In 2020, Karen Ringel retired from an engineering career to settle in the Driftless Area of Wisconsin with her husband. After taking some time to adapt to the rural lifestyle, she started creating the fictional Casten’s Horn, imagining how a small town might have been founded in the secluded valley she lives in. Always a researcher at heart, her books include references to real bits of history and traditions in an effort to enhance her stories. She writes what she likes to read: small-town mysteries with a cozy feel.