T.R. Leton's Blog, page 2

An Intro to the World of Maxwell Floyd (Part 2 – Places & Technology)

Places

Book 1, and most of the books from the series, take place in a future New York City and combines many of my favorite visuals and themes. Classes are quite distinct: there are the wealthy, and everyone else. The rich and powerful live in the upper levels, the 30th floor and above, throughout the city. They have everything they need up there. The most luxurious penthouses and rooftop mansions. The poshest shopping malls. The finest restaurants. They even have their own police precinct and emergency services. They can afford the newest most advanced technologies, like flying cars. They don’t even have to set foot on the ground if they don’t want to.

But down on the streets, in the lower levels, is where the action happens and where most of my stories occur. Considered “the slums,” it’s a tough place for the people who live there, grinding their way through life just trying to get by. Crime is much more abundant. The power and communications infrastructure is quite shaky, frequently going out. Things are often left in disrepair. It’s the proverbial “other side of the tracks.”

Technology

Though set in the future, I wouldn’t consider my books Science Fiction. I wanted the time period to serve as only the setting, with very little impact on the story. Technology is actually not as advanced as you’d think it might be. Sure, there are flying cars and other really cool things, but at some point in the backstory, war had an effect on the development of high tech and its availability to the general public. The vast majority of people simply can’t afford it.

To find out more, read Part 3 of An Intro to the World of Maxwell Floyd.

Girl Among Thieves (Short Story)

This is a story I wrote in early 2016 for the now defunct MASH Stories website. The 500 word or less competition required us to use three randomly chosen words, in this case, “converter,” “happiness,” and “mug.” Enjoy!

GIRL AMONG THIEVES

by T.R. Leton

“Hope you find happiness in the afterlife, chum,” he said, pointing his piece straight in my face. His ugly mug twisted and he sneered. “‘Cuz, that’s where you’re headed.”

My heart raced as my eyes darted back and forth across the garage. I looked for anything that would serve as a weapon. Old, dusty cars sat half-covered in disorganized rows. Shelves and racks ran between them, lined with odds and ends of rusted-out auto parts. Nothing resembled anything close to a weapon. I sniffed. The pungent smell of oil filled my nostrils.

A goddamn wrench. That was all I needed.

“Look, buddy,” I replied, backing away. “You’ve got the wrong guy.”

“Oh, yeah?” he scoffed. “S’pose you’re just here for a tune-up, huh?”

My shoulder brushed one of the shelves. Out of the corner of my eye, a dull metallic glint caught my attention. I froze.

“Something like that,” I said, weary over just how bad a day I was having. The case started with a missing girl. Little did I know that it would lead to a gang of car thieves. Still, time was running out. I had to find her. Only one person remained standing in my way.

Desperate, I looked past him at the door in the far wall. I let my left eye twitch, then looked back at him with a sigh of false relief. He fell for it.

The barrel of his piece dipped as he glanced over his shoulder. The brief distraction was all I needed. Reaching for the shelf beside me, I grabbed onto the rusted bulk of an old catalytic converter. With what strength I could muster, I swung it at him. The metal mass collided with the side of his head with a satisfying crunch. His head jerked back, but not before he fired off a shot. The bullet went wide, bouncing and ricocheting off into a corner of the garage.

He stood dazed. Blood trickled down the side of his face. I poised, ready to fight in case the first attack failed to take him down. As he looked at me, his eyes glazed over then rolled back into his head. He collapsed to the floor like a rag-doll.

“I can’t believe that worked,” I said aloud, catching my breath. I dropped the converter. It clanged against the concrete floor.

The thumping sound came from a darkened corner of the garage. I stumbled over to find an old Buick. I opened the door, located the trunk release mechanism and pulled. With a clunk, the old car’s trunk popped open. I rushed around and lifted the lid. Maggie Robbins, bound and gagged, lay sobbing in the trunk. She looked up at me with wide, trembling eyes.

As I carried her out of the building, I grinned in spite of myself. The girl was alive and safe. The stolen-car racket was out of business. Case closed. Maybe it wasn’t such a bad day, after all.

An Intro to the World of Maxwell Floyd (Part 1 – The Beginning)

Well, here we go. My name is Todd Leton, and I’ve spent the last twenty years in marketing and graphic design. As a musician, I’ve written and released two studio albums over the past decade. But ever since I was a young boy, my passion has been writing. I’ve always loved the classic noir, hard-boiled detective stories: The perfectly flawed, down on his luck hero. The gloomy weather, the grit and the shadows. The slow, breathy saxophone. I’m also a big movie buff, so I love many of the old Bogart flicks and other noir classics. I’m also a fan of sci-fi noir (Blade Runner and its sequel are particular favorites!). In 2011, I began writing my own novel, A Cold Blooded Rain, released November 1st, 2017. It’s the first in an ongoing series.

Book 1

In book 1 we meet Maxwell Floyd, once a highly regarded Homicide Detective with the NYPD, who’s lost everything. He’s at rock bottom, a broken man who spends his days at a dive bar with a cast and crew of barflies and bartenders that he regards as family. When he hears about the murder of a famous young woman, it only reminds him of his life’s many failures. Before long, he’s given a shot at redemption, and to maybe turn his life around. All he has to do is solve the woman’s murder. But of course, it won’t be easy, with danger, drama and twists and turns along the way.

To find out even more, read Part 2 of An Intro to the World of Maxwell Floyd.