Edwin Copperpot Edits Done + New Mysterious Excerpt!

So, I love finishing a manuscript, but it's never truly done until the edits are finished, and I'm thrilled to say, yay, I'm done! I'm so happy with the way Edwin Copperpot has turned out! Can't wait to share with the world! I'm so glad Edwin is complete that I'm going to bother you all with another little excerpt. This novel has been a whirlwind in many ways! Now my rats will get the full attention they so greatly deserve!

xoxo -- Hilary

In this excerpt, Edwin has found the cellar of the mysterious House of Warrants. Things are growing stranger by the hour...

The spirit hovered around the bookshelves, waiting until Edwin followed. The books all had the date painted on their spine; Edwin noticed the last book read 1888. A hundred years he thought, maybe that's how long he'd been down here, or maybe there were more books somewhere, there was no way to be sure. The Phantom Spirit fluttered in front of another case.

As if impatient, the spirit aggressively rammed itself into the spine of a book several times. "I gather you want me to look at that, don't you?" asked Edwin. The spine of the book read 1788, in gold lettering. With a hard jerk, Edwin yanked the book from its shelf, expelling what must have been lifetimes of dust. "Just wonderful, more dust, thank you kindly." He coughed, fanning it away. "1788 was not a good year for yours truly."

He cracked open the book, revealing more of the same: Missus Elvira Tarkington, strangled while asleep, C-Mr. Jonathan Willington, brother, M.B. Edwin read a few entries aloud, "Sir Tobias Remington, gutted from stem to stern, C-Miss Lorna Remington, daughter, M.B." He assumed 'C' stood for culprit. "Gutted, by his flesh and blood?" Edwin thought of his father. He shrugged. "I suppose he must have deserved it. Luckily, my father was murdered before I had the chance to consider such an option." He flipped through several pages. "Well, whoever M.B. is, he's certainly a most prolific note taker. He has more entries than all the other M's combined, whoever they are." The pages were dated chronologically. "October second 1788, poor Monsieur Duvall did not meet with a peaceful reckoning in any fashion, apparently drowned by his servants, frightful business that must have been." The month, October, suddenly struck him. He looked at the spirit. "That's what this is about. My reckoning is in here, isn't it?" The spirit hovered in place.

Edwin madly turned through the pages, nearly tearing them from the book. "October 30th, 1788." Running a nervous finger down the page, he read the names off one by one. "Mr. Samson Todd, hanging, Miss Lucy Whittington, bludgeoned--" He skipped to the next entry, pushing out a shaky breath. "Lord Edwin Copperpot...Lady Celia Baskerville, eviscerated with an axe, C-Lord Leopold Baskerville II, husband, M.B." The book dropped from his lifeless hand. Holding the desk for support, he crumpled onto a stool.