Welcome to my stop on the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour for Driftless Spirits (Secrets in Casten’s Horn) by Karen Ringel. Stop by each blog on the tour for interviews, guest posts, spotlights, reviews and more!
Driftless Spirits (Secrets in Casten’s Horn)
by Karen Ringel
Driftless Spirits (Secrets in Casten’s Horn)
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Setting: The Driftless area of Wisconsin, in a fictional town called Casten’s Horn
Publisher : Casten House Books
Publication date : October 30, 2025
Print length : 280 pages
Paperback
Charlotte Burke can’t shake her recurring dream.
Over and over again she dreams of finding a mysterious journal on a candlelit desk while wandering through a strange house in the middle of the night. Every dream has shown her a framed picture of an old woman sitting at the same desk, except the latest version. Last night, the woman stood and offered Charlotte a keyring. In the morning, Charlotte woke up with her car keys in her hand.
Her best friend is worried but skeptical when Charlotte insists the house is real. The dream is metaphorical, Ivy says, reflecting Charlotte’s restless state. Ivy gifts her a journal and urges her to take the trip her subconscious is demanding before she wakes up behind the wheel. A roadtrip of self-discovery will help Charlotte figure out what she really wants.
Charlotte agrees to the roadtrip but not for Ivy’s reasons. To her, the house, the journal and the woman in her dream are all too real. She sets off to do the impossible. If she can find the house and uncover its secrets in time, she might save far more than her driftless life.
Author Guest Post: Cozy in the Driftless
(Guest Post by Karen Ringel)
My husband and I live a mile deep on a dead-end country lane, which itself is six miles of winding county roads away from a two-lane state highway. Our driveway has one switchback to get partway up the hillside of a long, narrow valley. First-time visitors are wide-eyed when they exit their car and we greet them at our door. They usually say one of two things:
- “Wow! You’ve really found a little slice of heaven!”
OR
- “If you kill me here, they’ll never find the body.”
Fitting for a cozy mystery setting, don’t you think? The first response evokes the warmth of my favorite genre. The second response suggests a perfect backdrop for hidden crimes.
When we retired in 2020 from jobs in the Chicago suburbs, I didn’t anticipate the sense of place the Driftless Area of Wisconsin would give me. That sense became a catalyst for my writing. For Driftless Spirits, I created the fictional Casten’s Horn by imagining how a small town might have been founded in the secluded valley I now call home.
The title of the book has several meanings. The main character, Charlotte, begins in a mental state much like mine at the end of my career. Everything had become routine and that sameness had made me complacent. It was a driftless feeling, like sleepwalking through life. In hindsight, I found it strange that I wasn’t uncomfortable until I became aware I was in that state. Then I became increasingly restless. I drew on those feelings to launch Charlotte on her journey.
Of course, the title is also a literal reflection of the setting. I’m in love with the Driftless Area and I hope to pass a little of that love on in every book in the series. From the quirky festivals in small towns to the bountiful nature on display, this is a great place to visit or live. It also provides endless inspiration. The traditions in Casten’s Horn are a fictional reflection of small-town life inspired by the region.
Finally, “spirits” has one other meaning. Appropriate to the area, Casten’s Horn was founded in 1860. I needed present-day characters with distant memories to tell its rich backstory. I wanted to write with a sense of history but avoid writing historical fiction.
Of course, Charlotte doesn’t arrive in Casten’s Horn knowing anything of its past. She’s following her instincts as she searches for a strange house and a mysterious woman she encounters in a recurring dream. She has many secrets to uncover as she also finds her sense of place.
As it turns out, Casten’s Horn is a little slice of heaven AND a great place to hide crimes, both past and present.
About Karen Ringel
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.
Author Links:
Author website, where I blog about my writing and the Driftless area of Wisconsin: https://castenhousebooks.com/
Goodreads author page, where “Ask the Author” is enabled, and I’m happy to answer questions: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/61067885.Karen_Ringel
Purchase links:
Universal Link Amazon Kindle Amazon Print Apple B&N (ebook and print) Kobo
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Driftless Spirits TOUR PARTICIPANTS
March 23 – Jody’s Bookish Haven – SPOTLIGHT
March 23 – Books, Ramblings, and Tea – SPOTLIGHT
March 24 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – AUTHOR GUEST POST
March 25 – Ruff Drafts – AUTHOR GUEST POST
March 26 – Sarandipity’s – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
March 27 – Hall Ways Blog – SPOTLIGHT
March 28 – Boys’ Mom Reads! – SPOTLIGHT
March 29 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
March 30 – StoreyBook Reviews – AUTHOR GUEST POST
March 31 – Salty Inspirations – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
April 1 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW
April 2 – Baroness Book Trove – SPOTLIGHT
April 3 – Because I said so – adventures in parenting. – REVIEW
April 4 – fundinmental – SPOTLIGHT
April 5 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
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