Time Management

by S.W. Clemens

Jeffrey Porter never wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps; he had other plans. Now his father is missing, and forces are conspiring to draw Jeffrey back to the house with two cellars. In his search for the key to his father’s disappearance, he is forced to confront the ghosts of his ambitions as he works to reconcile memory and fact, and soon finds that to lay claim to the future, he must first reclaim the past.

372 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 23, 2016

About the author

SW Clemens has a Master's degree in English Literature. As a writer, editor, publisher, and newspaper columnist, he has written more than 500 articles on wine, food and travel. He is the author of the novels WITH ARTISTIC LICENSE; TIME MANAGEMENT; Kindle Scout Winner EVELYN MARSH; and THE SEAL COVE THEORETICAL SOCIETY. He lives in Moss Beach, California.

Reviews

[Cyndi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was given a copy of this to read but honestly I was ready to buy it after reading Evelyn Marsh by this same writer. Why there are no more reviews on this book is completely misleading. It's a story like no other. I never give away anything in my reviews because I myself hate spoilers. I can only say that this is not a "Self-Help" book as you might first think from the book's title. It is about time. Past, future, present. It is about life, loving families, under-appreciated elderly parents. It's a feel-good book that drags you through so many of normal (& abnormal) life dilemmas. I highly recommend this book. But only if you appreciate a talented writer who thinks past just today & tomorrow. Read it. You'll be glad you did.
-Cyndi

[Sandy Wallace · Rating 5 out of 5]

A truly unique and wonderful story


This book is not easily classified into a particular genre, and to me, that's the beauty I found in the story -- it was truly unique. It would appeal to readers of historical fiction, fantasy, sci-fi, family drama, Christian fiction and more.


The history and family drama keeps the reader engrossed until the last page. What more can you ask of a good book?


(Spoiler alert): Travel writer/photographer Jeff Porter has had a rough six months. His father has disappeared from the family fruit farm south of San Francisco, leaving no trace. This is followed by other losses that force him to move with his wife and kids back to the farm to save money and keep the farm running until his father returns or is found dead. One night they hear voices in the cellar, then things take a left turn.


The story becomes a fascinating tale of how far time can be managed without creating major rifts. It is also the story of a man finding himself, and two families bridging time to find common ground.


This book not the typical time-travel adventure. Instead, the reader is treated to a glimpse of life in 1870's California as Jeff searches the Bay Area from San Jose to San Francisco while maintaining his cover as a visitor in search of his father.

[Mary E · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mixed Emotions

I found this book interesting and became attached to the characters but for some reason I was sad most of the time. I really have no idea why I felt this way. I guess it's better for a book to inspire sadness than no emotions at all.

[Pamela Blackwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read

Enjoyed this book very much. Enjoyed the way time was gone back into and the way the author told the story about the past and present.

[Anima · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clemens writes in a professional style, with many humorous moments, vibrant clarity and intricate storyline. Hitting close to home for me being a Bay Area native and I’ve self taught so much Ca lit I could have a PhD. That being said taking on a huge bear 🐻 like Ca history and science fiction is an ambitious task, a jump into a very large pond. Descriptions of what they were eating got very tedious for me. The history scenes are clearly described, but were sterile and lacked the grittiness that would have made it 5 stars compared to something like McTeague. Good show for first novel- not first published- but first mused.

[Una · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable read but could have done with better proofreading.. There quite a few missing or incorrect words. Some phrasing may be down to American style of speaking, rather than UK.
Eg: a couple times -> a couple of times
Saturday Jeff went -> On Saturday Jeff went

Descriptions of what was being cooked for dinner were unnecessarily detailed.

I also had to resort to a dictionary to understand some very unusual words!! Eg: chiraoscuro

[Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Time travel genre is among my favorites and this was an interesting tale featuring an unusual time portal and twist of “traveling through the stones”.

Keeping it all straight can always be a challenge regarding the movement from one era to the other and in this case, the characters literally pass back and forth into each other’s timelines.

Lots of commentary about faith, religion, women’s rights, and other social issues and historical insights affects upon perceptions.