An Inspiring Journey into our Better Natures
Date Published: 10-01-2025
Publisher: Greenleaf Book Group Press
Ten-year-old Luz sets out on an overnight camping trip, accompanied by her spiritual mentor. Peering through a canopy of California redwoods, Luz witnesses a council of animals confronting the menace of climate change. Led by a lustrous—and talkative—American Crow named Koro, the animals weigh their options. Some, like Koro, want to collaborate with humans. Others doubt humanity’s good intentions. The conversation compels young Luz, innately in tune with the natural world, to fight passionately in its defense.
At once a work of fact-based activism and a moving coming-of-age, Crows Calling immerses the reader in a richly-drawn family and community who, despite their differences, decide to dedicate their lives to the care of Grandmother Earth. They are not alone. Rather, they are accompanied by a colorful cast of savvy planimals—bears, coyotes, trees, and even chickens—with long memories and ancient ways of healing. However, some damage cannot be undone. Natural disasters, public apathy, and greed threaten everything that Luz and her friends are working for. Can the cross-species alliance find unity and resolve the climate crisis?
Interview with Bruce McConnell
Author of Crows Calling
Could you tell us about any research trips you took for this story? Which places did you visit, and what made them essential to your writing?
I visited the parts of North Dakota where the Nueta (Mandan) Indians live and where the character Makah, the mother of the heroine Luz, grew up. Luz’s Native American roots are essential to her ability to understand and communicate with the “planimals,” including crows, who are calling for humans to wake up about climate change before it is too late.
Other visits include considerable time in and around Monterey, California, to ensure that the story’s settings were as accurate as possible. The scene at the American Indian Museum in Washington DC is based on a visit there, as well.
What's the strangest thing you've ever had to research online for your book?
One really fun research topic was animal consciousness—how do animals (and plants, for that matter) think and feel. One article was called “What’s it like to be a bat?”
What research (history, mythology, science) goes into your world-building?
Histories:
- Indigenous peoples and their lives before and after European settlers in America
- Wildlife loss from human activity over the centuries
- Political history of responses to climate change
- The origin of all chickens—from Southeast Asia thousands of years ago
- Japanese internment in California
Mythologies: Native American (especially animal stories), Greek (gods, animals, and mortals), and Buddhism (nature of the soul and consciousness).
Science: Mostly climate-related science, but also excursions into DNA tracing, industrial air conditioning, pregnancy and miscarriage, and earthquakes.
Have any of the people you've known, past or present, left a lasting impression on your writing journey? If so, we'd love to hear about a memorable experience that stands out to you.
Wendell Berry, who just recently died, has been a beacon of light for me since I met him in college. His love of the earth, his fine poetic craft, and his inherent gentleness and humility made a mark on me early on that strongly influenced the way I think and write about nature and peoples’ role as partners, not owners. A couple of years ago, I wrote a letter to him thanking him for his life example, and I received a beautiful handwritten reply which I will always cherish.
Do you write in the same genre all the time?
I write novels, poetry, and a variety of professional, non-fiction short pieces in international security and cybersecurity.
If so, have you ever consider writing in another one?
See above!
Which character, supernatural or human, do you enjoy writing the most and why?
I have two favorite human characters—Luz, who goes from ten to fifteen years old in the book, deals with a lot of challenges growing up in a scary world; and Jack Clemens, the selfish venture capitalist, learns some things about himself and makes me feel hopeful about the future. Of course, when it comes to animal characters, I love Koro, the crow narrator. I love how she takes her mission, but not herself, so seriously.
A leading player on global peace and security issues at the intersection of governments, business and civil society for over thirty years, McConnell is the former President and CEO of the EastWest Institute. He serves on the board of The Stimson Center, in support of peace, security, justice, and prosperity for all living beings.
From 2009 to 2013, McConnell served in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, where he was Deputy Under Secretary for Cybersecurity. He was a member of the Obama-Biden Presidential Transition Team. From 2000-2008, he created, built and sold two consultancies that provided strategic advice to clients in the technology, business and government sectors. In 1999-2000, McConnell led the International Y2K Cooperation Center, which was sponsored by the United Nations and the World Bank.
McConnell holds a Master of Public Administration from the Evans School for Public Policy at the University of Washington and a Bachelor of Sciences from Stanford University. He serves as a business advisor to various technology companies.
https://mybook.to/CrowsCalling
