Time Travel discussion

This book has been on my radar for a while now, and finally it made it to my Kindle and to our reading group at about the same time. It’s such a fun and breezy read that I had to stop to let everyone else catch up.

THE BOOK: In Times Like These
Goodreads Blurb: "We broke something. How do you break time? Can something so bad happen that you fracture the world?" Benjamin Travers has been electrocuted. What's worse, he and his friends have woken up in the past. As the friends search for a way home, they realize they're not alone. There are other time travelers, and some of them are turning up dead. When Ben meets an enigmatic scientist and his charming, time-traveling daughter, salvation seems at hand, but escaping the dangers of the past may lead to a deadly future. If he hopes to save his friends, Ben must learn to master space and time, and survive a journey where past and future violently collide.

THE AUTHOR: Nathan Van Coops
Nathan is an active group member, so hopefully he will be joining us to answer any questions. He likes adventures, airplanes, and writing. The first-person character in the book is loosely based on himself. The friends that you will meet in his book were inspired by his real life friends.

SETTING
St. Petersburg, Florida, USA
2009 and 1985


SAGE ADVICE FROM DR. HAROLD QUICKLY:
“Cheating on a woman is always a bad idea. If your girl happens to be a time traveler, that’s worse. And if her father is a time traveler, too . . . well, now you’ve really messed up.”

SPOTIFY PLAYLIST OF MUSIC FROM 1985
For you to enjoy as you read:
https://play.spotify.com/user/paisley...
(Why, yes. I did mean to put that song there. Shh...)

WHERE TO BUY:
Amazon Kindle: $3.99 … http://smile.amazon.com/Times-Like-Th...
Amazon Paperback: $12.81 … http://smile.amazon.com/In-Times-Like...
Smashwords: $3.99 … http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/...
Half.com: $9.99 … http://product.half.ebay.com/In-Times...

READING QUESTIONS
PRE-READING QUESTIONS:
1. You find yourself transported back to the time of your childhood in your hometown. You don't have enough money for a hotel. Where do you seek to spend the night?
2. What were you personally doing in 1985?
3. What would you enjoy most about being in the 1980s? What souvenirs would you want to collect to bring back with you?

READING QUESTIONS:
1. (From Nathan) In chapter 2, each of the ITLT characters reach the conclusion that they are in the '80s their own way. For Ben it's the car registration stickers. Francesca needs to hear the kids talk about music. Blake has to hear it from his girlfriend's mom, etc. I would be curious to hear what other readers would consider "proof positive" that they have time traveled. Would they try to test it? Prove it to themselves? How much do you think you would freak out? Would being with friends at the time make the situation more or less stressful?

2. (from Nathan) If you could choose to relocate to a decade you've already lived through and call that time "home," would you feel more comfortable in a time or decade other than the present one? What year would you choose to return to?

Pre-reading Answer 1:

If I were transported from right now to 1985 hometown, probably go home. Unless that violates every time travel paradox rule. However, if I was transported further into the past, I think I would reach out to the Mormon community for a place to stay or sleep. Probably meet ancestors of families I know from my church.

Pre-reading Answer 2:

1985 Lincoln was 7 years old...I was spending my time watching the Smurfs, Loving my first grade teacher Mrs. Mcsmith, one of the greatest teachers to ever live. It was a transition year for me in that I was baby of the family for 7 years...and my parents decided to have another baby...My younger brother was born that January.

Sharing bunk beds with my older brother and doing everything I could think of to annoy him. 1985 a good year for me.

I can't wait to read this book. Not only do I love time travel sci-fi books, but I live just a few miles from where this picture was taken of downtown St. Petersburg. I grew up in St. Pete and in 1985 I was 7 years out of high school (Dixie Hollins), starting my own business and enjoying life in the sunshine. Nathan, will you be doing any promotion in the area? If you do a book signing, I'll be there.

Patricia wrote: Nathan, will you be doing any promotion in the area? If you do a book signing, I'll be there.

Nice to have another St. Pete local in the discussion! I have some signed copies over at Haslam's book store on Central and they have offered to let me do a book signing there. I'll keep you posted if that happens. Or just send me a message. I'd be happy to meet up and sign you a copy. :)

Lincoln wrote: "Pre-reading Answer 1:

If I were transported from right now to 1985 hometown, probably go home. Unless that violates every time travel paradox rule. However, if I was transported further into the..."

Amy wrote: "This book has been on my radar for a while now, and finally it made it to my Kindle and to our reading group at about the same time. It’s such a fun and breezy read that I had to stop to let everyo..."

I would have to agree with Nathan - a church would be the safest haven, but don't tell them why you are there!

Patricia wrote: "I can't wait to read this book. Not only do I love time travel sci-fi books, but I live just a few miles from where this picture was taken of downtown St. Petersburg. I grew up in St. Pete and in 1..."

It looks like you just joined the group. How interesting that you get a book set in your hometown as your first book. Welcome to the group. :-)

#1. Where would I stay? With my dad's best friend, Uncle Jay. He lived in a big house all by himself. I promised to marry him when I grew up.
#2. I was working at a Walden's Bookstore in the early 80's.
#3. Enjoy most: my Levi's 501's and my Casio watch.

Elldee

1. I'd try to get to my maternal grandparents' house. I think they'd be most accepting of my story. But, too, it would be amazing to get to spend time with them again.
2. I was 8 years old and in 4th grade in 1985. The music in the playlist mainly reminds me of time spent with my cousins since it was only at their houses that I heard rock music.
3. I had these really great sparkly mesh ribbons that I used as hairbands that I'd love to find again. I'd have to foist them on my daughter since I really don't wear headbands anymore. It might be fun to grab some pop-culture related t-shirts for myself though. I know it's tacky, but I'd really love to have one of those 1980s charm necklaces (http://www.pinterest.com/pin/68117013...) ... just for nostalgia's sake.

I was starting a family in 1985 - pregnant most of the year. If transported to my home town, 1500 miles from my husband, my reaction would not be a pretty one. And, of course, I was too caught up in my family to notice much about current popular culture.

Hm. Accidental TT novels don't often take into account what the interruption in the protag's life means to him or her, do they? Unless of course the crux of the point of the story is that their lives need an interruption....

Cheryl in CC NV wrote: "Accidental TT novels don't often take into account what the interruption in the protag's life means to him or her, do they? Unless of course the crux of the point of the story is that their lives need an interruption.... ..."

The only one that comes to mind is actually Outlander. And in the series Sliders, they keep trying to get back only to find that they're in an alternate universe where nothing is the same as what they left behind.

I guess it depends on what or who you left behind or whether or not there's a chance or desire to get back to where you came from. In this book, we have one of the guys who really wants to get back to the version of his fiance that's not 4 years old. The rest don't seem to have the urgency to get back that he does.

Amy, I am really enjoying the '80s Spotify playlist. That was a nice touch. I have never been one of those people who writes to music, but I can see how it would work. Definitely sets the mood. I got all fired up to "We Built this City on Rock and Roll" on my morning drive.

Nathan, I don't write to music either but I have some music that I play before I write - sort of sets the mood. So perhaps that qualifies?

READING QUESTION 1
(From Nathan)
In chapter 2, each of the ITLT characters reach the conclusion that they are in the '80s their own way. For Ben it's the car registration stickers. Francesca needs to hear the kids talk about music. Blake has to hear it from his girlfriend's mom, etc. I would be curious to hear what other readers would consider "proof positive" that they have time traveled. Would they try to test it? Prove it to themselves? How much do you think you would freak out? Would being with friends at the time make the situation more or less stressful?

READING QUESTION 1 RESPONSE:

Turn on a TV. If they're big and clunky and 200 of your channels are missing, you may have time traveled. Find a coffee shop. If there's not a Starbucks on every other block, you may have time traveled. If at least 50% of patrons in any coffee shop aren't staring at a computer or tablet screen, you may have a problem. Go to any public place. If you don't see people with phones stuck to their ears, you're not in Kansas anymore.

The missing technology is a clue, but I like the way Ben and friends deciphered their predicament. It made sense. Unless they've stumbled into a giant theme park or suffer from mass hallucinations, the license plates, newspapers, and current teenspeak are good indicators. And running into people you know who are now decades younger would really do it.

But I'd want to prove it to myself with things that are too big and expensive to fake. Is the new sports arena there just south of downtown? Is the highway bypass complete? That office building that went up ten years ago? I wouldn't panic, but being with friends would help, and family, all safe and in it together.

You've got a point, Paul. The landscape of your hometown would certainly have changed. The Dairy Queen is still there as well as Bargain Town? The bypass doesn't exist? Those would certainly be some of the first red flags that something was amiss. Even travel 5 years into the past and the convenience store isn't there. The further away from the present you traveled, the more obvious it would be just from transportation and clothing styles. But plop me down in Anytown, USA, in 2010, and it would probably take me quite a while to realize I'd time traveled. If the time travel was to a point within the last decade, I'd be most likely to want to see someone's computer screen to check the date. Everyone everywhere certainly wouldn't be faking it if I checked enough computer screens.

Today, walking out of a restaurant, I saw a guy wearing a t-shirt under a blazer that still had shoulder pads. He had some floppy hair and shades, and I joked to my girlfriend, "Hey, that guy's here from the '90s."

One of the things writing this series has really made me think about, is that when we are from is just as important as where we're from. In a world where time travel is possible, "home" starts to mean the place where your friends and family are the right age, and your favorite restaurant still exists on the corner.

For Ben and company, 2009 is home. It's the tail end of decade that's still predominantly flip-phone more than iPhone, and Michael Jackson is still alive. When I was getting ready to publish this in 2013, I had someone suggest that I move the characters to the current year, but I really like the fun that comes with writing characters that can be simultaneously ahead of, and behind the times. The differences are subtle, but it's a subject I plan to play with a lot more in upcoming adventures.

Nathan wrote: "Blah blah blah..."

You're right. In a way, we can never really go "home" without time travel. I visited my old university today to make a presentation, and it was so very odd because even the location of the sidewalks were different. But what made it the most ghost-like to me was the absence of the people that I knew from my time. There were the same types of people, but not the same people. Still, I kept expecting to see people I knew at any moment, kept trying to turn people I saw into someone I used to know. I kept walking through doors that didn't lead where they used to. I was superimposing the university of 1995 on top of the one of 2014, and it was quite disorienting. That's something you rarely see happen to time travelers: location disorientation.

You've hit upon something interesting: your book itself is a time travel vehicle. 2009 was a very different year. I'm thinking how different it even was personally. People have come and gone and are at different life stages. There's this illusion that we live in a world not much different than last year or the year before, but it's definitely not true. The present is but for a moment.

Two words....Phone booths

Lincoln wrote: "Two words....Phone booths"

Ha. They still exist here occasionally, but they are rare. I found one the other day and actually used it for novelty's sake. I forgot how annoying they are. A quarter never goes far enough, and the phone usually eats your first one anyway.

It amazes me that people were able to organize themselves once upon a time without cell phones or email. I guess it was one part luck, one part knowing where to find everybody.

I miss the pre-internet, pre-cell-phone days when people hung out with each other and were forced to be completely present without constantly checking to see if something more interesting is happening elsewhere.

One thing I just realized is that these 2009 teens (or are they in their early 20s?) don't seem to be having the internet and cell phone withdrawals I'd expect them to be having. They're not claiming utter boredom; they're doing yard work, playing shuffleboard, and working toward a goal of getting back to their own time. I'd like to think I'd be as malleable in adjusting to life without constant social & information connectivity. I think I'd end up in the library quite often to offset the unavailability of Google.

In some ways it would have been easier to find people in the 80s because nearly everyone had a land line and was in the phone book. Not true now.

Karen Musser wrote: "In some ways it would have been easier to find people in the 80s because nearly everyone had a land line and was in the phone book. Not true now."

You're right. Very few people had unlisted numbers and addresses back then. Snag a phone book and you're almost golden. I wonder how far back that trend goes. When did it become common for both everyone to have a phone AND for everyone's names and addresses to be listed in the phone book? How many decades does that span? For that matter, when did it really stop? By at least 2000, I'd dropped my land line completely in favor of cell phone usage only. When did that become widespread?

Unfortunately, my family didn't have a phone until the '90s, so you wouldn't be able to find me. My dad thought it was a silly and needless thing. Now he's got the same attitude about the internet. :-)

Amy wrote: "Lincoln wrote: "Two words....Phone booths"

Ha. They still exist here occasionally, but they are rare. I found one the other day and actually used it for novelty's sake. I forgot how annoying they ..."

When I was working on my book I thought about the loss of cable networks like History & Discovery Channels and the internet. My character had to turn to PBS to escape lousy 80's prime time TV.

I had an original Tivo about 15 years ago and it required to be plugged into an actual land line to download program information. So I had a land line longer than most. When I finished school and went to Washington DC for an internship, I arrived at my new digs and asked my roommate were the house phone was and he handed me his cell. That was in 2004 so its been 10 years now wow.

Hey Craig...Cosby Show and Macgyver some good TV!!

Lincoln wrote: "I had an original Tivo about 15 years ago and it required to be plugged into an actual land line to download program information. So I had a land line longer than most. When I finished school and..."

For some reason while I was writing that part I had the show Riptide in my head. Not exactly stellar TV. I can't say as I am a fan of much scripted TV, but, I just remember some really bad stuff around that time.

I was a big Airwolf and Knight Rider fan myself...
Speaking of which, KITT is still around.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tribrh...

READING QUESTION 2
(from Nathan) If you could choose to relocate to a decade you've already lived through and call that time "home," would you feel more comfortable in a time or decade other than the present one? What year would you choose to return to?

Amy wrote: "READING QUESTION 2
(from Nathan) If you could choose to relocate to a decade you've already lived through and call that time "home," would you feel more comfortable in a time or decade other than t..."

That's a tough one. There is so much to like and dislike from any era. I would have a hard time dealing with all of the prejudice of the past, but, as a musician I would have to say some time in the early 70's. Some of the best blues based rock comes out of that time.

For me it would be 1969 first landing on the moon and Woodstock! I was still in high-school then. I don't think whole decade would have been really good though.

Not only would I never do a time jump on a stranger's roof while they're not home, I'd also be running far away from the situation at 30% (certainly not into it). After calling 911 (or earlier), I'd get the he!! out of there.

READING QUESTION 3:
How about you? Would you climb to the top of a stranger's roof for a time jump? Would your reaction be fight or flight after you encountered the gas station lunatic and called 911 (at 30%)?

The fifties. A time of prosperity for the middle class(and my family) which would soon change and the last decade before I woke up to the modern world. Also I lived in a small town in Western New York and had unlimited freedom and no fear of anything. A dream world now!

READING QUESTION 4:
The author has gone to great lengths to address many of the problems that a time traveler might encounter if time travel is done carelessly. For example, a time traveler needs to account for the movement of the Earth around the sun so as not to jump into outer space. Great pains should also be taken to ensure that one jumps to a place that will exist but will not be alternately occupied in the future or past in order to prevent limb amputation, death, landing in the air, or landing on top of something or someone. And if you jump to your kitchen too many times in the same week, you might deplete you grocery budget before you get another paycheck. Many authors don't consider such things when writing. What are your personal pet peeves in time travel writing? What do you notice that authors most often forget to take account of when writing about time travel?

Hmmm, "landing in the air." How would you account for erosion? The place you are standing now may be where a hill or part of a mountain once stood. Where do you pull erosion records between 1500 BCE and 1000 BCE? Or even the 10th century AD for that matter. Not to mention more drastic geology like continental uplift or volcanic eruptions.

Answer to reading question 2

Send me back to the 90's!! The internet comes out in 1992. I was living large in high school, I would miss modern computer tech but going back just a bit, the music was better, the economy rocked...There was only one Iraq war. Operation Desert Storm! We only had a war on drugs, not a war on terror.

The true Dream Team to play in the olympics in 1992. Jordan, Pippen, Stockton, Malone, Robinson, Barkley etc. etc. Modern dream teams still win gold but nothing compares to the first real dream team.

David wrote: "Hmmm, "landing in the air." How would you account for erosion? The place you are standing now may be where a hill or part of a mountain once stood. Where do you pull erosion records between 1500 BC..."

That's exactly the one I was thinking of.

Amy wrote: "David wrote: "Hmmm, "landing in the air." How would you account for erosion? The place you are standing now may be where a hill or part of a mountain once stood. Where do you pull erosion records b..."

Surely the latest TT machines have automatic Safe Landing switches, right next to the cruise control. They sample destination points for safety parameters before delivering travelers to any location. Don't they?

I did enjoy all the potential hazards in ITLT. They make sense in terms of the science that Nathan has described so well. Going for a little TT tourist trip to Finney's 19th century New York and landing in outer space would be a bummer.

Paul wrote: "Amy wrote: "David wrote: "Hmmm, "landing in the air." How would you account for erosion? The place you are standing now may be where a hill or part of a mountain once stood. Where do you pull erosi..."

As an author of fiction, you can write in anything to solve these problems. Right? It seems your best bet would be to take off in the air, arrive in the air, and then fly it in to safe ground. So which shall it be? Time travel plane, helicopter, or hovercraft? Hmm ... maybe this explains UFOs.

Reading Question 5:
Considering all the solid objects one might encounter if time traveling over long spans of time, where are some ideal places you could pick to land that are likely to have endured unmoving or unchanged for long periods of time in the past as well as into the future? This is a gamble with your life, so choose wisely.

Reading Question #4:

I'll jump in on this question too, since it's general.

Obviously spacial issues are a peeve of mine in time traveling, but the other major issue I dislike seeing dismissed casually is not showing the results of changes to timelines. Some authors go the route of having everyone's memories wiped, or new memories magically installed but in some cases people have gone missing completely as a result of not being born etc. and they don't get much attention. They were there, so where did they go? I have never been a believer in erasing things. I think relocating makes more sense.

Nathan wrote: " in some cases people have gone missing completely as a result of not being born etc. and they don't get much attention. They were there, so where did they go? I have never been a believer in erasing things. I think relocating makes more sense. ..."

Hmm ... this sounds like you're talking about putting all the missing people into a large cosmic ziplock bag for safekeeping. :P

Many authors assume that a multiverse of parallel worlds exists in this scenario. Suzy exists in one world but not in the other. Thus, the worlds split off at conception (or lack thereof). And that would explain the lack of memory of Suzy's existence. But when Marty McFly starts to fade away while playing guitar, we're supposed to assume that the memory of him is fading away as well. The funny thing is that, so often, the time traveler remembers everything that has ever existed while everyone else in the world forgets. I think the only novel I've read where a time travel incident leaves everyone with memories of the missing people is Midnight's Park.

Amy wrote: " . . . It seems your best bet would be to take off in the air, arrive in the air, and then fly it in to safe ground. So which shall it be? Time travel plane, helicopter, or hovercraft? Hmm ..."

Even safer would be the ability to look before you leap, as with the Time Fistulas in Howard Loring's excellent Elastic Limit books. Also, the Portals in Hollow World are very cool, though they're for spatial travel, not time. So far. Still, anything that keeps us from being fused into the furniture would help.

Amy wrote: Hmm ... this sounds like you're talking about putting all the missing people all into a large cosmic ziplock bag for safekeeping. :P

I'll confess I'm definitely more a proponent of a multiverse concept. For me it's sort of simplistic. Time Travelers time travel. Regular people don't. If you misplaced someone, or a bunch of people, they are most likely right where you left them. You just might want to take another look at where you are and figure out who actually did the moving.

Nathan wrote: "At the risk of being vaguely spoilery about my o..."

Good point, Nathan. Dr. Quickly would be proud!

Nathan wrote: "If you misplaced someone, or a bunch of people, they are most likely right where you left them. You just might want to take another look at where you are and figure out who actually did the moving. ..."

Perhaps if they were misplaced keys they'd be where you left them. If they're people, they probably got hungry waiting for you to show back up from your time traveling and went out to supper without you. No hard feelings. Just tweak your chonometer for better punctuality next time around.

Concerning Question #3 about risk-taking, there is an interesting article in yesterday's Science Daily about how the volume of the brain's parietal cortex affects how likely we are to be risk-takers. This part of the brain actually thins as we age which likely accounts for most people's tendency to take fewer risks as they age: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/....

When consulting a pie chart of ages that scientists make their first time travel jump, it was found that the largest slice of pie contained much younger time travelers. However, hungry scientists declared this pie slice inedible based on the extreme amounts of gravitites found therein.

Concerning Question 5: Well I suppose the answer depends on how long a "long" period of time is. If it was say - 100 years, I would choose an anchor point that was a famous landmark such as the Arche De Triomphe or preferably one higher above sea level. Hmm. Maybe the Christ The Redeemer statue in Rio De Janeiro, or on top of the Great Pyramid of Giza? If it was a time jump of 1,000 years, I can't think of anywhere that would be safe.

Paul wrote: "Concerning Question 5: Well I suppose the answer depends on how long a "long" period of time is. If it was say - 100 years, I would choose an anchor point that was a famous landmark such as the A..."

The places that would be safest would surely be those that are furthest from human population. The Sahara or Gobi deserts, for example - or the South Pole (the world's driest desert). Trouble is that means loads of extra survival gear. Unless you were to time-travel in a very good boat in the middle of an ocean?

Ha. I woke up this morning thinking of arriving atop the pyramids at dawn or landing on the ocean in a boat. I was thinking that perhaps a hydro-plane time machine landing in the ocean might be the ideal choice for far future or far past. Moving into the future, though, who's to say that the pyramids wouldn't have met with a natural (or unnatural) disaster of some sort. There's always Stonehenge for the past, too ... as long as you could avoid times when occupied (by the builders or tourists).

The most prepared time traveler should have loads of survival gear and training, but I'd still not care to land in the middle of a desert because you have to still transport your supplies.

Amy wrote: "Ha. I woke up this morning thinking of arriving atop the pyramids at dawn or landing on the ocean in a boat. I was thinking that perhaps a hydro-plane time machine landing in the ocean might be th..."

Would you also include cultural deserts, Amy? There are some places I can imagine landing which would have plentiful food and water, but nothing for the mind. I'm not at all thinking of Texas, for example. ;-)

Mark wrote: "Amy wrote: "Ha. I woke up this morning thinking of arriving atop the pyramids at dawn or landing on the ocean in a boat. I was thinking that perhaps a hydro-plane time machine landing in the ocean..."

Oh. Come on now. Texas has plenty of culture. Why, just today I got an itinerary for an off-site event for a conference I'll be attending there in November. It promised two-stepping, salsa dancing, and haggis-consuming at a stockyard called Billy Bob's. Doesn't that sound absolutely delightful?

Amy wrote: "Mark wrote: "Amy wrote: "Ha. I woke up this morning thinking of arriving atop the pyramids at dawn or landing on the ocean in a boat. I was thinking that perhaps a hydro-plane time machine landing..."

I realise the error of my ways. Plus, they have guns. I surrender.

I'd be careful you don't go down there and start touting your big liberal intellectual elite words like 'itinerary'. Call it a schedule, or a plan. As for Billy Bob... I don't know what to say to a man with two alliterative first names. Sounds miiiighty dubious to me. [Sound of spit hitting pan]