The Crow's Ring

GOLD MEDAL Winning Authors Present

Another Rollicking Adventure

What begins as a fun summer turns wild and crazy when thirteen-year-old Brandon Woodberry and his best friends meet a salty old sea captain with ties to an unsolved 1930s jewelry heist. Determined to both crack the case and save the captains tugboat before its hauled off for scrap metal, Brandon & Co. follow their noses and a series of enticing clues.

But the heat is on after Brandons pet crow, Ralph, turns up with a valuable missing ring, and the line between hero and villain gets murky. Can Brandon and his friends - both feathered and non - solve the cold case, clear their names, and rescue the tugboat before time and luck run out?

Join Brandon for another adventurous summertime romp as he searches for the truth and discovers a curious bond to the sea.

Dont forget to read THE BIRD CAPER and THE BIG DREAM in The Crows Tales series. Laugh-out-loud mystery adventures to entertain young readers and adults, too!

THE BACKSTORY

The Crows Ring was always going to be a mystery adventure, like the rest of the series. The Captains tugboat, the Maryanne, is key to the story. Its based on Thorirs childhood in Iceland, where hed go to the harbor and watch the ships his father sailed on. He especially loved the look and character of the tugboats.

Another interesting point is that in book two (The Big Dream), Brandons pet crow, Ralph, finds a ring. The ring reappears and plays an important role in this story. Look at the ring on the book cover-its a copy of the one Victorias dad gave her many years ago when she was a young girl. The ring is meaningful to her since she didnt have her dad in her life growing up.

Near the end of the story, Brandon and Josh are served a beautiful Corn Flake Cake. This is a delicious cake with pineapple, whipped cream, and cornflakes. Thorirs Icelandic mother used to make this, and we both miss this tasty dessert. His sister, Ragnhildur, knows how to make the cake, but unfortunately, she lives far from us. Were hoping to try to bake it someday!

Is The Crows Ring the last book in TheCrows Tales series, or is there more to come? We originally intended to write only one book, the 1st edition of The Big Dream, for our grandchildren, as a gift for them for the holidays. Little did we know we would fall in love with writing for middle-grade readers and with the fun, heartwarming characters we had created. It didnt take long to figure out there was more to young Brandons story and his adventurous relationship with his pet crow, Ralph.

Instead of a series of loosely connected stories, we decided to focus on the characters journey through middle school. This allowed us to show how our protagonist, Brandon, and his friends matured in their interests and relationships. In book one, The Bird Caper, Brandon is 10 years old. In book two, The Big Dream, hes 12. And in book three, The Crows Ring, hes 13, turning 14. As the stories characters - Brandon, Josh, Penny, Skip, and Sophie - age, their challenges become increasingly complicated and exciting. This approach to the series has opened the door to endless adventures and insights.

So, if youre wondering, "Will there be a book four, five, or even more?" The answer is up to the readers!