. He is also inspired by Jodi Picoult, especially House Rules and Nineteen Minutes, for their nuanced portrayal of people shaped by society and circumstance.
On the genre side, Star Wars and its expanded universe fed his love of sweeping arcs and moral complexity.
What He Is Working On Now
Jorge is drafting a novel he aims to release in spring 2026. The details are evolving, but his goal is to have a full manuscript completed by the end of the year.
How He Promotes His Work
Social media is his primary tool for outreach, both to friends and new readers. He recently discovered paid book promotion through creators who feature titles on Instagram and their own websites, an approach he plans to explore further.
Advice for New Authors
Write as often as you can. Jorge believes in the ten thousand hour rule he first heard from a piano teacher. Practice builds confidence. If you can eat, sleep, and breathe writing, you are in the right place. Read widely. Feed your curiosity so it flows back onto the page.
The Best Advice He Has Heard
Treat editing as a separate stage from drafting. Write the full first draft without self censoring. If the story runs long, you can cut it down to your target word count later.
What He Is Reading Now
He picked up a free Kindle title, Seeking Rachel, out of curiosity and for a friend who loves the Regency era. It turned out not to be his taste, which he shares honestly. Reading, like writing, is personal.
What Is Next
Jorge is focused on promoting The Garden of Grace while beginning the next novel. He is building momentum, one draft and one reader at a time.
If Stranded on a Desert Island
- The Bible, King James Version
- A set from Khaled Hosseini, or the Hunger Games trilogy, or the first three Harry Potter books, or the first three A Song of Ice and Fire
He chooses stories that stir thought without overwhelming the spirit.
Connect with Jorge Alejandro Paez
Goodreads: Jorge Alejandro Paez Profile
Twitter: Jorge Alejandro Paez
