Ruth D. Hein grew up in Van Horne, Iowa, and was the middle child in a ghost-free Lutheran parsonage. With a masters degree from the University of Northern Iowa, she taught high school English as well as creative writing for 28 years, 21 of those in Decorah. Ruth lived near Worthington, Minnesota, where she collected ghost stories and wrote the historical column for the Worthington Daily Globe for 14 years. She passed away in 2011.

Vicky L. Hinsenbrock’s German relatives loved to tell stories of the unexpected happenings when she was growing up in northeast Iowa. A graduate of Iowa State University with a major in animal science, she works for the USDA. She and her husband live in an old Victorian house in the country. No known ghosts inhabit their home.