If you love atmospheric storytelling full of history, mystery, and a few restless spirits, I’m so glad you found Casten House Books.

Driftless Spirits is an introspective series starter featuring how Charlotte arrives in Casten’s Horn, saves someone in desperate need of help, and discovers a big secret.

Tangled Roots is a cold-case murder mystery with an eerie start and a thrilling ending, suitably spooky for its Halloween theme.

Next up will be Hidden Gifts, a Christmastime caper building on the events of Tangled Roots and setting up what I expect will be the series finale.

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praise for driftless spirits

“It’s a different twist on a ghost story, which makes this book so compelling. The main characters are female but not aggressively masculine like so many female protagonist books. Very enjoyable read—can’t wait to read the second book in this series!“
– Amazon review, U.S., “Excellent Read“⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“I really enjoyed this book. I wasn’t sure about the title, but then realised it was a clever play on the setting of the story and the character of the main protagonist. I loved the whole set-up of the story; the mysterious house, the small town it’s in, and the people Charlotte met during her sojourn there and eventual adventure.“
– Amazon UK review, “Loved It!“⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Pictures From my home in the Driftless area of wisconsin

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  • Driftless Thursday: Northern Cardinals

    I learned a fun fact about cardinals recently. I was writing the end of Tangled Roots and had the need for a bird to appear in a scene and sing a bit of encouragement. This particular bird is representative of… Continue reading

    Driftless Thursday: Northern Cardinals

  • Updates: 10 Days to Tangled Roots!

    My second book is up for pre-order and releasing on September 1st, 10 days away as of today. I’ve been doing a mish-mash of brainstorming Book 3, marketing Books 1 and 2, and overall bouncing from task to task. Let’s… Continue reading

    Updates: 10 Days to Tangled Roots!

  • Driftless Thursday: Pollinators Besides Bees

    It’s late summer and my ornamental onion (Allium) is blooming beautifully. Various bugs have been attracted to feeding on the pollen and nectar on the flowers. This year I’ve really noticed and took some pictures that had me running to… Continue reading

    Driftless Thursday: Pollinators Besides Bees

  • Driftless Thursday: Pumpkin Success!

    I am an absolutely amateur gardener. I have my Vegepods and my perennials and am pretty successful. The bane of my existence has been pumpkins. The first year I decided to try them, I had just enough success to feel… Continue reading

    Driftless Thursday: Pumpkin Success!

  • Researching Tangled Roots

    I’m a gal who does her best to get her facts right. Actually, I kind of obsess over it. It’s part of my character. Here are a few facts that I found out while writing Tangled Roots! The Ouija board… Continue reading

    Researching Tangled Roots

  • Sneak Peek: Tangled Roots

    Last night I worked up the courage to launch the pre-order process for Tangled Roots, the second book in the Secrets in Casten’s Horn series. The launch date is firmly set as September 1st now. No going back! I’ve also… Continue reading

    Sneak Peek: Tangled Roots

  • Driftless Thursday: Doofus 3.0

    “Doofus” is the name my husband and I gave the first deer who figured out our house is a great place to pick up a snack meant for birds and became a regular patron. Doofus 1.0 was brazen about it:… Continue reading

    Driftless Thursday: Doofus 3.0

  • Driftless Thursday: Critters with No Boundaries

    I’ve written in the past about critters that come right up to the house: Last week we had a visit from a juvenile groundhog. I like to think it was the kid of the groundhog we saw earlier this year.… Continue reading

    Driftless Thursday: Critters with No Boundaries

  • Writing Updates and Release Date for Tangled Roots

    I’ve had my head down for the last week or so, hyper-focused on catching any last errors and any final improvements to Tangled Roots. Just this morning, while in the bathroom, I thought of one last change. It was literally… Continue reading

    Writing Updates and Release Date for Tangled Roots

  • Driftless Thursday: Just Saying Hello

    I’m hyper-focused on final edits for Tangled Roots and exploring a shift in reveals to tell the best story. So, today’s DR post is an especially chill buck, just saying hello: I took this yesterday, out the living room window,… Continue reading

    Driftless Thursday: Just Saying Hello