Jerry Engler is the author of three books, two of them books of fiction short stories, Just Folks: Earthy Tales of the Prairie Heartland and A Heartland Voice: Just Folks Two , available at Amazon.com or Barnes & Noble.com. His third book, Highly Embellished Truth and Some Poetry: Just Folks Three, which includes both fiction short stories and poetry, was published in December, 2008.  He grew up on a family farm southwest of Topeka with a large extended family an important part of his life. His home area countryside was predominantly farmland back then rather than suburbs. He was an avid reader often finishing at least one book a week, sometimes more. He says he was destined to get an education because there was always a library in his classroom when he decided regular classes weren't interesting enough. He'd not only read every dog and horse book by the time he left elementary school, but also all of the Charles Dickens, Mark Twain and other great classic novels the libraries had. Jerry says, "I also liked to watch birds and animals, and they'll teach you a lot. Nothing beats an hour under a shade tree for inspiration and perspiration if there's no breeze." He and his wife, Belinda, have lived in rural situations for their adult lives with kids,generations of dogs, horses and cats, and other animals. Their home now is two miles from where the Cottonwood River flows into Marion Reservoir, a location where visitors watch flocks of white pelicans in summer and bald eagles in winter.It's a good setting for Belinda's work in giving "horsemanship" lessons with her Welsh ponies and Morgan/Arabian horses...a place to mentor kids. Jerry says it's a place where coyotes and bobcats compete to outnumber the people." Jerry has a B.S. from Kansas State University, and did graduate work both there and at the University of Missouri where he says he finished with a marriage license. He has written extensively for daily newspapers, weekly newspapers and magazines with thousands of articles written especially for readers in Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Arkansas. His commitment to authenticity probably received a boost because he started professionally as a research news writer for the University of Missouri. "I thought 100 column inches published in a semester was a lot when they told me I had to do that for a college course. In the newspaper business, 100 column inches published weekly wasn't a lot at all." He says, "There's no education that can beat the booms and busts of life," and his stories seem to reflect that. The short stories in his three books are known for their authenticity, humor, unique style, vivid description, warmth, and understanding of both nature and human behavior. Critics and fans are saying that is why they call him "The Voice of the Heartland." Jerry tells people that "most of my stories are either highly embellished truth or complete concoctions. That's how the title for my third book came about, Highly Embellished Truth & Some Poetry. The fun part for me is that people usually can't tell the difference. I have yet to have anyone tell me I write some pretty good lies. "People also tell me my stories uplift them. I like that. "I also like fiction because it allows the space to crunch the English language, and play with it. "But just when I thought short stories defined me, they introduced me as the poet, Jerry Engler."

Jerry has received recognition many times, he feels most notably an award for poetry from Kansas State University. He was selected to speak and read at the governor's first annual convention for the book, and has been marked as a favorite speaking to library groups. He has set records three times at the state fair which gives him the "market verification" he likes. Book stores frequently say he is their best "author signer" meeting the public.
Other than that he says his greatest reward is hearing back from readers who enjoyed his stories. "I like to hear that one of my stories made someone feel good, or gave them a special insight--or simply gave them a good chuckle at the moment.
"At the fair this year, I heard from a California man that he saw my books on the tables at a small-town Southern Utah restaurant for the customers to read the short stories while waiting. I think that's really neat. It's the kind of news I like to hear.
"I don't like to enter contests, and try not to do so unless it is something that you are automatically in to belong to a group. I want my stories to be written with the people in mind, and not because of the requirements of a contest."
His books have been selected as finalists for Kansas Notable Books.