In Soul Weeds, Jan Brehm learns from a childhood shaped by conditional love, an older brother’s cruelty, and a mother’s perfectionism, to the long descent into addiction and the grace of twenty-five years of sobriety. Her memoir traces the sacred work of healing through faith, honesty, and time.
With the candor of recovery and the poetry of redemption, Jan tells of her father’s contradictions, her gentle brother Mark, her sister Cheryl’s heartbreaking death, and the lifelong echoes of her older brother’s rage. Through shame, survival, and surrender, she discovers that no soil is too scorched for beauty to bloom again.
More than a story of recovery, Soul Weeds is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the relentless kindness of God.
It is a reminder that healing is not the absence of weeds, but the courage to keep tending the garden—one day, one truth, one seed of grace at a time.
Jan Brehm is a writer whose work explores memory, identity, family, faith, and the complicated inheritance of childhood. Her career in modeling gave her an unusual window into beauty, perception, and the ways women learn to see themselves through the eyes of others.
Growing up in the Northwest and graduating from the University of Oregon with a teaching degree, Jan never intended to choose acting as a career or even envisioned working in front of the camera, let alone on stage before hundreds of people. But for the last 40 years, that’s exactly where she has found herself . . . and loving every minute of it! Jan’s career has included and continues in stage, film, television, corporate video, radio, live show presentations, and print.
Jan began as a model in 1981 and soon wound up in front of the camera in her first TV commercial in Eugene Oregon. Pursuing a career in acting, she studied at the Training Ground, now Portland Actors Conservatory and believes it was here she learned the solid fundamentals of acting which lead to the 1994 Cascade Awards Oregon Media Production Association’s “Judges Excellence In Achievement Award for Acting.”
With over 1,800 television commercials, Jan has the expertise needed to work both nationally and internationally.
In Soul Weeds, she turns that gaze inward, examining the beliefs formed in childhood and the long process of reclaiming a sense of worth that had been buried beneath them.
Jan Brehm is a writer whose work explores memory, identity, family, faith, and the complicated inheritance of childhood. Her career in modeling gave her an unusual window into beauty, perception, and the ways women learn to see themselves through the eyes of others.
Growing up in the Northwest and graduating from the University of Oregon with a teaching degree, Jan never intended to choose acting as a career or even envisioned working in front of the camera, let alone on stage before hundreds of people. But for the last 40 years, that’s exactly where she has found herself . . . and loving every minute of it! Jan’s career has included and continues in stage, film, television, corporate video, radio, live show presentations, and print.
Jan began as a model in 1981 and soon wound up in front of the camera in her first TV commercial in Eugene Oregon. Pursuing a career in acting, she studied at the Training Ground, now Portland Actors Conservatory and believes it was here she learned the solid fundamentals of acting which lead to the 1994 Cascade Awards Oregon Media Production Association’s “Judges Excellence In Achievement Award for Acting.”
With over 1,800 television commercials, Jan has the expertise needed to work both nationally and internationally.
In Soul Weeds, she turns that gaze inward, examining the beliefs formed in childhood and the long process of reclaiming a sense of worth that had been buried beneath them.
In Soul Weeds, Jan Brehm learns from a childhood shaped by conditional love, an older brother’s cruelty, and a mother’s perfectionism, to the long descent into addiction and the grace of twenty-five years of sobriety. Her memoir traces the sacred work of healing through faith, honesty, and time.
With the candor of recovery and the poetry of redemption, Jan tells of her father’s contradictions, her gentle brother Mark, her sister Cheryl’s heartbreaking death, and the lifelong echoes of her older brother’s rage. Through shame, survival, and surrender, she discovers that no soil is too scorched for beauty to bloom again.
More than a story of recovery, Soul Weeds is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the relentless kindness of God.
It is a reminder that healing is not the absence of weeds, but the courage to keep tending the garden—one day, one truth, one seed of grace at a time.
The online BeInkandescent Health & Wellness Magazine’s Fall 2026 spotlight is on Timothy Trainer’s forthcoming novel, The China Dilemma. The China Dilemma delves into the contentious and complicated U.S.-China economic competition. Like his two previous novels The China Connection and The China Factor, The China Dilemma exposes the risks to businesses pursuing profits in a country whose policies demand that companies and foreign governments play by China’s rules.
Twenty-six letters created the GREATEST stories ever written; now imagine the IMPACT you can make!
The English language alone contains over one million words. While some are outdated and archaic, it’s worth recognizing that all of them come from the same twenty-six letters we use every day without a second thought as we communicate together.
Throughout history, twenty-six letters have shaped the most iconic literary masterpieces of our lives. They have motivated authors, poets, prophets, and playwrights to challenge their creative boundaries and produce lasting works that have withstood the test of time.
My journey to becoming an author began on July 26, 2021, sparked by a text I’d written months earlier: “If twenty-six letters are capable of creating the greatest stories ever written, I’m pretty sure I’ll be okay.”
I’d be honored to have you join me on this journey as we explore the complexities of the game of “LIFE” we’re all playing. Though our paths are unique, they share more similarities than we often realize. And no matter where this game of “LIFE” leads you, remember: just like each of those twenty-six letters, you too are profoundly significant.
Shane Michael Whitehead has dedicated more than two decades of his professional career to the field of adult corrections. Throughout his years of service, he has remained committed to fostering a positive mindset and leading by example within an environment that can often be challenging, negative, and intimidating. His work has provided him with firsthand insight into the struggles faced by individuals caught in the revolving cycle of the criminal justice system, many of whom battle mental illness, addiction, trauma, or circumstances beyond their control.
For more information, please visitShaneMichaelWhitehead.com
Quite often, throughout the course of our lives, we will undoubtedly experience firsthand many unusual and unexpected circumstances that could potentially have an overwhelming impact on both our physical and emotional health and well-being. Although these circumstances are many times completely out of our control, they can play a vital role in the thoughts and feelings that frequently consume our minds. These thoughts and feelings have the awe-inspiring potential to not only directly impact our actions, but the outcomes that come along with each of those actions as a result.
Fred Berl was in Los Alamos to attend a book signing for his novel, The Warsaw Gambit, at Samizdat Bookstore and Teahouse, 174 Central Park Square, Los Alamos, New Mexico
Following a thorough review of your work against our Standard of Excellence, our panel has selected you Fred Berl as a Distinguished Author of the International Impact Book Awards for your book, The Warsaw Gambit.
This distinction is conferred upon a limited number of authors, leaders, and voices whose work demonstrates genuine, measurable impact on the readers and communities they serve. Your work reflected precisely the caliber this honor was created to recognize.
To be recognized as a Distinguished Author is to be positioned among a global community of authors whose words carry weight and whose ideas leave a lasting mark. This recognition is not given lightly. It is earned on the strength of what you created and it now belongs to you. It is a mark of distinction you carry into every room, every stage, and every conversation that follows.
Attached to this message is your official emblem and Certificate of Recognition, presented in acknowledgment of this achievement.
Local Book Club meets with author Timothy Trainer to discuss his book The China Factor.
Summary of The China Factor:
In the spring of 2005, the FBI foils a government employee’s attempt to provide confidential information to the Chinese. As the FBI struggles to understand why the information is valuable, its investigation entangles Capitol Hill staffer Kellie Liang and jeopardizes her nomination to a State Department position. Under scrutiny, Kellie thrusts herself into the FBI investigation. Seeking a voice of reason, Kellie reaches out to Aaron Foster only to learn that he is vacationing in Vietnam with his uncle, a war veteran. Surprisingly, Aaron believes he has found a Chinese corporate connection to the information theft, and from two sides of the world, Kellie and Aaron work to thwart China’s efforts and save Kellie’s nomination.
Timothy Trainer, an attorney, worked in multiple federal government agencies and in the private sector. His non-traditional legal career included significant time focused on international trade issues. His work required extensive travel around the world, including dozens of trips to the Asia-Pacific region. His experiences led him to co-author a legal treatise for fifteen years, penning the novels, The China Connection and Pendulum Over the Pacific, and authoring a non-fiction book The Fortunate Son: Top, Through the Eyes of Others, about men who served in Vietnam with his father.
The convention celebrating the 150th Anniversary of the American Library Association was held at McCormick Place in Chicago. It was my privilege to be invited as Media among the 14,000 attendees. And I mean that very seriously.
Imagine being surrounded by people who care about reading and their community. Who spend countless hours shelving and reshelving books for all of us so we can find that book which might just change our lives. Imagine how technology has changed the library. How the card catalog is now online and searchable. How volumes of information have been entered into a computer so we can have access to the knowledge of the world. Imagine helping all age groups to find their passion and provide programs where they can explore themselves and the universe.
As I sit in my local library, I marvel at all the books and computers that are available to everyone. My library card provides me access. It does not ask me about what I do for a living, how rich I am…or poor. It does not ask me for my nationality or religious beliefs. By simply being a resident in my community, I am welcomed to explore. Where else do you find that? And I know, I forgot to mention it: IT IS FREE!
There is no guardian at the door like Costco who makes you scan your card just to be able to enter. Instead at your library, you are encouraged to come inside. Explore. Let your mind wonder. Whether you are a parent with young children, a school student, or a senior, there is a place for you. And there are people who are ready to assist you any way they possibly can.
And get this, I can take home a book for no charge. Just with my library card. Here I am creditworthy, unless I demonstrate otherwise. But that is true for not just books, but videos, eBooks, magazines, Roku sticks, and so much more material. Just ask.
As my mind returns to the convention, I marvel at the hundreds of authors with their books which are available for the librarians to take a copy with them. The smiles on both the author and librarian are infectious as they exchange words while the author signs the book.
It is incredible to witness the international publishers and authors who have traveled to Chicago for an opportunity to showcase their creative talents and words. And to be received with such dignity and respect. My wish is that the outside world could reflect the same openness and willingness to listen and share with so many different races, nationalities, and opinions—to understand each other and share the wisdoms each have experienced and created so others can appreciate their insights.
So, the next time you drive by your library, be proud that so many people are dedicated to opening the vaults of information and making them accessible to everyone in the community. All without a charge. Free to those in the community who are welcomed when they walk through the doors of their local library and encouraged to explore.
Thank you to all the librarians who make this possible for all of us. Thank You!
Who am I? What is my real name? These are just two of the multiple, penetrating questions with profound implications shrouded in silence.
Is contentment possible? Does one truly forgive? Is hope the key? How important are wise choices within the darkness of poverty and dysfunction? Two professional degrees, forty-year career in education, can one truly rise above?
SIX FEET ABOVE SECRETS is a poignant sharing of how James Morris transcends the complicated and mundane intricacies of life. He’s honest and unapologetically frank. But the heavier question may be:
Did he choose appropriate paths for navigating life’s bumps, scrapes, triumphs, and successes?
James V. Morris is a retired forty-year career educator and school administrator. He completed a Bachelor’s in elementary education, taught in both public and private schools for thirteen years before earning a Master’s in Administrative Leadership. His first role as principal, then school president landed him in a private Christian school fourteen years. He returned to his roots in a large urban public elementary school with a 96% poverty rate. He officially retired at age fifty-seven and then returned to the same school district for various part-time duties. James has been happily married to his wife Pamela forty-three years, and they raised one daughter. James is a man of deeply held faith. Late in the sixth decade of life he still marvels how his life has unfolded, often stating, “How can this be?”
James Morris employs a stream-of-consciousness approach, non-linear storytelling, and a blend of humor, vulnerability, and critical self-analysis. His writing creates a compelling and relatable account of one person’s journey toward acceptance and meaning. With radical transparency and self-examination, he is unusually candid about family dysfunction, poverty, addiction, and personal shortcomings, breaking with the tendency, as most men do, to hide or sanitize details.
His search for identity and truth is a central thread in the quest to uncover the truth about his origins, including the discovery of a secret brother and the use of DNA testing to resolve questions of paternity. He details the emotional impact of family secrets, the process of confronting them, and the ongoing effects of unresolved questions about identity. He writes letters to his deceased fathers (both the man who raised him and his biological father) that are heart-rending, serving as acts of reckoning and closure.
James explores themes of dysfunction, resilience, identity, and transformation with a raw honesty, depth of self-reflection, weaving together personal, familial, and professional experiences. What stands out most is his fearless confrontation with difficult truths, his celebration of ordinary yet profound moments, and the message that transformation is possible through honesty, perseverance, and the support of others.
His dedication to his wife as the “super glue” of his life sets the tone for the importance of steadfast relationships. Throughout, the influence of supportive figures—teachers, mentors, friends, and family—emerges as crucial to his growth. Spiritual development is a recurring theme, with James reflecting on faith, doubt, and the evolution of his beliefs. He traces a journey from rigid religious structures to a more personal, open, and questioning spirituality.
The recounting of professional milestones, such as innovative educational projects and leadership challenges, illustrates his commitment to making a difference despite personal and systemic obstacles. His transformation through adversity from a childhood marked by instability and dysfunction to a successful career in education and leadership is a testament to resilience and the power of choice. It highlights how adversity, rather than breaking him, became a source of motivation and empathy, especially in his professional life as a teacher and administrator.
