Hard Times, You Say? Smile, This Is The Great Depression

"Hard Times, You Say? Smile, This Is The Great Depression" follows two young men who get a second shot at life after moving to a small, prosperous city with eclectic people and adventure. Amidst the Great Depression, they find romance, mystery, and inspiration in hard times.

Two young professionals with promising careers become jobless and seek work where they can find it. The two young men meet for the first time when they are among the few picked for an arduous day job. There begins an adventure that takes them to a Jersey City railyard, where they are introduced to the Hobo life by an enigmatic homeless man. The story unfolds from there and follows the two as they settle in a small, prosperous city in southern New York state. The city serves as a transportation hub amid the blossoming oil and financial industries, is home to a major university, and tolerates the title of "Little Chicago" as a neutral ground for the Mafia. The two young men gather a unique, eclectic blend of new friends and embrace young, old, and culturally diverse people. Life-threatening situations arise when an old antagonist appears, and a jealous competitor seeks revenge. This piece of historical fiction from the annals of the "Great Depression" is a love story and a story of mystery and intrigue. It is a story of humanity surviving hard, hard times.

R. Leslie and his wife Cynthia live near the legendary town of Woodstock in the beautiful, spiritual Catskill Mountains. After college and a stretch in the US Army, R. Leslie experienced a varied career that spanned sixty-five years, finally retiring at 85 years of age. The first forty of those years were in technical and administrative roles in manufacturing, and the last twenty years were spent as an Organic Inspector and farm owner in Pennsylvania. He began writing in 2020, taking online courses and attending workshops. After the immense tragedy of losing his son to COVID, R. Leslie took a brief break from writing before finishing this story.