Meet Gordie Lansky: brilliant, lovable, and a tiny bit feral 😄

He means well. He really does.

Today’s character spotlight is Gordie Lansky, and if you love quirky, tender-hearted little boys who say the wrong thing at the wrong time while trying to do the right thing…you are going to adore him.

Here’s a short free read:

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GORDIE: A SHORT FREE READ

Gordie Lansky had a gift.

Unfortunately, the gift was talking.

He talked when he was nervous. He talked when he was happy. He talked when he was unsure whether the silence meant peace or impending doom. So naturally, he talked most when his mother Danni gave him the look.

Gordie stood in the kitchen holding a spatula like a weapon and said, “I want everyone to know that I am being supportive.

”

Danni’s voice was perfectly calm. “Supportive?”

“Yes,” Gordie said. “I’m making dinner.”

Brick looked up from the table where he’d been reading a book about poker.

Peefur, their Irish wolfhound-and-something-else mix, sat beside Brick, watching Gordie with wary interest.

Brick lifted one eyebrow. “Gordie. What is that smell?”

Gordie beamed. “Cooking!”

Danni didn’t move. “Gordie. What did you cook.”

Gordie’s smile faltered by half a millimeter. “Technically? I heated.”

Brick leaned back. “Heated…what?”

Gordie waved the spatula. “Everything. At once. It seemed efficient.”

Danni blinked once. Slowly. “Gordie?”

“Yes?”

“What did you put in my crockpot?”

Gordie’s eyes darted toward the counter like the crockpot might betray him. “Chicken. It was frozen. Macaroni and cheese. From the box.”

Danni waited.

“And?”

“Barbecue sauce.”

Danni waited longer.

“And…” Gordie said bravely, “tater tots.”

Brick stared.

Peefur whimpered.

Gordie hurried on. “It’s modern! People do casserole things all the time. I saw it online.”

Danni walked to the crockpot, removed the lid, and peered inside like an archaeologist discovering a lost civilization. She inhaled. Her expression didn’t change. But the air around her did. She coughed. And coughed.

This would not do. Even if all the ingredients had initially been terrific, there was one huge problem: Gordie hadn’t realized he needed to defrost the chicken. Not if he wanted their meal to be ready in an hour. The second huge problem? He had added uncooked pasta from the Mac and Cheese box.

Brick cleared his throat. He looked over the edge of his book. “Is it…edible?”

Gordie nodded enthusiastically. “Yes! I mean…probably.”

But behind him, Danni shook her head sadly. She turned slowly to look at her son. “Gordie?”

“Yes?”

“Why? Why the sudden culinary interest?” Danni cocked an eyebrow.

Gordie’s voice softened, suddenly sincere. “Because Dad’s got a lot on his shoulders. You do, too. And I figured if I could take even one thing off his plate, and yours--”

Brick’s face changed, just slightly.

Gordie added, “—even if that thing is…a tater tot, macaroni and cheese, chicken situation…”

Danni stared at him for one long moment. “Situation?” Then she sighed. “All right.”

Gordie blinked. “All right?”

Danni reached for her cell phone. “We’re going to order pizza.”

Gordie’s shoulders dropped in relief. “Thank goodness.”

Brick laughed to himself. If he’d been taking bets, he would have bet against Danni allowing the Lansky family to eat pizza for the third time that week.

Peefur, who understood absolutely everything that mattered, leaned against Gordie’s leg for a brief second, regarding him solemnly. Peefur wasn’t sure if he would get a piece of pizza. He was on a strict “kibble only” diet. But, if Gordie was happy, Peefur was happy. Maybe there’d be a piece of pizza slipped to him on the sly.

A dog could hope.

📚 ALL IN releases January 31
👉 Preorder here: https://amzn.to/3NCT51r

xoxo,
Joanna