I have a few. But here’s the big ones you’ll see in my book, Switchers, which is a novel about teens in 1996 who get into a time travel war against their adult selves.

Ray Bradbury’s “A Sound of Thunder”

He repeats the line “…a sound of thunder” several times, with the meaning changing the last time. During the inciting incident, my main character hears “a crash of thunder” over and over, with the meaning changing at the end. I originally wrote “a sound of thunder” but my beta readers didn’t like the sound of it, and neither did I. I figured I could change it slightly and still have it be an homage to a sci-fi great.

My Favorite Authors

My main character’s name is Kurt Stephens. The first author I felt compelled to read and read and read was Kurt Vonnegut. So that’s where Kurt comes from. Stephens comes from my compulsion to read Stephen King and Steven James. I deferred to the “ph” because I’ve read more of King’s books, but they are the two Steve’s I had in mind when I put this name together.

Michael Crichton is one of my favorite authors of all time to have dabbled in time travel, right there alongside Vonnegut and King. So when the kids in the story come to a major crossroads, it happens at night by Crichton Lake.

Other Stuff…

Mr. Bertrand

I named the vice principal who hands out consequences for violence after Bertrand Russell, who was famously against war, saying, “Either man will abolish war, or war will abolish man.”

Back to the Future

Characters in Switchers are reminded somewhat often that time travel in real life isn’t like Back to the Future, as it was the most common frame of reference back in 1996 (when Switchers begins).

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Anywho…there’s some other stuff, but you’ll probably catch it on your own if you read Switchers. It’s available on Kindle Unlimited for free (if you have KU).

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Thanks for stopping in!

-CT

Christopher Tallon is the author of the dark, adventurous, time-travel novel Switchers.

Row row row your boat / Gently down the stream

Merrily merrily merrily merrily / Life…is but a dream

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