Karin Ficke Cook was born in Davenport, Iowa and now lives in Wisconsin and travels often to the north of England with her husband and fellow author/artist/photographer, L.M. "Mick" Cook. Both Karin and Mick are plaster restoration artists who focus mainly on antique church statuary. Karin's hobbies are collecting art and holy hardware, antiquing, regional cooking and designing/making rosaries and jewellery in Sterling Silver and gemstones. She has also been involved in bereavement and as a volunteer hospital chaplain.

Mrs. Cook comes from a family of writers. Her great cousin, Arthur Davison Ficke, was a well-known Modernist writer of the 1920's and 30's. His father, Charles August Ficke, wrote a family memoire depicting lives of immigrant families moving from Germany to America during the mid-1800s. Many were surprised when they realized Iowa was not Idaho - as they had been prepared to raise potatoes - not corn or wheat.