Wildlife Rescue Series!

I was housesitting for J&S in Toronto when Craig Rintoul of BookBits came by to interview me about Crow Medicine. I shovelled snow for the first time in my life that week … and the second, third, fourth and fifth times as well. Anyway, the front walk was clear when Craig arrived.

I’d expected him to show up slinging bags of big, black, bulky audio recording equipment, child of the ’70s that I am. Instead, he pulled out what looked like an MP3 player and said, “Okay, ready?”

I have to thank Craig again for doing such a careful and compassionate read of the book, and for making the interview experience (always a bit nerve-wracking for me) so much fun.

No animals were harmed in the recording of this interview, although apparent evidence to the contrary may be heard near the top of the clip. That’s just Jiggy and Pixel, two wily grey tabbies and the house’s real owners, announcing their presence to their adoring public (you).

Enjoy!

Craig Rintoul of BookBits interviews Diane Haynes in Toronto about her latest book, Crow Medicine. Click here to hear their conversation!

If you’ve already read Crow Medicine, then you know bugs and the stuff that kills them play a pretty big part in the story. If you haven’t, then I’m not going to spoil the surprises!

But here’s some great news for anybody who’s ever worried about what exactly that huge list of chemicals on your mosquito repellent actually means and whether or not they’re good for you and your animals at home.

Back in 1996, a company called EcoSMART Technologies Inc. contacted the University of British Columbia (UBC) with a research problem for them to solve (lucky ducks!). “They had this product that killed insects but they didn’t understand how or why it was working,” says Dr. Murray Isman at UBC.

Dr. Isman and his researchers tested the products and developed them for use as insect repellents. They also came up with ideas for the future, including using similar products for agricultural purposes.

EcoSMART’s new product line contains essential oils of rosemary, clove, thyme and peppermint — all things you can find in an aromatherapy store! The products will be available at American Wal-Mart stores this spring (okay, I can’t believe I named the W-store in this blog, but hey, if they’re the only ones carrying this stuff, then they get the mention!). No word yet as to when they’ll be available in Canada, but you can count on me to let you know!

- Flory Morales

Teen Services Librarian Jen Waters reviews Crow Medicine for the Canadian Review of Materials. Click here for the full review!

Here’s an excerpt:

At times, Crow Medicine veers into the land of Isabel Allende with dream sequences, spirit animals, tales surrounding the magical phoenix, and the addition of a wise old crone character who tells Jane about the “medicine” animals carry with them as well as the gift that certain people possess to access that medicine. This magical element may be an effort on Haynes’s behalf to widen her readership to include fans of animal fantasy. In this way, Crow Medicine could be a good companion to Clem Martini’s “Feather and Bone Crow Chronicles,” which are much less realistic and purely fantasy/folklore driven but similarly deal with a plague killing crows.

Vancouver fans will celebrate the launch of Crow Medicine, book 2 in Jane Ray’s Wildlife Rescue Series, this Friday, March 16. Interested in attending? Here are the deets:

Friday March 16

7-9 pm

WorkSpace

[www.abetterplacetowork.com]

Suite 400 - 21 Water Street in Gastown

mix + mingle

sweet + savoury nibblies

cash espresso bar

book sales + author signing

young readers welcome!

RSVPs required: write janeraybooks@gmail.com for more information, or to reserve your spot on the guest list!

“Crow Medicine picks up the story four months [after Flight or Fight], when Jane is volunteering at the Wildlife Rescue Center and finds out that the crows are in danger. Someone is killing the birds to raise the alarm about West Nile Virus, and since there is a genuine danger of the virus attacking, the Center decides to start euthanizing their crows. Jane and her two friends travel to the Rocky Mountains to pick up a vaccine that will allow the Center to reverse its controversial decision. The trip involves the most nail-bitingly suspenseful scenes in the book, and the three girls barely make it home alive.”

Read the full review at: www.quillandquire.com/books_young/review.cfm?review_id=5418

This title makes me sound very “courier de bois,” but in fact it refers to the school I’ll be visiting in Toronto, Ontario, on Wednesday, February 28. It will be my first presentation about my new book, called Crow Medicine, and fittingly, this is my first post on my first blog. I’m nervous - I always am before I speak - but I’m excited, too, because I’ve met some of these students before and they asked AMAZING questions. I’m about to start work on the third book in the series, and I have a feeling the questions that come up will find their way into my research, and into the writing. So HI to the students of Portage Trail, and I’ll see you soon!