About the Book
Thunder Bay is a character-driven time-travel drama that blends nostalgia, memory, and consequence. When sixty-two-year-old Mike McKlinsky unexpectedly finds himself back in the summer that shaped — and haunted — his life, he must confront the people, places, and moments he thought were long gone. With the future still clear in his memory, every choice carries weight, and every familiar face reveals the potential to change everything.
At its core, Thunder Bay is a story for anyone who has ever wished they could go back. While it's unlikely that any of us will actually travel through time, we can still appreciate that at least one of us made it back — and made it right.
About the Car
At eighteen, Mike purchased a brand-new 1980 Chevrolet Camaro Rally Sport edition for approximately $6,000. Over the next few years, he transformed the car into something uniquely his. The stock 305ci V8 was replaced with a powerful 454ci big-block engine, followed by the addition of twin chrome exhaust side pipes. He swapped the factory wheels for classic Cragar SS rims and, not wanting the car to look like every other Camaro of the era, finished it with a striking custom two-tone paint job. Mike completed the build by upgrading the radio to a top-of-the-line Kenwood KRC-1022 stereo cassette deck, amplifier, and high-end speakers so he could blast his favorite rock tunes while cruising or parked at the beach.
About the Author
About the Author
I was born in 1962, the same year as Mike, and many of the story’s reflections on memory, youth, and second chances are shaped by my own life experiences.
The photograph above was taken in 1982 beside my own special car — a time that, like many people, I look back on with a deep sense of nostalgia and perspective. Much of Mike’s personality, interests, and outlook on life are intentionally inspired by my own.
My fascination with time travel began in the 1970s through television and film, eventually leading to a personal question: what if someone could return to their past and make wiser choices with the knowledge they now carry? Like many, I have moments I wish I had handled differently, and that emotional truth became the foundation of Thunder Bay.
History of Thunder Bay
Thunder Bay is a beachside community set on a barrier island along Florida’s coast. From the 1950s through the 1970s, the area was a beloved destination for visitors of all ages. By the 1980s, it had become the premier gathering place for local young people — alive with cars, music, and long summer nights.
However, by the early 2000s, the character of Thunder Bay began to shift. Developers acquired much of the island’s remaining real estate, and the once charming small cottages, weathered bungalows, and quaint boardwalk shops that defined the area were gradually replaced by high-rise condominiums catering largely to seasonal residents and retirees. The skyline rose as the old landmarks quietly disappeared, taking with them the youthful energy that once filled the streets and beaches.
Pirate Captain Thunder
Local lore traces the island’s origins to the early 1700s, when a pirate known as Captain Thunder is said to have landed here with his crew and established a hidden base along the shoreline. From this secluded outpost, they allegedly carried out raids across Florida, the Bahamas, and the Caribbean. The ultimate fate of the real Captain Thunder was never recorded, and over the centuries, his story has blurred into legend—becoming an integral part of the town’s identity and folklore.
Captain Thunder?
Captain Thunder is a gentle, familiar oddity along the Thunder Bay boardwalk, known to locals simply by that name due to his uncanny resemblance to an old pirate portrait hanging in the gift shop near the beach. No one seems to know his real name or when he first started appearing—only that he is always “around” in the way some fixtures of a place just are. He is friendly to everyone, quick with a warm smile and easy conversation, though his mind sometimes seems to drift in and out, as if he’s only half-rooted in the present moment. He has a habit of quietly showing up beside people, as though he had been there all along, and just as often slips away into the crowds without anyone noticing. Some say he’s homeless, others believe he must live nearby, yet no one can say where he goes at night or how he seems to know so many faces across so many years. Occasionally—almost imperceptibly—when his eyes sharpen and his voice steadies into something older and more certain, people can’t help but feel that the spirit of Captain Thunder has quietly found a way to keep walking amongst us.