The Empty Room - Sarah Clemens

Mystery/Romance
Date Published: July 23, 2016
Publisher: Off the Page Publishing




The small town of Eastbrook, Maine seemed like the kind of close-knit community where newlyweds Dean and Elizabeth Montgomery could begin their lives together, and the 1930s Victorian seemed like the house they’d always dreamed of owning. The only condition for purchasing the property was that it was sold in “as-is” condition. But when the couple arrives in Eastbrook, they receive anything but a warm welcome from the local residents. And when they realize that as-is condition meant that the previous owner of the house had left every worldly possession behind, the dream of the small town life starts to take a mysterious turn. Day after day, Dean and Elizabeth uncover more truths than they could have ever imagined, or ever wanted to know about the secrets that were hidden in the small town of Eastbrook. And as neighbors become growingly hostile with every encounter, this young couple searches furiously to uncover what the residents are trying to hide. But what they find instead is that the home they thought they were getting a good deal on has a much higher price than they could have ever known, and that some secrets are better off hidden.

BIO:

Sarah J Clemens is the author of the debut novel, THE EMPTY ROOM. She began writing THE EMPTY ROOM in 2008 and formed her own publishing company in 2016 called Off the Page Publishing. Sarah was born in California and now lives and works in Boise, Idaho. In addition to writing fiction, she is a legal assistant with an Associate of Arts and a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice.


Excerpt

Excerpt Chapter One
 
The car grumbled to a stop at the end of the gravel driveway. The three-day car trip was finally over. The gas station food and bathroom stops were all behind them. They were home. The house might have been filled with someone else’s belongings, but they owned it now. 
The house looked like a postcard from the outside. Small shrubs lined each side of the driveway as it suspiciously winded its way to the front porch. The grass was wet with dew after the recent rain.
As though looking at a piece of abstract art, Dean and Elizabeth both leaned forward in their seats toward the dash and squinted from inside the window of the car. Their eyes moved from left to right, making sure to take in every detail that first met their view.
“It’s gorgeous.” Elizabeth peered out from beneath the windshield.
With her eyes squinted and her mouth opened slightly, she studied every feature of architecture as though the house would greet her with an exam before allowing her to enter. She broke her concentration from the house and pressed her hand to the passenger side window, looking up and down to visually imprint every detail that awaited.
Excerpt Chapter Eight
A knock pounded loudly on the door for a second time and Elizabeth involuntarily let out a small shriek. She frantically put her hand over her mouth, but the sound had already escaped and there was little doubt that Mrs. Jacobs had heard.
“Well.” Dean sighed, as he stood up from the crouched position he’d been holding beside the window. “Now we answer the door because you apparently have Tourette’s.”
As Elizabeth slowly stood up beside him, a third round of loud pounding ensued. Elizabeth jumped at the sudden noise and hit her head against Dean’s lower lip. His head jolted back from the force and he winced.
“Oh my God.” She leapt forward toward him. “Are you OK?”
Dean reached up his hand and clenched his jaw, pulling it from left to right. He pointed toward the door. “Great, first I get physically abused, now I’m going to get emotionally abused. And I still have no underwear.”
He finally came to the door and put his hand on the doorknob. He looked back at Elizabeth. “Just for the record, you are the worst covert ops partner ever.” With a specific intent in mind, he quickly turned the doorknob and ripped open the door as fast as he could. A startled Mrs. Jacobs stumbled backwards.
“You almost scared me to death,” she asserted, quickly brushing her dress to remove the imaginary wrinkles that had not formed from the unexpected greeting.
He stepped outside and grabbed Elizabeth by the wrist to pull her out of the house with him. “Well, follow-through has always been my problem. Look, we were just headed out the door and into town so we’re going to have to finish this later.” He reached for the doorknob and slammed the door behind him.
But Mrs. Jacobs did not move. Other than the slight falter when he opened the door, she held her stance and stared at the closed door. Dean had a feeling it was not the first or the last time she had ever had a door closed in her face. With their backs to the old woman, the couple took several steps toward the edge of the porch. 
“You live next door, right? We’ll stop by. Oh, the fun we’ll have.” Still holding on to Elizabeth’s wrist, he pulled her past Mrs. Jacobs and down the steps.
“Where are we going?” Elizabeth whispered.
Mrs. Jacobs turned to face them. Her hands clasped in a folded position in front of her.
“We’re going to see if we can find out what happened in that room, what happened in that house. Someone here knows. Everyone in this town can’t be as bad as Mrs. HaWiggins back there,” he whispered back.
 


Contact Information
Website: http://www.sarahjclemens.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/offthepagepublishing.com
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/53406864-sarah-clemens
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/Sarah_J_Clemens
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/sarahjclemens/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarah_j_clemens/


Purchase Links
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Empty-Room-Sarah-Clemens-ebook/dp/B01FPRS72A?ie=UTF8&ref_=asap_bc
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-empty-room-sarah-j-clemens/1123835884?type=eBook
Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/the-empty-room-4
iBooks: https://itun.es/us/0iqIcb.l

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Review: 

Dean and Elizabeth move into a new house in Maine. The house is what they dreamed of, but the previous owner left all their possessions behind. Dean and Elizabeth soon realize that the house holds many secrets and that the locals are not very friendly either. This was an interesting read. Dean and Elizabeth are a typical newlywed couple, just starting out in life, when things go wrong. Although it could be a little tell more than show at times, the story was enjoyable and I would recommend it.