12 Quotes from Cornell Dyer and the Whispering Wardobe

When we were getting ready to release Bryony back in 2011, my daughter Sarah (who did a lot of the marketing for me) suggested I pull thirty teaser quotes from the book that she could post on Facebook, one each day.

We did the same for the second book, Visage, which is also part of the BryonySeries.

But for some reason, I never did the same for another book.

So now I am catching up.

Here is the synopsis and chapter headings for Cornell Dyer and the Whispering Wardrobe, followed by twelve quotes, one from each chapter.

Enjoy!

While investigating a home with mysterious whispers, supernatural super sleuth Cornell Dyer stumbles upon its source: an antique wardrobe in a room all by itself. But when Cornell steps inside, he discovers the wardrobe is more than a wardrobe and a whisper is more than a whisper. Even if Cornell solves the mystery, will he ever go home?

Prologue: 

Mrs. Peabody smiled as she set the last dollar down. She couldn’t wait to take the wardrobe home. She had just the place for it.

Chapter 1: A Very Thorough Investigation

“Good sir,” Cornell said. “The trickiest kind of whispers are the whispers that pretend to be doors or windows or cloth tapestries or handkerchiefs in pockets on suit coats.”

Chapter 2: Cornell Goes into the Wardrobe

Cornell stepped inside the wardrobe, but he didn’t close the door. He’d heard stories of foolish supernatural sleuths who shut themselves up in wardrobes and disappeared forever. It is absolutely not safe to walk into a wardrobe and shut the door. Cornell knew this well.

He left the door open.

Chapter 3: Forest of Everlasting Winter

“Am I in the wardrobe?” Cornell asked.

“You are – and you aren’t,” the robin said. “Let’s just call this the Land Not Quite Beyond the Wardrobe. Did the other humans come with you?”

Chapter 4: An Early Birthday Present

It was a sunny morning. Dew still sparkled on the grass. Birds cheerfully sang in the lush trees. The flowers along the paths bloomed with colorful blossoms. The snow melted off the knickknacks.

Chapter 5: The Cold, Cold Castle

Someone had painted them to look like real animals. But Cornell wasn’t afraid of them. Ceramic animals, no matter how savage-looking, cannot hurt anyone.

Chapter 6: In Like a Lion

The lion turned and smiled gently at Cornell.

“If you want to see real magic,” the lion said softly. “Come to the stone table tonight.”

Chapter 7: The Witch’s Folly

“Don’t you have ears?” Cornell said.

Upon closer inspection, Cornell noticed the fairy did not, in fact, have any ears. Still, since the fairy appeared to hear, Cornell decided to finish telling the fairy off.

Chapter 8: The Bric-A-Brac Battle Back

The lion was now shaking his paw at the Frost Fairy.

“It’s very rude to keep people awake with your whispering,” the lion said sternly. “I am grounding you to the castle to think about your actions.”

Chapter 9: Kings and Queens

The barnyard animals harmonized with the zoo animals and the wildlife. They filled the great golden hall with sounds no one ever heard before or after that night.

Chapter 10: After the Hunt

Cornell the Clever recalled another Cornell, but he couldn’t see the other Cornell. It was like trying to grasp a dream fragment after the alarm clock rings.

Epilogue

As he reached for the next sandwich, he felt something hard.

Right away Cornell deduced this was not a sandwich. Sandwiches, even stale ones, are soft and squishy. Mrs. Beaver did not serve stale sandwiches.

No, this could only be one thing.