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Mad bombers, matchmaking, magic spells—what's a butler to do?

Meet Bostwick von Dogsbody, a sardonic door-to-door magician, and his white rabbit, Emmaline, who just happens to be a cursed human princess. The two are traveling through the goblin-run continent of Ataxia in search of the legendary Domino of Nonpareil—a mask that allows the wearer to become anything he desires—in order to return Emmaline to normal. Their journey has finally led them to Styx Castle, where they meet Millicent, a human maid who wound up in Styx due to mysterious (and embarrassing) circumstances, and Delilah, a goblin queen with a taste for the chaotic.

But Bostwick’s theft of the Domino does not go unnoticed. To avoid a harsher punishment, he agrees to be Delilah’s butler for a hundred years. Before he can escape the queen’s clutches, he’ll have to face mad bombers, an all-bugbear police force, romantic schemes gone awry, and a mysterious goblin-turned-cat named Sebastian who also has designs on the Domino. And as if that wasn’t enough, he soon learns that Millicent is also a magician—and needs him to teach her!

Miscast Spells, by Rose Corcoran, is available amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com. Purchase your copy today!

The Rose Teacup and the Sinking Ship

I am standing in the middle of my half-empty room; my bags are packed and sitting by the door. My closet looks so empty without the majority of my clothes taking up the space. I just stand there and look around; this is the room that I have called my own for nineteen years, this is the house that I have lived in for nineteen years, and now I am leaving all that is familiar to go off to the unknown: college. I am starting a new adventure, and I feel lost. My head knows that I will only be a thirty minute drive away from home, but my heart knows that I am leaving. I am stepping out onto a new path; I am becoming an adult.

I look around the room; my eyes drift to my book shelves. My mom always tells me that the shelves are cluttered and chaotic, but I say that they are perfect. There are old bottles, unique music boxes, various books, random figurines, and pictures “my beautiful mess” I think to myself. Then something catches my eye: a lone teacup and saucer. This teacup belonged to a china set that was my grandmothers. There used to be six of these cups, one was given to each of the grandchildren that had played with them at Gram’s house over the years. I look at the white cup: the deep red and light pink roses on the sides of the cup catch your attention while the lightly golden rim adds softness. My mind is suddenly rushing back into the past.

It is the beginning of winter; just cold enough to have a fire in the fireplace, but not yet cold enough for heavy jackets and scarves. The living-room of my Grandmother’s house is cozy with the two rocking chairs sitting by the open fireplace. An old black wind-up clock sits in the center of the mantle over the fire. Surrounding the clock are pictures of my aunts, uncles, and cousins mixed in with Thanksgiving poems written by various people, as well as birthday cards and pictures painted by younger cousins. My Pop’s big arm chair is empty; he is probably out in the pasture feeding the cows. I can see the kitchen table. It is huge. The table has to be big to allow our large family to gather around it every Sunday for lunch. The table is set with a grand feast! The rose china neatly set at each place with a teacup and saucer, a tea plate, a fork and spoon, and a dish with blue Jello. Placed at random on the table are saltine crackers, some with peanut butter and others with cheese; there are all kinds of delectable fruits arranged so daintily on little plates; there is a dish with sugar cubes, my favorite part of the feast; and there are some little cheese cubes assembled in pyramids on each side of the silver candelabra that is lit in the center of the table.

We are all getting ready. My cousins, Ashley and Courtney, my Gram, and I are all putting on our fancy dresses. My dress is the pink dress, I hate wearing it, but Courtney is taller so she gets to wear the blue one; Ashley is wearing a peach-colored dress with roses and wildflowers on the dangling shoulder sleeves; Gram wears a peachy-pink dress with long flowing sleeves. We are in Gram’s room looking through her jewelry box. Gram wears her real pearl necklace and earrings that match. Gram is helping Ashley put on a diamond necklace and earrings while Courtney and I look through brooches and earrings for ourselves. I finally pick out a fancy black necklace and wait in the bathroom for Gram and Ashley to help me with makeup. It is a tizzy in the bathroom! Lipstick here, blush there, eye shadow and mascara flying around the room. Grams perfume fills the air. I stand by the fireplace waiting for everyone to finish dressing. The rock hearth is warm, so I slip out of my shoes and stand barefoot on it. The black clock chimes twelve deep times, and we are ready for tea.

With our makeup complete, we parade to the kitchen and take in all of its glory. As we seat ourselves, I notice how fancy Gram looks wearing her mink coat, bright red lipstick, and no glasses. We begin to talk of trains and ships, how much we like the sea. “Gram, may I have some tea?” Ashley asks, “Why, of course!” Gram replies. I think to myself how proper they sound and I wonder if I will ever be that elegant. We eat ever so carefully as to not spoil our dresses; we sip tea and continue conversing until we finish our meal. “Are you young ladies ready for the dance?” Gram enquires, “Absolutely!” we cry. We fold our napkins and place our utensils neatly on our plates, then we rise and walk to the grand staircase.

As we descend the stairs we hear the band playing. Just outside the gigantic window opposite the bottom of the stairs I notice the gentle waves splashing in setting sun light. Young men greet and escort us to our seats. We laugh and talk with the other ladies for a while as we all fill our dance cards. Then the night begins. The lights dim, and as the band begins to play something bouncy, my first dance partner guides me to the dance floor. He is a wonderful dancer. I am so clumsy, but he is a gentleman and compliments me just the same. In between dances the ladies discuss which man is the better dancer or which is the better suitor. I watch Gram and Ashley dance; they float over the polished hardwood floors so gracefully, that it is almost like a dream.

Several hours later, we stand in a corner fanning ourselves. The room is so hot; maybe it is the blazing fire making it so, or maybe it is simply the exhilaration from the night. We are all exhausted, but we decide to dance one more time before retiring for the evening. The last song is a polka, and as we spin about the dance hall I notice Courtney’s long brown curls bouncing while she spins with the music. Everything is so beautiful, the lights, the music, and the dancing. My dance partner is spinning me, I am so dizzy that the whole room seems to blur.

Suddenly, we hear a loud crash and the floor rumbles. My feet slip out from under me and I fall to the ground. Everything is still spinning, but I can see that I am not the only one lying on the floor. No one knows what is happening. I can hear a rushing sound; I look up at the stairs and see water rushing down them like a waterfall. My heart sinks. “Lacey, come here!” Gram yells. I rush over to her. We four cling together as we fight against the freezing water in an effort to get to the stairs. The air is filled with screaming and fear. We reach the stairs, but there are so many people pushing against us that it is nearly impossible to move. The water is so cold against my waist. Courtney screams; I look and realize that Ashley has lost her hold! A sharp pain rushes through my body as I watch her being swept down the stairs into the pool of water that was the dancing hall only minutes before. Courtney tries to jump after Ashley, but Gram stops her. We cannot see Ashley anymore; she disappeared under the water. Courtney sobs in Gram’s arms. A sense of horror rushes over me as I realize that Ashley is gone forever. We scream for help, but all of the gallant young men, whom we thought so brave, would no longer glance our way. There was terror in their eyes, no chivalry was left in them. I see what appears to be Gram’s fur coat floating in the rising water; it is ruined, our dresses are ruined; I notice a tear in mine. I am quickly forced back into the moment by the cold water slapping against my chest like nails. I can see that Courtney’s lips have already turned a dark bluish-purple. Gram is trying to pull Courtney and me up the stairs, but the water’s force is too strong, so we cling to the banister and each other. Our heads are almost under water now, and Courtney has stopped screaming for Ashley. Gram shakily kisses first Courtney, than me, on the cheek. “I love you,” She says. The screaming stops, the pain relaxes, everything dims, and then turns black.

I am standing in my room again, staring at the rose teacup sitting on my shelf. I remember so clearly the day that Gram, Courtney, Ashley and I played Titanic; that was just one of many things that Gram did to encourage us to use our imaginations. I remember the day as if I actually was on the Titanic, and I shiver just thinking about the cold water.

I think about how my grandmother taught me to be creative in life, I also think about how much she encouraged me, and I think about how much I wish she were here to see me moving into college today. I wish so much that she could see all the things that I have accomplished so far, but then I realize that she is here. My Grandmother had such an impact on my life that she lives on through my memories. Even though I am moving out today, I am not leaving everything that I have always known because I have memories and imagination. My family, past or living, will always be with me in my thoughts and heart, and even if my memories fail me, all I have to do is come home.