"Words inspired me as a child," he recalls. "I would rather plug my nose into a book, than go out to play baseball. Worlds to which I could not otherwise visit were suddenly accessible.

"It was only natural that the keyboard would eventually become my friend for life."

Born in Toronto, Gordon spent his early childhood in the suburb of Scarborough before the family moved to Florida, where his father worked as a marine mechanic. A class trip to the Miami Herald whetted his appetite for a career in journalism. But he credits CNN icon Larry King, who at the time was carving out for himself a niche as a local personality, for planting the seeds of a parallel vocation in broadcasting. "He visited our junior high during a career fair," Gord says. "At the time he had his own radio show, TV show and newspaper column. He was doing it all. For some reason, that appealed to me."

Back in Canada, Gord landed his first job at a radio station while still in high school. His writing, however, took a back seat to the rigours of providing for his family. It wasn't until his first wife was tragically killed in a car accident that Gord resumed writing to stem the loneliness that is so often the bane of the single parent.

Contributing regularly to regional publications since 1988, Gord pushed himself onto the national stage in 2000. Since then his articles have appeared in Chatelaine, Maclean's, Canadian Living, Cottage Life, and the Toronto Star. He contributes regularly to the Peterborough Examiner, and has written two full-length novels and some children's stories (as yet unpublished).

On-air with 980 CKRU in Peterborough, Gord also serves as public address announcer for the storied Peterborough Petes junior hockey franchise. Having served his community in various capacities, Gord is currently involved with the Peterborough Community Housing Development Corporation. "After my parents divorced, I experienced what it is like to lie awake at night, freezing, due to inadequate housing," he says. "This is my contribution toward ensuring that no one else suffers the same fate."

Profiles are his forte' in prose. "I love telling someone's story," Gord says. "The challenge of bringing it to life in a real way, allowing the reader to capture a true sense of the subject, is my greatest reward."