DENGLER, Sandy 1939-

PERSONAL: Born June 8, 1939, in Newark, OH; daughter of Walter Stecker and Alyce (Kabrhel) Hance; married William F. Dengler (a National Park Service ranger), January 11, 1963; children: Alyce Ann, Mary Margaret. Education: Bowling Green State University, B.S., 1961; Arizona State University, M.S., 1967. Religion: "Non-sectarian Christian." Hobbies and other interests: Needlework, horseback riding, canoeing, birding, art.

ADDRESSES: Home—Norman, OK. Agent—c/o Author Mail, Moody Press, 820 North LaSalle Blvd., Chicago, IL 60610.

CAREER: Writer, 1972—. Volunteer worker at Death Valley, Grand Canyon, Saguaro National Monument, Acadia National Park, Joshua Tree National Monument, Yosemite National Park, Mount Rainier National Park, and other national parks, 1965—; in charge of horses at a children's summer camp, 1975-80; first aid instructor for American Red Cross.

WRITINGS:

JUVENILE NOVELS

Summer of the Wild Pig, Moody Press (Chicago, IL), 1979.

The Horse Who Loved Picnics, Moody Press (Chicago, IL), 1980.

Melon Hound, Moody Press (Chicago, IL), 1980.

Arizona Longhorn Adventure, Moody Press (Chicago, IL), 1980.

Rescue in the Desert, Moody Press (Chicago, IL), 1981.

Mystery at McGeehan Ranch, Moody Press (Chicago, IL), 1982.

Socorro Island Treasure, Moody Press (Chicago, IL), 1983.

Chain Five Mystery, Moody Press (Chicago, IL), 1984.

JUVENILE NOVELS; "NEW SUGAR CREEK GANG" SERIES

(With Pauline Hutchens Wilson) The Big Bike Mystery, Moody Press (Chicago, IL), 2001.

(With Pauline Hutchens Wilson) The Case of the Cold Turkey, Moody Press (Chicago, IL), 2001.

(With Pauline Hutchens Wilson) The Case of the Dinosaur in the Street, Moody Press (Chicago, IL), 2001.

(With Pauline Hutchens Wilson) The Case of the Loony Cruise, Moody Press (Chicago, IL), 2001.

(With Pauline Hutchens Wilson) The Case of the Monster in the Creek, Moody Press (Chicago, IL), 2001.

(With Pauline Hutchens Wilson) The Case of the Red Hot Possum, Moody Press (Chicago, IL), 2001.

JUVENILE PUZZLE BOOKS

Beasts of the Field, Moody Press (Chicago, IL), 1979.

Birds of the Air, Moody Press (Chicago, IL), 1979.

Man and Beast Together, Moody Press (Chicago, IL), 1982.

FICTIONAL BIOGRAPHIES

Fanny Crosby, Moody Press (Chicago, IL), 1985.

John Bunyan, Moody Press (Chicago, IL), 1986.

D. L. Moody Press, God's Salesman, Moody Press (Chicago, IL), 1987.

Susanna Wesley, Moody Press (Chicago, IL), 1987.

Florence Nightingale, Moody Press (Chicago, IL), 1988.

ADULT ROMANCE NOVELS

Song of the Nereids, Zondervan (Grand Rapids, MI), 1984.

Summer Snow, Zondervan (Grand Rapids, MI), 1984.

Winterspring, Zondervan (Grand Rapids, MI), 1985.

Opal Fire, Zondervan (Grand Rapids, MI), 1986.

This Rolling Land, Zondervan (Grand Rapids, MI), 1986.

ADULT HISTORICAL NOVELS

To Die in the Queen of Cities, Thomas Nelson (Nashville, TN), 1986.

Code of Honor, Bethany House (Minneapolis, MN), 1988.

Power of Pinjarra, Bethany House (Minneapolis, MN), 1989.

Taste of Victory, Bethany House (Minneapolis, MN), 1989.

East of Outback, Bethany House (Minneapolis, MN), 1990.

ADULT MYSTERY NOVELS

Cat Killer, Victor Books (Wheaton, IL), 1993.

Mouse Trapped, Victor Books (Wheaton, IL), 1993.

Death Valley, Moody Press (Chicago, IL), 1993.

A Model Murder, Moody Press (Chicago, IL), 1993.

Murder on the Mount, Moody Press (Chicago, IL), 1994.

The Last Dinosaur, Victor Books (Wheaton, IL), 1994.

Gila Monster, Victor Books (Wheaton, IL), 1994.

The Quick and the Dead, Moody Press (Chicago, IL), 1995.

Hyaenas, St. Kitts Press (Wichita, KS), 1998.

Wolves, 2000.

The Comatose Cat, Guideposts (Carmel, NY), 2000.

The Wicked Step-Twister, Guideposts (Carmel, NY), 2001.

OTHER

Getting into the Bible, Moody Press (Chicago, IL), 1979.

Yosemite's Marvelous Creatures, Flying Spur Press (Yosemite, CA), 1980.

Jungle Gold (adventure), Zondervan (Grand Rapids, MI), 1987.

Dublin Crossing: Romance and Adventure in the Viking Era, Moody Press (Chicago, IL), 1993.

The Emerald Sea: The Quest of Brendan the Navigator, Moody Press (Chicago, IL), 1994.

(With Frank Minirth) The Headache Book, Thomas Nelson (Nashville, TN), 1994.

The Shamrock Shore: In the Footsteps of Patrick through the Hills of Erin, Moody Press (Chicago, IL), 1994.

King of the Stars: Saint Columba's Journey to Scotland, Moody Press (Chicago, IL), 1995.

(With Paul Warren and Jody Capehart) You and Your A.D.D. Child: How to Understand and Help Kids with Attention Deficit Disorder, Thomas Nelson (Nashville, TN), 1995.

(With Robin Jones) Where Was God at 9:02 A.M.?, Thomas Nelson (Nashville, TN), 1995.

SIDELIGHTS: Sandy Dengler has written more than forty books. Her work covers an impressive array of genres and subjects. In the fiction field, she is the author of mysteries, historical romances, and fictionalized biographies for adults. She is also the author of mysteries and historical novels for young readers. Dengler's nonfiction work ranges from puzzle books, such as Man and Beast Together, Beasts of the Field, and Birds of the Air, to religious volumes, and even a book about attention-deficit disorder.

Dengler's marriage to a ranger in the National Park Service has provided her with a unique opportunity to travel and learn about many special regions of the United States. She has lived in numerous national parks, including Death Valley, and she once hiked barefoot to the bottom of the Grand Canyon. Frequently, she served as a volunteer at the parks to which her husband was assigned. She has taken on the duties of an emergency medical technician, a first-aid instructor for the American Red Cross, a naturalist, a horse wrangler, and a paleontologist's assistant. Dengler has also traveled extensively out of the United States, frequently to Ireland and Australia. All these experiences have provided her with inspiration and background for many novels.

One of Dengler's most unusual books is Hyaenas. The plot of this novel revolves around the customs and conflicts of prehistoric people. In the story, a shaman named Gar discovers a headless body. The dead man's tribe tell Gar if he does not find the killer, they will send evil spirits to destroy Gar's family. Gar is a Neanderthal, and when he sets out on his search, he must face threats from the "Hairies" (Cro-Magnon people) as well as from countless wild beasts. Along the way, he is shadowed by a mysterious stranger who embodies the spirit and strength of a hyena.

Dengler once told CA: "The apostle Paul adjured his assistant, Timothy, to preach the work in season. Christian mainstream books (how-to books, exegesis, inspirational works, and so on) preach in season. Christian romances and historical romances preach out of season, in a new direction. They are for readers who want good reading but would never crack open a 'religious' book. 'Light reading' shapes the reader's attitude just as surely as does 'heavy reading,' and I feel as great a responsibility for excellence in romance novels as I feel for weighty tomes on creationism and evolution.

"The contemporary scene changes from moment to moment; a historical setting is frozen in place. Perhaps that's why I enjoy writing historical fiction (my children's novels and romance novels are all historical). Once I research a pretty good vision of a particular frozen moment, the moment itself suggests plot and situations. It shapes the characters. It seems more colorful and exciting than today's world (a curious thing, for the good old days weren't good in most respects). If it is presented well, that distant moment sharpens our perceptions of the present and shows us flaws in our attitudes—and some strong points as well.

"It is always easiest to write about a setting you know intimately. That makes the National Park Service a wonderful place to be, for I move every few years. If I haven't been somewhere I have friends who have, and friends' libraries are a trove of research information."*