Karin Ficke Cook

Email: Author61-mystery@yahoo.co.uk

Home page: http://www.thecookcompanies.com

Yahoo: imakerosaries

I come from a family of writers, many of whom have been published. One in particular, Arthur Davison Ficke, was a celebrated modernist in the 1920's and 30's. He was also quite an artist and a real character. One of my sisters, Janice Ficke Walker, is a retired Episcopal priest and psychologist. Both parents, Parker and Dorothy are deceased. Parker was a travel agent in Davenport, Iowa (a family business which I was proud to be part of), while Dorothy was a home maker and clothing designer. I am also adopted and my birth family has been part of my life for the past twenty-five years or so. They have been an integral part of my adult life and it has been a true delight getting to know them all. My sister Debra Osmun is also a writer, professional photographer and businesswoman.

My literary inspiration comes from the years of travel as a child (and as a travel agent) and from living in Great Britain with my husband Michael, a/k/a Mick. Both writers, we have been professional photographers (landscape, weddings, still, video) and have our own company since 1997. The Cook Companies is shared with Michael's brothers, Austin and Kevin in England. Our American portion's web site is: http://www.thecookcompanies.com. In addition, we restore plaster cast statuary for churches and private clients, plus specialise in statues over 125 years old.

Not to be confused with the other writer named Karin Cook, I have included my maiden name in my bi-line. We are both novelists, but of different genres.

"Northwoods Forest Mystery" (ISBN 1-4241-0595-1) launched 20 March 2006 through PublishAmerica.com and "Death Across the Pond" (ISBN 1-4241-5114-7) on 26 December 2006. The books currently published are part of a four-novel series of mysteries about an American family with some very odd relatives. The stories begin in 1883 and move to the contemporary time frame, then back to part of the original 1883 story line, with the pieces to the puzzle coming together at the end of the series. "The 'Ghost' in Bolton Hall" went live 15 January 2009, with the official rollout on 12 March 2009. The final book in the series, "Murder and Pasta Don't Mix" went live 9/23/09. ISBN 978-1-61582-557-8 (although the "official" rollout was on 14 November). The newest publication is called, "Five Shorts - Vol. I", sports five stories (obviously) - one a potential catastrophe due to Global Warming; the second about forgery in an English Abbey in Cornwall and the third is the paranormal murder mystery with time travel back and forth between two centuries. Plus there is a love story and a comedy! If you like shorter stories you can read in a day, these are lots of fun to read. And because I am numbering the volumes, yes, you guessed it, it's another series, but this time of short stories - only! The stories will be under my pseudonym of B. K. McManus - separate from the long mystery novels. This book should be out in 2010-2011.

I'd also like to sell some additional photographs - which means I need to get back to Ireland and the UK for that!!! I'm even trying my hand at writing prose and poetry - for the first time - with the focus on the West of Ireland....the Northwest of County Galway to be exact (with a spill-over in County Mayo). Now I really MUST go to Ireland for the photos to go with the poems!!

New books will be mostly historical novels set in the UK and Ireland and will be a total departure from the current series. One mystery currently in production is "Murder at Bosworth Field" about a group of re-enactors whose friend is murdered during the re-enactment. It's up to them to find the killer - and why their compatriot was murdered. And it's highly possible it's one of them. All the re-enactors are suspects - every last one of them just for starters - even the horse! I'm working with a re-enactors group to get the militaria correct for the time period. And that's a lot of work for all of us. Plus, now our location must be changed, as what was thought to be the battlefield, isn't! Now the actual location has been discovered a mile from where they thought it had been!

The illustrated children's series will be in the works for 2011 and 2012, geared toward the 2-6 age range.

I have included "Murder and Pasta Don't Mix" with my current publisher, as this is a series of novels and I'd like continuity with all the books. I've been advised my novels are also now available in hard cover with dust jackets and in large print books. I thought it was supposed to be the hard cover first, then the paperback! Just shows you how old I am!! Somehow this Kindle IPad business may be a flash in the pan, so I'll wait to see how well - and how long - it works before my books will go on them.

Interests: History (US and UK), Maritime law, battle re-enactment, digital and medium format photography, Internet research, furniture and old house restoration (I ADORE DIY), regional cooking, gardening, landscape design, antiquing, Border Collies, Maine Coon cats.

Published writer: Yes

Freelance: Yes

Published works:

Fiction