What’s Real and What’s Not
(Notes about Historic Opportunities by Jeffrey Martin)
Spoiler Alert: These notes may contain clues to plot development. I recommend you read Historic Opportunities first.
Parts 1 & 2
I was vague concerning the name of the federal agency mentioned throughout the story, and this group should be considered fictional.
The ridiculous theme-based cover names and black SUVs used by the government agents in the story were meant as jokes only. Hopefully real agents don’t do that.
All references to time travel and time machines are not real. To my knowledge, moving through time is not and will never be possible. It is fun to consider, though.
The government cabins mentioned in the story are not real, but the geography of the region was described based on my ability to read and understand a map. Of course, Phoenix, Waynesboro, White Sulphur Springs, Roanoke, the Appalachian Trail, and any other specific locations mentioned are real places.
The entire dialog attributed to Thomas Jefferson was made up. It’s what I assumed Mr. Jefferson might say if placed in that situation.
Most of the historical details mentioned about Thomas Jefferson and Theodore Roosevelt were found in a variety of books, Internet articles, and published letters. I tend to believe them, but I encourage each reader to make his or her own determination as to the validity of these so-called facts.
Deer Valley Airport is a real airport in north Phoenix.
Shenandoah Valley Regional Airport is a real airport not too far from Waynesboro, Virginia.
Rico’s concern about dangerous microorganisms from the past should be considered the character’s personal concern—okay, you got me—it’s the author’s concern too.
The discussions about time travel, historical event markers, and genetic engineering are the opinions of the story’s characters and are not based on facts.
The government programs mentioned in the book, Super Adam, Super Eve, and TSE, were concocted, or as some people would say, “Fake news.”
All references to Jesus or religion were used fictitiously.
The Negev Desert in Israel is real, but the reference to a secret U.S. Air Force base located there is fictional.
Part 3
The description of Thomas Jefferson’s bedchamber, cabinet, and storage loft at Monticello were loosely derived from letters, photos, and architectural drawings I viewed on a variety of web sites, including Monticello.org. I have never visited Monticello.
Most of the furniture and objects mentioned in Jefferson’s bedchamber, cabinet, and loft were made up.
Laudanum was a real drug used in the 1800s.
All specific details about the physics or rules of time travel mentioned in the story were made up. Keep in mind that no one actually knows how time travel would work or if it is even possible.
At the conclusion of part 3, Rico becomes confused by Dr. Singh's vague claim that he cannot be in two places at the same time (after he returned to the wrong time). Rico eventually dismisses the inconsistency because he is not an expert in Dr. Singh's time travel technology and his brain is still cloudy after his recent time-travel trip. Most time-travel stories (books, television shows, and movies) have suggested that if a person travels back in time to a point within his or her lifetime, then both versions of that person are present at the same time. This creates the possibility of a meeting between the current version and the time-traveling version. These stories often portray this meeting as anything from mildly humorous to catastrophic. In Historic Opportunities, I did not use this premise and was rather vague about how Dr. Singh's process worked.
A few readers have asked for more details concerning Singh's shadowy explanation at the end of part 3.
I will answer this request with a somewhat complicated reply. Dr. Singh's time-travel process was designed as a two-way transfer. For example, if Rico time-travels back to a point within his lifetime, a simultaneous transfer occurs that temporarily pulls the corresponding past version of him to the present. Think of it as an exchange. Then the past version of Rico is kept in stasis (storage) until the current version returns to his correct time. When the past version of Rico (who was in stasis) is eventually sent back, he's returned to the exact instant of the original transfer and that version of Rico (and anyone around him) is unaware of what has happened. That is the way Dr. Singh's time travel process is supposed to work. But in part 3, the 2018 Rico is accidentally sent to the wrong time (1817) and then returns to Virginia in 2017, which is not when the 2018 Rico came from originally. Meanwhile, the 2018 Singh had transferred the 2017 Rico to 2018 and placed him in stasis (exchange transfer). The 2017 Singh then tells the 2018 Rico that he is the only Rico present in 2017, which is true because he assumes (correctly) that the 2017 Rico is in stasis somewhere in 2018. The 2017 Singh knows he cannot fix the problem because initiating time travel from 2017 to 2018 is not possible. The 2018 Singh could theoretically resolve the temporal dilemma, but apparently, he and his team are confused about where (and when) the 2018 Rico is located. (Remember, the 2018 Rico returned to 2017 on a different day than the 2018 scientists would have expected.) The time scientists have now affected (damaged) two timelines. The net result of the screw-up is that the 2018 Rico ends up in 2017 and has to live three and a half months over, and the 2017 Rico is stuck in 2018 after missing three and a half months of his life. Maybe now you can understand why I didn't include all of this information in the book and opted for a vague explanation (from the 2018 Rico's point of view). Discussing time travel and altered timelines can quickly get ridiculous and out of control. To be honest, my goal in the book was to focus on Rico's reaction to the time-travel challenges and not the actual mechanics of time travel, which are completely made up anyway. It might be fun to revisit this anomaly in the third book of the Historic series (no expected release date at this time). Click here to see a diagram (timeline) of the events described above.
Part 4
Apogee Island does not exist; however, the Exuma Cays district of the Bahamas is real and does contain many private and/or uninhabited islands. Click here to see a map of the fictional Apogee Island.
The existence of a combination satellite phone and lighter is not known to me, but I’m sure it’s possible.
All details about Major League Baseball’s involvement or approval of the charity games discussed in the story are fiction.
Click here to see the Historic Roster that Mr. Brown showed Rico.
Again, any reference to time travel or time-travel equipment is not real.
Part 5
Super-hiker Paco Gorau is fictional.
The past existence of Homo Neanderthalensis is based on the fossil record.
Neanderthal fossils have been found throughout Europe and Asia, including sites near Zafarraya, Spain.
Most of the details about Neanderthals mentioned in the story were derived from Internet articles. The specifics concerning the Neanderthal’s time on Earth, their behaviors, and reasons for their extinction are obviously debatable.
Many experts believe Neanderthals and Homo sapiens coexisted in some areas of Europe and Asia, thus, the possibility of mating events between the two are now actively considered.
Most of the details about the environment during the Pleistocene epoch, including animals, air quality, temperatures, and the terrain were derived from various projections and may not be hard facts.
There is no evidence of a possible cure for cancer in Neanderthal DNA. Sorry, I made that up.
Carbonado is a real mineral found only in Brazil and the Central African Republic. Its origin on Earth is somewhat of a mystery, and is currently being debated.
The specific gravity test described is correct as far as I know, but I have not tested it.
Maui Electric is a power company on Maui.
Time travel . . . still not possible, so quit asking about it!