Arthur M. Mills, Jr. went back to research the empty lot next door. His conclusions were that the ghost Candle Face and how she tormented him were indeed very real.
Whether or not people believe in ghosts, the true-life experience of Arthur M. Mills, Jr. deserves consideration.Find out who Candle Face was, her taunting behavior, and how she turned a boy’s childhood into a living nightmare in Arthur M. Mills, Jr.'s The Empty Lot Next Door (978-0-9860166-4-6, Branching Plot Books, 2012).
Ray (Arthur's childhood name) and his family have just moved into a small house beside a strange, vacant lot where another house once stood, and where a huge wide hole mysteriously awaits the brave or foolhardy. Ray and his friends consider the empty lot just an exciting playground until Ray hears tales of how the lot’s house burned down years ago, leaving a girl to die in the fire. According to the neighborhood kids, the little girl will come out at night to haunt anyone who dares to jump into the empty lot’s hole.
Both frightened and intrigued, Ray decides to test the validity of the tale. When he jumps into the hole to challenge the ghost, nothing happens. But in the night, Ray sees a figure emerge from the hole who makes eye contact with him. Soon, Ray is haunted by Candle Face. She visits his dreams and leaves handprints and other terrifying signs for him even when he is awake. In a recent interview, Arthur Mills recalled his bone-chilling meetings with Candle Face. “At first, she was upset that I disturbed her rest. Then I believe she just liked tormenting me. I guess she could have killed me at any time like I suspected she killed others. I am not sure why she didn’t kill me. I guess I was just her toy.”
The Empty Lot Next Door is the true story of a haunting that Arthur M. Mills, Jr., experienced as a child. Although his haunting experience occurred over thirty years ago, the more time has passed, the more Arthur has grown convinced that the ghost Candle Face was real. Continuing to research the haunting, he now plans to write a prequel about who Candle Face really was.
Reviewers agree that The Empty Lot Next Door is a ghost story at its finest—perhaps all the more so because it’s a true story. Lisa McCurley of Reader Views says, “After the first night of sleeping with the light on, I ended up taking off two afternoons from work to finish it which is all it took because I couldn't put this book down.”
Kirkus Reviews agrees, “In a coming-of-age story that’s well paced and layered with emotion, Mills creates moments of true suspense through guileless prose as he unearths a family tragedy.” Anyone who enjoys being scared, or who wants to probe into whether ghosts are real, will add The Empty Lot Next Door to the “must read” list.
About the Author Arthur M. Mills, Jr.’s third grade teacher read Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory to the class and then asked the students to write a one-page sequel to the book. Arthur couldn't stop writing, and it was then that Arthur knew he would be a writer.
Arthur M. Mills, Jr. is a full-time husband, father, and Warrant Officer in the U.S. Army. If that isn’t busy enough, he’s also a full-time author. Arthur is the creator of Branching Plot Books, a book series devoted to the art of double meanings and reader interaction. Branching Plot Books include the award-winning part-memoir and part-fiction novel The Empty Lot Next Door and the teen/young adult interactive fiction novel The Crawl Space, as well as the modern day fable The Haves and Have Nots. Arthur and his wife, Yonsun, have two children, Arthur and Allen.
* Due to service-related injuries, Arthur “writes” his books with the aid of speech-recognition software.
