We Are All Connected

Crows, seems to me, have a bad reputation. They’re dark and plain, but different than ravens, which may be why I think they have a nefarious character, because I mistake them. Ravens are larger, with bigger bills, and shaggier feathers. Crows are sleek. We see both associated with horror movies and graveyards.

Recently, while researching for a story, I ran across an article with accounts of crows showing evidence of human bonding. Story after story indicated the birds bestow gifts on humans as bribes or payment for previous feedings. People from all over the world have reported crows returning a child’s lost toy or leaving humans trinkets and shiny objects.

Stories about crows span from Native American legend to their intelligent adaptation to urban areas. I most often see them in parking lots of fast-food restaurants or fighting with seagulls for breadcrumbs or French fries. However, many have reported communing with the same crow day after day in a park or on walks home from work or school.

Gabi Mann, an eight-year-old in Seattle, collected buttons, beads, paperclips, and a heart pendant, among other things. All these items were brought to her by crows she befriended in her backyard. She feed them and could recognize them apart from the group.

Crows in Japan were taught to barter by a vending machine repairman, Tetsuya Honda. After noticing the crows were stealing coins, Honda gave the crows peanuts in exchange for the coins. They learned quickly and soon gave him more coins than he gave peanuts.

In Native American folklore, the crow is a trickster and a messenger who brings gifts from the spirit world. Many cultures have legends about crows’ gift-giving behaviors.

I’m working on a spin-off series to the Meg Miller Cozy Mystery Series. This second series is titled, We Are All Connected. When I decided on that title, I was thinking about human connections, but thanks to this research about crows, I’ve expanded my thinking to all living things. I already knew about that connection but like so many things I take it for granted.

So, in my current work in progress, a young boy’s relationship with crows will play a role. Since I’m a pantster, I’ll know what that role will be when the crows reveal it to me. What started out to be a spooky story is turning into a gift. I’m not scared but looking forward to the reveal.

I hope to have this current project done by the end of the year. However, the Meg Miller Cozy Mystery Series is available individually or in an ebook boxed-set of six novels. It’s free on KU:. Individual novels in the series are also available and I recommend reading them in order: Book One, Dickens of a Crime, Book Two, Pelican Beach Murder, Book Three, Mystery on Inheritance Ranch, Book Four, Blue Feather Mystery, Book Five, Den of Uncles, and Book Six, Downtown Murder. All these novels area available in Kindle Unlimited on Amazon. Links are available to other books on my website.