The Rowanswood Crones

For many of us, midlife can feel like a crossroads. Our children have grown, our career has often plateaued, relationships change – sometimes dramatically. But as Olivia discovers, those moments of upheaval can be the very soil where transformation takes root.

For me, Rowanswood isn’t just scenery, it’s a character. Every shopfront, every stone wall, has a story to tell. Villages like this draw us in because they feel safe and cozy, yet they whisper of magic just out of sight.

I’ll admit it: when I first heard the word crone as a child, it wasn’t flattering. It conjured up images of bent old women with crooked noses, muttering curses over cauldrons. It was a word meant to diminish, to make invisible. Not exactly a flattering image.

In many fantasy stories, familiars are mysterious, silent creatures—always present, but rarely heard. That’s … not how it works in Rowanswood. Here, familiars have personalities as big as their Crones’, and plenty of attitude.