From the author of Cradle comes the latest in my obsessions!

The Empire rules over all… unfortunately, the Emperor is dead, and nobody seems fit to take over.

In a world where eldritch monstrosities haunt the Aion Sea, humanity is only ever one step away from madness and decay.

Some believe the Great Elders to be the key to the next step in human civilization.

Some believe them to be forces of nature, no more concerned with humanity than the tides.

And some have garnered their interest, drawn into a game they cannot truly comprehend.

Don’t forget your sword.

With great joy and excitement, I am pleased to announce our first official book club group read!

We step into an urban fantasy world where Wrath, the last of the pureblood vampires, must face two equally difficult challenges:

Obviously, trained assassins and women who know their worth are on the same level of strenuousness.

Whatever is a 6’6” magical warrior to do?

Dear Crone,

I’m currently attempting to heal myself at 30 years old from quite a few different things: Toxic divorce, grieving a parent, career/future concerns, new heartbreak, and outgrowing lifelong friendships.

Honestly, the list goes on.

My question is, how do you begin to heal and stop taking other people's advice and comments on your own issues as fact, when you know that’s not how it is/was?

I have realized I’ve always taken validation from others.

How do I even do internal validation?

I wanna be ME.

HealinginProgress?

Dear Healing,

Internal validation is a constant, active choice, and a part of it comes from dealing with people seeing things differently.

When someone has an alternative version of events, you simply say, “Okay.”

Those who matter will know the truth, and the truth will always come out.

You must be cautious not to fall into a habit of rejecting criticism—that is the opposite of healing.

But if you know that someone’s advice doesn’t apply, you can thank them and ignore it.

A good rule of thumb is: if you wouldn’t ask them for directions, you probably shouldn’t ask them how to handle a personal issue.

Honestly,

The Crone

Dear Crone,

To make a long PTSD story short, last Nov several neighborhood dogs were poisoned, including 1 of mine.

It was heart-wrenching & took forever for me to even leave the house again.

Her name was Stella.

We're making Xmas plans with family now after not going to holidays last year & the first will be at my SIL's house.

She has a new dog... That she named Stella.

Didn't even ask, or think about what my husband & I went through.

Because of that, we won't be going now.

Am I being ridiculous?

Too Soon

Dear Too Soon,

You’re not being ridiculous, you’re being understandably sensitive.

Is that a good reason to miss out on holiday plans?

That isn’t for me to say, but I will suggest that your SIL isn’t being malicious.

Just because something is painful doesn’t mean it was done with the intent to cause you harm.

It is awful what you have had to go through in losing your Stella, and if you need more time, I do understand.

But your anger should not be directed at your SIL.

Grieve as you need to.

Kindly,

The Crone

Dear Crone,

I am a sophomore in high school, and I have had a rather unhappy experience with relationships.

My last boyfriend was an absolute mess: dorky, unreliable, and unhelpful.

Now there’s this junior boy.

He’s dorky, (possibly autistic), has a stutter, but he dresses nice and compliments me regularly.

I think he might like me, but I don’t know if I can return the feeling.

What do I do?

Comfortably Confused

Dear CC,

You don’t like him.

If you did, it would be obvious.

Those feelings might develop with more time, but for now, don’t rush into anything.

Obligation is the best way to create contempt and resentment.

Go about your day-to-day, and if he decides to ask you out, you can reassess then and there.

But understand that if the answer is no, you can’t be upset if he finds someone else!

Straightforwardly,

The Crone

Dear Crone,

I've been with my bf for 10 months.

We are mid-20s, but I feel we live very different lives.

I'm a chartered accountant, he is degree-less and looking for retail jobs.

I want stability and to move out, house-buy etc.

But he can’t match that; he can barely cover me on dates (we often split).

I adore him, but I worry that this isn’t sustainable, that he can’t help build the future I am working toward.

But he loves me sm I don’t think anyone else would love me like that.

I’m scared and don’t know what to do :(

Raphaelite

Dear Raphaelite,

Theoretically, he can move quite high in a retail environment if he has the drive to do so.

Assuming he doesn’t, I’m going to make the argument that love isn’t enough.

I hate the phrase “if he truly loves you,” but if he cares about building a future with you, he’ll step it up.

Don’t give up your future for a man, but just because his job prospects are different from yours doesn’t mean he’s incapable of matching you.

That being said, if he’s perpetually unemployed, run.

Financial literacy is a skill too many people avoid, and that isn’t compatible with the goals you have.

Honestly,

The Crone

My dearest, Crone (with a comma after dearest),

I have written in a few times before about uni life and afterwards my love life, neither of which is relevant to this story, so will go unlinked.

I am in the midst of navigating my first polycule!

One is a guy I've been crushing on for forever from my theatre class, and the other is a guy I met on Hinge (I know, but at least it wasn't Tinder).

I introduced them to each other.

So far, it’s amazing, but I am very unfamiliar with this area.

Any advice?

I should add that I have a feeling that theatre-bf is more insecure, esp since hinge-bf and I were dating longer, and are much more comfortable with PDA than he is.

They're also both trans guys.

How do I handle this?

Honey-moon-stageily,

Actress

Dear Actress,

Welcome back to the column! I see why you caught a theatre boy’s eye.

It’s lovely to see things are going so well.

The main rule I would operate under is: everything needs to be stated, nothing is implied.

If you’re dealing with a new member (ba dum tss), it’s everyone’s responsibility to be as communicative as possible.

I’m going to point out that theatre-bf could just not be a fan of PDA, which is why I recommend discussing everything!

Also, maybe the beefs need to get to know each other better.

I’ll admit, I’m not the most in-the-know regarding polycules, but you can probably just set your boys up on a date; the more chemistry between them, the better for you, I would argue.

Take it slow, and make sure you're open to whatever ideas the new boyf brings in.

Conscientiously,

The Crone