The Wall/Homage - based on - how far is too far?

Hitting the wall with Junction X a little, partly because of plotting problems, but I think I see my way clear now, I think I was trying to make it a bigger book than it wants to be.  However was having a very silly conversation with rwday and we almost decided to go for the popular vote and have the MC so angst full that he discovers he has shifting abilities and turns into a crocodile but can't shift back.  His wife has to keep him in the swimming pool and the only way that the boy next door and he can express their lurve is to have swims on moonlight nights where MC can teach boy how to be a crocodile too./joke

And I've having thoughts about original fiction and how "influenced" is influence, or when does "homage" become too much?  I'm rare-locking the post, to people I trust, because I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings, and this relates directly to a book.

( Thing is )