Shattered Time: An Anthology

by J.L. Clayton (contributor )

Lines of Time and Desire
If someone sent you a text saying they're from the future, would you believe them? Londyn doesn't know if this stranger with a charming personality is just pulling her leg or telling the truth, but what she does know is that it's too much fun not to play along. With her heart now on the line and dark secrets looming, will she make the right decision or will she let the love of her life disappear into time? A romantic tale of love, time, and tragedy.
By J.L. Clayton.

Homecoming
Astrid finds something at a local witch’s house, something that doesn’t belong there…
It belongs to her baby brother. The only problem with that is…he’s supposed to be dead.
Astrid searches for the truth, learning that sometimes death isn’t final…
By, Carissa Ann Lynch

A Web Through Time
Meet Alex. Ordinary. Quiet. And she plays by the rules. Until she’s forced into a world where her past becomes her future and the governments of Earth are searching for her execution. Will she embrace her true nature or succumb to the threats of her parents’ enemies?
By, Niki Livingston

Willow and The Forbidden Portal
Willow, a simple Herb Woman, flees for her life after a child under her care loses his life.
Accused of witchery, she knows the only way to save her life is to find The Forbidden Portal and escape through time.
By, Regina Oconnell

Cassandra's Choice
One moment, Cassandra’s driving along in her car to meet her new niece; the next, she’s waking up in the bed of an angry 19th-century Duke. What begins as a battle of wills soon turns into a struggle of emotions as Cassandra finds herself falling in love with the Duke. Will she make it back or choose to stay with the man she has come to love?
By, Ashlee Shades

The Secrets Crows Keep
Mildred was certain she'd escaped her past...she buried him. So when he showed up at her front door she had no choice but to question everything. As secrets are revealed, she realizes nothing is as it seems and the truth is more bizarre than she'd imagined.
By, Bradon Nave

Bridging the Gap
A dismantled bridge. A portal into an era time had forgotten. That was all Garrett needed to realize how better the future could be. But at what price?
​It isn’t until Garrett sees his ways are destroying the future rather than bettering it that he comes to his senses. But will it be too late?
By, Jeremy Simons

Time’s Launch
The year is 2363, and the Earth Confederation launched their first time-ship the ECS Andrea commanded by Captain Joseph Dyson, the ships experimental engines move them ten thousand years into the future.
By, Joe Pranaitis

The Salesman
Melanie, consumed by guilt over a recent tragedy, struggled to forgive herself and move forward, until one day, when a peculiar salesman offered a remedy to what ailed her.
By, D.A. Roach

"One Cockroach Left"
A tale of dinosaurs, aliens, time travel, and a really bad day . . . sixty-six million years ago.
By, Genevieve Moultrie

Time
When tragedy strikes, Vida Morton is given the choice to go back in time, and save the man she loves, Mort Vidal. But love is a tricky game, and so is time. Especially in the face of death.
By, Grace Charles

Whisper's of Forever
A breathless caress, an echo of desire whispering of Forever.
Layla thinks she is from the modern world, but her modern life hasn't been simple. Plagued with visions of others, Layla always felt as if she belonged in another time with the strangers that haunt her mind. Layla will soon find out if her visions are true. A deliciously dark serenade of hope filled tragedy.
By, T. Guthrie

475 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 13, 2017

About the author

I currently have three full length novels, and two short story's in the Chosen Saga published. I also have contributed to several anthologies. I'm always busy doing something with writing. Keep an eye out.
Things about me I love:
I love my family & friends:They are my rock.
I love the color blue: I have ever since I saw my eyes, I don't think that's conceded it's just the truth... I was like five years old, so I'm sure you can't really be considered conceded that young.
I love to read: Any and all books except nonfiction.
I love to laugh and make people smile: Laughter is good for the soul, plus I laugh very easily.
I love to be silly and do random things: All the time, especially around my daughter.
I love embarrassing people: Its fun and funny, but I can get embarrassed easily too.
I love tattoos: I have some, but I wouldn't go crazy.
I love piercings: I have some, again I wouldn't go too crazy.
I love life and doing new things: I'm always up for a challenge.
I love to hug and be hugged: Hugs make me feel good, but it has to be a good one... Not a pat on the back. Those I do not love.

~J.L.Clayton~

Reviews

[Kimberly Vanderbloom · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an early copy in exchange for a honest review.

If you are looking for a time travel there are plenty of stories that will keep you up until all hours of the night. I was excited to get my hands on a early copy of this anthology because I just love time travel and I've read a few of the authors in the past and enjoyed by experience. I was blown away and was pretty intrigued by most of the stories. It was interesting to see some of the authors step out of their comfort zone and come up with interesting twists. I will briefly summarize what I liked about each story, trying not to give away spoilers, and which one was my favorite.

Lines of Time and Desire by J.L. Clayton
This story started the anthology off to a interesting twist. It is sexy and invokes some deep emotions inside of you. I liked the character development and thought it was well done in such a short time.

Homecoming by Carissa Ann Lynch
I was really excited to read this story. I have read Lynch before and I just adore her writing style. I was blown away by this story. It actually had me up and thinking about the characters and where else this story could go in the future. I'm just a big fan of Lynch.

A Web Through Time by Niki Livingston
This was an interesting space and time story. It had a theme of hope and acceptance. I really enjoyed this story because of the themes. This is a new author to me and I liked her writing style and character development. I look forward to reading more from this author.

Willow and the Forbidden Portal by Regina O'Connell
I loved this story because I'm a fantasy fan. It had an elements of magic and Ancients. I found this world to be the most interesting. The story flowed nicely and in a short amount of time you became attached to the main character. I look forward to reading more about this author.

Cassandra's Choice by Ashlee Shades
Now this story put me on the edge of my seat because of the concept. I fell in love with the snarky main character Cassandra and I appreciate how detailed the author went in to the pain of a migraine or megrim. It was a sweet tale and the ending made me so happy.

The Secrets Crows Keep by Bradon Nave
Holy Moly!! This is one twisted story. I'm a huge fan of this author so any opportunity to read something new from him is a little slice of heaven. This story was completely gross and twisted. I'm in constant awe on how demented this author's stories can get. So thank you for fulling my need for something deep and disturbing.

Bridging the Gap by Jeremy Simons
This story has everything you would expect in a great time travel story. This is one of my favorites out of the whole anthology. It touched on a sadness that at some point in time most people can relate to. You become attached to the main characters Terry and Garrett. You are pulling for everything to be fixed. It was perfect and even shocking at the ending. I loved the writing style and look forward to reading more books by this author because I enjoyed his storytelling abilities.

Time's Launch by Joe Pranaitis
This is a fast paced story that will keep you guessing. The story flowed naturally and it really made you think. Could you imagine traveling on a time ship? Oh how cool does that sound? The author captured my sense of imagination and I could easily imagine that I was this time ship with Captain Joseph Dyson. I feel like this story could be expanded and turned in to a great novel or even series.

The Salesman by D.A. Roach
The tagline alone intrigued me. "If you had the chance to change the one regret you had in life, would you?" If that doesn't make you want to read it than I don't know what will. This story made me sob. It was so well written and flowed so naturally. I'm getting choked up even thinking about it. It is the type of story that you will never forget and that is why it is my favorite in the anthology when it had tough competition.

One Cockroach Left by Genevieve Moultrie
This is author has a great imagination. I was absolutely in love with the world and setting that she choose. It is what made it a fascinating read. I would love to talk about more but I don't want to throw in spoilers and ruin it for you. It was well written and interesting concept.

Time by Grace Charles
I quickly fell in love with this story. Time time time. It had a theme of love and sacrifice. The characters were lovable and I couldn't stop thinking about it. It was sweet and heart breaking. It had all the elements I look forward to in a short story.

Whispers of Forever by T. Guthrie
It is a great fantasy/time travel story. It was really good. I loved how the fantasy was more important to follow with time travel and a hint of supernatural. It was fantastic. I loved the setting of Willow Manor which was a character in itself. I look forward to reading more from this author because I enjoyed the writing style and the way the author captured suspense.

[Jodi Etheridge · Rating 5 out of 5]

Twilight meets outer limits

Forever I have read books, But this one. Its the best of the best writer's and stories of shattered tales you will find. There are authors I have read in this and some I have not. Its a cross between twilight meets outer limits. Something for everyone. Its amazingly put together book. It has you from the beginning of the book and threw out. I hated putting it down to do life. But once you start reading all the stories, make sure you have time, tissue, and snack's. How each story leads to the next. You will be entertained. Not one moment will you be bored. I recommend this book to anyone who dares to enter the Shattered Time!!! I enjoyed each story as i read them. Not one of them was disappointing. I have read many books like this, and some I just couldn't finish. Some I left reviews to. But this Anthology is one that has been so lovingly and heartily put together. Keep hold of your soul as you read each one. Truly one of the best Anthology books on the market today. I will keep saying It Is A MUST READ of the spring/summer season. You will love this one. To all the authors who put there heart and soul into writing this Thank You. Its now far one of my Favorite Books.

[Jeannie · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is absolutely fascinating to me how an author can create such a fascinating story within the constraints of a short story, but all the authors accomplished that in this anthology. Each story is uniquely different. J.L. Clayton's story "Lines of Time and Desire" is about a woman that falls in love with a man from the future and completely gets your attention from the prologue. The second story by Carissa Ann Lynch, "Homecoming" is about a girl that trys to go back in time to save her little brother. "Cassandra's Choice" was fascinating and set in one of my favorite time periods. England in 1867. This is the first anthology that I truly loved all of the stories. Once I started reading, I couldn't put it down. I highly recommend this to anyone that loves Time Travel stories you will not be disappointed. I am voluntarily reviewing a copy I received from one of the authors.

[Chelsi Tauscher · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was gifted an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Sci-fi & Fantasy aren't my typical genre, but I enjoyed this book!! The wonderful thing about anthologies is you are bound to find something you truly enjoy. While the entire book is good, there are three stories that stood out to me the most, that I loved!
The Salesman by D.A. Roach
This story revolves around a family that has been hit by trauma. What would you do if you could turn back time and prevent something terrible from happening? Even if it meant something had to happen in its place? This story touches that. You can't change the past without changing the course of events in other ways. This story was well told and intriguing even in a short amount of time.
Homecoming by Carissa Lynch
Astrid lives in a town that has the typical 'witch' rumor. An old lady that lives by herself in a big house that everyone in town is scared to go near. Astrid was no different until she found something in the witches yard that she thought she had lost forever.
Carissa's character development is always flawless. She has such an amazing way of making you feel what her characters feel and you can place yourself in the story and relate so well. I will forever read everything of Carissa's that I can get my hands on.
The Secrets Crows Keep by Bradon Nave
This story was AMAZING. Bradon is extremely descriptive and it makes the story that much better. This one literally had me on the edge of my seat, reading everywhere I could because I couldn't put it down. It wasn't that it was long, but I wanted to appreciate it. The ending was NOT predictable at all.

These were just a few with a lot of stories in this book. They were my favorites. Which ones will be yours?

[Brooke · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great anthology with very diverse stories! I enjoyed all of them for different reasons, since they all took a different spin on what it means to write a short story about time travel. I especially loved "The Salesman" by D.A. Roach. The story intrigued me the whole time I was reading it. I was surprised at the ending, but I love stories that can do that to me! I also enjoyed "Homecoming" by Carissa Ann Lynch. The emotions were very raw, and I felt like I was actually experiencing what Astrid felt. "The Secrets Crows Keep" by Bradon Nave, another fantastic story, combined elements of horror and time travel in a way that I truly admire. I love that he took a very dark spin with his story while also making a very clear storyline, which was somewhat surprising given that he had a limited amount of pages. J.L. Clayton's story "Lines of Time and Desire," which starts off the anthology, was what drew me into the collection and made me want to read more. I finished her story feeling happily unsatisfied that the main characters did not get the happy ending that most stories give them. Jeremy Simons' story "Bridging the Gap" pleasantly surprised me as well. I had never read any of his works before, but I admired his complex storyline and the way he ended his short story with a bang! Lastly, I want to mention Ashlee Shades' story "Cassandra's Choice." I loved that she chose to make her main character go back in time because I have never been much of a fan of futuristic time travel. I was also very satisfied with the ending. I think she did a great job of writing a conclusion that adequately ends the plot but also leaves room for the reader's interpretation of what happened next. The rest of the stories were also great! Each of the authors definitely had their own style of writing which worked well for a collection such as this. I highly recommend this anthology for lovers of time travel novels or those who would just like to read an anthology of stories from some very talented authors!

[Energy Rae · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a decent enough collection of various time travel short stories. There was a good variety of stories to pick from, (12 total), though I do feel that some of the stories could have used a bit of editing. The result makes the book a bit mish-mashed as some stories are written and edited very well, smattered between some poorly edited ones with spelling mistakes. I like that so many authors came together to collaborate on such a unique theme.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

These 12 short stories all involve some sort of time travel but all 12 authors created a unique story from that topic and fabricated a world of their own, that diversify them from the other.

It is amazing in the amount of words these authors have written that they are capable of exploring the subject, develop beautiful characters and create an imaginative story that us readers become engrossed in.

Each author has their individual take on the topic and each story is drastically different perspective from that topic and each author.

A cell phone, a witch, a alien, a portal, a duke, a old woman, a bridge, a spaceship, a pouch, a meteor, a thief and a diary.

Each story dramatically different but coming together as one Shattered Time Anthology. This anthology gives you a chance to explore new genre, find creative new authors and fall in love with the idea of time travel. You will find that you can’t stop yourself from continuing to read the next authors take on time travel and before you know it, it’s finished and you have found a new interest in a genre you never explored or even a few authors you will be adding to your TBR.

This anthology induces in the reader a variety of emotions, thoughts and wonderment. Our emotions run wild with complexion, joy, sadness, fear, hopefulness and love. Our thoughts are bewildered, perplexed, fascinated and awed. Our wonderment is from how each story and each author has given us a common topic but conceived extremely different alluring storylines.

No matter what your preferred genre or subject is, this book satisfies all and has you exploring new.

[Jenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I must first disclose that I love books about time. Time travel is a favorite genre of mine. With all of these amazing authors, buying this book was an easy decision. I was not disappointed. So many great stories.

My favorite was The Salesman by D.A. Roach
"If you had the chance to change the one regret you had in life, would you?" An interesting question. It is a tale of be careful what you wish for. The story flowed perfectly. The main character Melanie is easy to relate to as she struggles to clear her head and get some restful sleep. Anxiety is a big part of her life.

I recommend this book to anyone who loves tales of time. It is an entertaining collection.

[Sophie Koufes · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a Time Travel themed Anthology with a intriguing & distinctive set of short stories.
My favourites were:
Lines of Time and Desire by J.L. Clayton. -Sweet Spicy & Sexy & with Shocking Twists
Homecoming by Carissa Ann Lynchave - A sweet & captivating read.
Cassandra''s Choice by Ashlee Shades - A sweet historical time travel story that will have you on the edge of your seat. (Favourite)
Whispers of Forever by T. Guthrie - A fantastic fantasy/time travel. A suspenseful nover with a bit of supernatural.
I highly recommend reading this remarkable anthology as it each short story is distinctivly written. I volunteerly reviewed this anthology.

[Bridgett Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I heard this was a Time Travel themed Anthology, I pre ordered it so fast. I love time travel, ( I'm a big fan of Doctor Who) and was so excited to read this. Inside are 12 stories.
*Lines of Time and Desire by J.L. Clayton
*A Web Through Time by Niki Livingston
*Homecoming by Carissa Ann Lynch
*Willow and the Forbidden Portal by Regina O'Connell
*The Secrets Crows Keep by Bradon Nave
*Cassandra's Choice by Ashlee Shades
*Bridging the Gap by Jeremy Simons
*Time's Launch by Joe Pranaitis
*The Salesman by D.A. Roach
*One Cockroach Left by Genevieve Moultrie
*Time by Grace Charles
*Whispers of Forever by T. Guthrie

I had my favorites but I really liked all the stories. Fantastic job to all the authors.

[Marsha Bernabe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous

Fabulous anthology. This includes Many varied stories, all with the common theme of time travel written by some of my favorite authors.

[Alicia Harrietha · Rating 5 out of 5]

So very impressed with the stories that make up Shattered Time Anthology. The collection of stories about time travel and the endless possibilities of if it could really happen are given to you in such beautiful detail in these stories. Some of the stories are about love (finding it and losing it), some stories are of second chances and others are darker or scientific. Other than sharing a theme all the stories are well written and keep you wanting more. Beautiful book cover by R.L Weeks.

[Lisa Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't know where to begin. This anthology rocks! There are 12 stories and each one is completely different from the other. Each story is amazing and I found myself transported in time right along with the characters. I couldn't help but be sad when each story ended.i wanted to stay longer. I was taken to the past, to the future and from the future back to the past. As far back into the past as the beginning of time. From lovers that never get to be together (JL, you broke my heart and made me blush ❤), to believing you still have your abusive cheating husband locked away and the crows keep watch, to aliens who try to save their people, unsuccessfully in some cases, to Time, time.Time, to being hidden away in another time, an alternate reality by your parents to protect you from racist idiots, to my all time favorite, being reincarnated and finding out you're a witch and a vampire. Although I loved every story, each for different reasons, the last story by T. Guthrie completely captivated me and won't my readers heart. I will most definitely be reading each of you twelve's other books. You guys rock and are so very talented.
I highly recommend this book a thousand times over. I have only read one other anthology with this many authors and this one is by far the better one. Although each story was about time travel, each was individualized. No repetitive story lines here.

[Cindy Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an amazing collection! So many unique ways time can be shattered and the consequences...wow!

The first story, Lines of Time and Desires set the tone for the whole collection perfectly. You find out very quickly that what is going to happen is not necessarily what you figure will. Getting text messages across time, wow! Could it happen?

Willow and the Forbidden Portal was captivating. Concept that although some things changed others remained the same.

Time's Launch...amazing Sci-fi specimen for the collection. What happens when you time travel and have an issue? Can you ever return?

Time was unnerving, I am not sure I would want that kind of life.

Whispers of Forever..what can I say! Perfect end to this collection.


Every story in this collection is so well thought out. The flow the concepts seem so probably.
I loved the whole book.

[Heather Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have always loved stories that involved time travel, and when I saw J. L. Clayton was featured in this anthology, I knew I had to read it. I loved that I could sit down and read a story within a hour and feel satisfied with how the story ended. A couple of the stories left me wanting more and needless to say I had to add some new authors to my ever growing TBR pile. I highly recommend this anthology to anyone who enjoys a quick time travel read.

[Raewynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, if you are a time travel nut, you have come to the right place! This set has it in spades although, the first one was a bit sad :(

Something here for everyone.

Many different genres, and nothing is too long so you don't lose the plot, you can just finish a story and carry on with the next one.

Definitely would recommend this set.