The story behind "The Crow’s Gift"

Several years ago, I developed an appreciation for crows. Maybe it was because their calls remind me of my childhood on a farm. Or maybe it was because of their presence in myth and legend, or maybe it was the haunting nursery rhyme, “one is for sadness, two is for mirth…” or possibly Edgar Allan Poe’s poem about a raven.

Whatever the reason, I thought it would be fun to write a story that opened with a crow giving someone a gift. Beyond that, I had no idea what the tale might be about. Later I began thinking it would be interesting to write a book with two stories running in parallel. The stories could be hundreds of years apart and somehow linked by the crow’s gift, but the plots were evasive.

Then, during a tour of Salem Village, it struck me that witchcraft should be a part of the story. I threw in some romance and the two tales began to gel. Later, after bouncing ideas off of friends and family, I was ready to start writing. The process took a year and a half to complete, but I think you will find it a good read.