For awhile now, my Google Blog has been neglected and underused for which I apologize.  I got so wrapped up in writing books that I forgot about it.

Then I decided to create a website. The idea was to do more than feature my books.  I wanted it to be interactive.  I wanted to invite people to participate.  I did some research and turned to web.com which appeared to offer a very reasonable charge for hosting.

I spent 3 difficult weeks building my site.  It was beautiful.  Then I discovered that the reasonable hosting cost was a "promotional offer".  The actual cost would be over 10 times as much.  When I expressed dismay, web.com offered me a better deal.  I told them I could not do business with a company that engaged in misleading business practices.  They were not  happy.

At this point, I realized that my way to communicate with my readers and other writers, and anyone else interested in participating in a kind of round table discussion had been there all along.  My Google Blog.  It was already up and running.  It had a presence on the Internet.  And it was FREE.

But it was time for a facelift.  

This very lengthy post is the result of all of the above.  So - to clarify: The idea is to do more than share my work with readers.  I want to create a forum for other writers, for readers, for anyone interested in sharing ideas, talking about books, writing and more - movies, music, whatever inspires us.  But Please - NO POLITICS OR RELIGION - WAY TOO DIVISIVE.

SO - PLEASE PARTICIPATE BY E MAILING ME AT joanklengler@gmail.com.  I will happily repost anything you want to share, with your permission, of course.

From this day forward - I promise to:

Update Weekly.

Respond to all comments and e mails.

Feature the thoughts, essays, etc of anyone who wants to participate.

Until I hear from you, a few thoughts of my own:

WHY DO I WRITE?*

A fiction writer's job is to entertain, to keep the pages turning, to keep it fresh, not formula. The dream of this writer is to do all that and more, to create characters that are real and to transport you to a different world - the California Delta, Echo Park & Griffith Park and very soon to the Port of Los Angeles and the City of San Pedro, a very different beach town than Marina del Rey.

* IT'S NOT FOR THE MONEY

The pen name Delta Mystery Writer comes from The California Delta - a magical world of islands, waterways and levees - a perfect backdrop for romance and mystery. My great affection for The Delta and its places - Locke and Walnut Grove, Al the Wop's and Wimpys led me to use it as a setting for The Delta Mystery Series.

But - It's not all about The Delta

The L.A. Mysteries are set in The Rancho neighborhood & Griffith Park  - home to Rick Sandler - a horse loving Homicide Detective and Katie O'Hara - who begins a new career as a Crime Scene Photographer.

The Two Way Shake is the first book in a new series - The Charlie Parker Mysteries featuring DEA Agent Charlie Parker.

The Stand Alone Books include:

Susan and Tecate - In one respect, I could say this book is the precursor to The Delta Mysteries because it introduces the character of Jessie - who will go on to be the central character in those books.  If you do decide to read it, be kind.  It was my first book and suffers from the flaws that many first books suffer from.  I thought it was so good - at the time - but rereading today I have seriously considered de-publishing.

Maggie Ryan - Volumes One and Two - a saga of two families brought together by one woman - Maggie, beloved daughter of an Irish bar owner, who comes of age on the shores of Green Bay, an inlet of Lake Michigan, in a neighborhood called Menekaunee, considered by some to be the wrong side of town.  Maggie's life changes forever when her life becomes entwined with the wealthy Ryan family, but the real change comes years later when she meets Joseph Dodge, the man for whom she will sacrifice everything.

17 Days - The story of Kimmy and Matthew, two people profoundly damaged by their pasts, thrown together on a canoe trip down the Colorado River.  From their rescue of the brave little dog Tachi which leads to a deadly confrontation, to their meetings with myriad people, each with his or her own story it's a sort of road movie with equal parts tears and laughter.

The Non Fiction Books include:

Luv'n Horses - Losing Fear - In my first non-fiction book, I discuss the topic most often avoided, dismissed or denied by riders - fear.

Fear is, in my opinion, like Dexter's Dark Passenger.  If we cannot learn to control it, it will control us, damaging and even destroying our relationship with the horses we love.

The good news - you can overcome your fear and begin to ride free and unburdened.  I will tell you straight out that I am not a horse expert or a trainer.  I am a fear expert and if I can beat it, so can you. 

Horses and Their People - Love Stories - Upon completing Luv'n Horses, it occurred to me that most people love to talk about their horses.  Perhaps, they would like to tell their stories and show off their horses.  This book is a collection of love stories celebrating the special bond between people and horses.  Each story is told in a person's own words and is accompanied by pictures.

I have previously shared information about The Delta Mysteries on this blog so I am not going to repeat myself.  If you're interested, just check out past posts.

In future postings, while I hopefully wait to hear from others out there, I will cover the books in The L.A. Mysteries series and the Charlie Parker Series (which so far, consists of only one book).

If you are interested, all of my books are available on Amazon in both soft cover and Kindle editions and in the Kindle Owners Lending Library.

REMEMBER THAT E MAIL ADDRESS  - joanklengler@gmail.com

Thank you.