A SMALL-TOWN CAMPAIGN. A LIFETIME OF STORIES.

Vote for
Mikey.

He knows how to win a room.
Living up to it is the hard part.

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Fictional screen portrayal of Mike Matthews, gray-haired and wearing a navy polo shirt
MEET MIKE MATTHEWSTHE MAN BEHIND THE STORIES
THE LONG ORDINARY GOODTHE NOVELS OF GRANT MABRYSTEP INSIDE
01 /THE WORLD OF THE SERIES

Good intentions.
Complicated people.

A Texas accountant. A gift for winning people over. A past that never stays quite where he puts it.

From city-council campaigns to state politics and the unsettled world of 1990s Moscow, The Long Ordinary Good follows Mike Matthews through love, ambition, friendship, and the uncomfortable distance between being liked and doing right.

Funny. Intimate. Complicated. Like people.

THREE PUBLISHED NOVELS · IN READING ORDER

Start with Mikey.
Stay for the people.

The Long Ordinary Good
by Grant Mabry

Vote for Mikey by Grant Mabry, blue cover with a gold wineglassTHE CAMPAIGN

BOOK ONE

Vote for Mikey

A small-town campaign. A lifetime of stories. Mike Matthews can win a room. Facing what his stories leave out is another matter.

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The Gentleman from District 52 by Grant Mabry, red cover with a gold capitol domeTHE LARGER STAGE

BOOK TWO

The Gentleman
from District 52

Texas state politics opens a larger stage. Marriage, ambition, and old obligations test the difference between a useful man and a good one.

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Nothing Happens in Moscow by Grant Mabry, dark cover with a gold documentTHE PAST

BOOK THREE

Nothing Happens
in Moscow

Before the campaign, there was Moscow. A young accountant, a Russian translator, and an oil deal. Some stories take decades to tell honestly.

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Read in series order: Vote for Mikey, The Gentleman from District 52, then Nothing Happens in Moscow.

ONE LIFE. MORE THAN ONE SIDE.
02 /TV & FILM CLIPS

FROM PAGE TO SCREEN

The flamingo defense.

Two hundred plastic flamingos.
One very particular explanation.

FLAMINGO CAFÉ

A scene from Vote for Mikey. A complaint, a diagram, and Mikey’s defense of an unconventional lawn installation.

AI SCREEN TEST00:50

A fictional, AI-generated cast brings this scene to the screen. Review cut.

MIKEY & AMY

Fine. Long.

One ordinary question.
One laptop screen.

FINE. LONG.

One ordinary question. One laptop screen. A quiet confrontation between Mikey and Amy.

AI SCREEN TEST00:40

A fictional, AI-generated cast brings this scene to the screen.

03 /MEET THE CHARACTERS

The people
make the story.

Six familiar faces
from Mikey’s world.

Fictional screen portrayal of Mike ‘Mikey’ MatthewsMIKEY

THE MAN ON THE CAMPAIGN SIGN

Mike “Mikey” Matthews

An accountant in Cedar Park, Texas, with a gift for numbers and a talent for entertaining a room. At 53, he’s running for city council. The people who know him best have their own versions of his stories.

Fictional screen portrayal of Philosopher Doug, gray-haired with a beard and a plaid shirtDOUG

A FRIEND WITH A THEORY

“Philosopher” Doug

A retired HVAC-parts salesman, 61, with a big voice, boundless confidence, and a habit of starting more books than he finishes. A devoted friend to Mikey, even when the philosophy gets a little shaky.

Fictional screen portrayal of Amy Matthews, with shoulder-length brown hair and a blue blouseAMY

GROUNDED. CAPABLE. HER OWN PERSON.

Amy Matthews

Mikey’s wife, Amy works on the business side of a veterinary practice. Grounded and capable, she brings her own perspective to the life they share.

Fictional screen portrayal of Darla Pemberton, with shoulder-length brown hair and a plum blouseDARLA

A SHARP EYE. A SHARPER WIT.

Darla Pemberton

A title-insurance professional and longtime Vin Vin regular, Darla notices what everyone else lets slide. Her dry wit can dismantle a room, but there is affection behind the precision.

Fictional screen portrayal of Nate Vasquez, dark-haired with stubble and an olive shirtNATE

THE FRIEND BEHIND THE BAR

Nate Vasquez

Nate runs Vin Vin, the neighborhood wine bar his father founded. Warm, generous and fiercely loyal, he keeps the group together, even when protecting a friend means avoiding a difficult truth.

Fictional screen portrayal of Samantha Lake, with auburn hair, sunglasses, and a black sundressSAMANTHA

A HISTORY. A FUTURE OF HER OWN.

Samantha Lake

A former commercial-real-estate agent turned boutique owner, Samantha has history with Mikey and a business future of her own to protect. Poised and direct, she knows the difference between a good performance and a real conversation.

Fictional character portraits, created with AI for this screen adaptation concept.

THE LONG ORDINARY GOOD

The story continues.

Four more books are written, with publication details to come.

Begin the series