IN THE NEWS-
LIFESTYLES
September 2003
Manistique Pioneer Tribune-
Local resident Brenda M Weber has just published her first book, an autobiographical story called "I Promise Not to Tell."
A longtime writer of poetry and short stories, Weber has received several certificates of recognition and previously had a poem published in an anthology called "Echoes of Yesteryear."
This is her first attempt at writing a book-length work.
"I started writing this book several years ago, put it aside, and then decided to finish it after being encouraged by friends to do it," she says. "Once I started on it again, it only took three months to finish it. I never thought in a million years I would actually be accepted for publishing, but here I am! I went from a writer to a published author, and I feel great. I'm so proud of myself for actually doing this."
To summarize the story of "I Promise Not to Tell," Weber offers the following brief synopsis:
"At the age of nine, Brenda's mother dies in the family home. The trauma of it results in most of her childhood memories being repressed. At the age of 16 an event happens that triggers the return of one memory. Ove the next several years, most of her memories come back in bits and pieces. Many of these are laden with guilt and shame. She begins to understand the complexity of her adolescence and comes to know the little girl that haunts her. With the loss of her mother at such an early age, she carries a sense of being alone and unloved. Her sexual adventures lead her into abusive relationships and withdrawal from her family. One of these relationships imprisons her for 10 years with a deplorable view of her life. With her revelation of many secrets, this is her journey to freedom and inner peace."
The book was released by Publish America, a Frederick, Maryland firm that uses digital "print-on-demand" technology to produce one book at a time, unlike standard offset printing that requires press runs in the hundreds or thousands.
The company is considered one of the fastest-growing royalty-paying publishers. They specialize in books "about, for and by people who confront a challenge in life, and who are determined to overcome it; people who turn stumbling blocks into stepping-stones."
Weber is planning a future book-signing in Manistique. "I Promise Not to Tell" can be purchased at that time, or can be ordered now for $19.95 from Publish America at 301-695-1707. It is also available online at Barnes and Noble and Amazon.
Weber is the mother of four sons and a daughter, and a grandmother of five. She currently works at the Three Mile Supper Club, but doesn't intend to stop her writing career with the publication of her first book.
She says she is currently at work on a series of children's books and a fictional love story about a lumberjack.
For more information about Weber's work, send e-mail to brenweb@charter.net or brenweb@uplogon.com
LIFESTYLES
Wednesday, December 3, 2003
The Escanaba Daily Press
Manistique writer pens autobiography-
MANISTIQUE - "I Promise Not to Tell," a book written by Brenda M Weber, Manistique, was published in October.
The book, Weber's first, was accepted for publication by Publish America of Frederick, Maryland. The company specializes in publishing books written by, for or about people who confront challenges in life and are determined to overcome them, said Weber.
"I started writing this book several years ago, put it aside, and then decided to finish it after being encouraged by friends to do it," Weber said. "Once I started on it again, it only took three months to finish it."
The book is an autobiography, "I Promise Not to Tell" is a story about Weber's journey to freedom and inner peace after a traumatic childhood, she explained.
"I never thought in a million years I would actually be accepted for publishing, but here I am," continued Weber. "I went from a writer to a published author, and I feel great. I'm so proud of myself for doing this."
Weber is a 1973 graduate of Manistique High School. She currently tends bar at the Three Mile Supper Club in Manistique.
LIFESTYLES
Thursday, January 1, 2004
Manistique Pioneer Tribune
Weber follows up first book by having lyrics chosen for album-
Not long after the release of her autobiography, "I Promise Not to Tell," Manistique author Brenda M Weber got some exciting news about another aspect of her writing, her poetry.
The story involves many e-mails to and from composer, producer, artist and writer Mark Wirtz, also known as Michael Sinclair.
Wirtz is best known for his 1960's and '70's associations with Capitol Records, EMI Records and RPM/Cherry Red Records of the United Kingdom. He has produced music for best-selling artists such as Leon Russel, Helen Reddy, Juice Newton and Kim Carnes. He also woked side-by-side with the Beatles, and was instrumental in the careers of Pink Floyd and Tomorrow. In 1967, he had a mega-hit with "Excerpt from a Teenage Opera."
Mojo Music credits Wirtz with being one of the 100 most signigicant "music visionaries" of all time.
Weber and Wirtz have a publishing company in common - Publish America, based in Frederick, MD. The company released Weber's autobiography, while Wirtz has two volumes, "Sisyphus Rocks" and the newly-released "Love is Eggshaped," which is being promoted with an accompanying CD of the same name.
As luck would have it, when a co-worker received Weber's book from the publisher, she found it had been transposed with Wirtz's "Love is Eggshaped." That led to a friendly correspondence between the writers.
When Weber learned that Wirtz was a composer, she invited him to read some of her poetry for possible conversion into songs.
While Wirtz's musical productions are geared toward rock and roll, Weber's poetry is more of a "country western type." Still, after reading her poems, Wirtz invited Weber to write something for his scheduled 2004 Christmas album.
Wirtz accepted Weber's submission, and said he would be working with her to develop a chorus and an appropriate title. It was the first invited piece to be chosen for the Christmas album, which will consist of new and original music by a small circle of selected writers and composers.
Coming on the heels of her book publication, Weber said, this latest news marked another big moment.
"This is such an honor, and another of my dreams come true," she stated.
LIFESTYLES
Sunday, February 22, 2004
The Mining Journal
U.P Books by Andrew Grgurich
Autobiography tells harsh story-
I've reviewed quite a few books in this column, some are fiction and some are non-fiction. Some of those non-fiction books are autobiographies. Many of those autobiographies show people looking back fondly at least a part of their past. That isn't the case this week.
This week's book is certainly a description of the author's life but it can hardly be described as a fond look back. This week's book is "I Promise Not to Tell," by Brenda M Weber.
We all think we have troubles. I do hope, however, that no one has the sort of troubles that this author, Brenda Weber, has had in her life. One of the most remarkable things in her life, in fact, that she survived it reasonably intact. We often read in the papers about various horrors, and sometimes say to ourselves comfortably, that couldn't happen here. Sadly, this book proves this isn't true.
Usually I complain if there isn't much information about the author. I'm not complaining this time. There are very good reasons for not providing information. I have no doubt that neither the author's home town nor the people who live there want to be identified. As the author herself says, "My story is truth, to the best of my collective memory. It is written with a touch of relish, a lot of mustard, and names have been changed to protect the innocent, and not so innocent. If you recognize yourself, it might not be you. You can ask me if it's you, but I promise not to tell."
As a matter of fact, that's about the only thing she doesn't tell in this book. It's fortunate for some people that's true. There are a good many people described in this book who would be on their way to jail. Sexual abuse, drug dealing, and various other sins are still crimes in this state. I suspect that there will be a certain number of people who read this and will try to figure out who these people are. The author has had such a hard life that episodes which provide other people with a whole book of material, such as the horrors of Catholic schools, are described in a few pages.
With this load of heavy memories, most of them bad, it's no wonder that the author finally felt compelled to write this book. Confession is good for the soul, or so the Bible tells us. It's also good to describe your problems because it may make it easier to deal with them. It may well be that someone who reads this book, and has a similar problem or knows someone in a similar predicament, may decide to get help rather than waiting until things are intolerable. I'm sure the author would be pleased if she were able to help someone in that way.
You will forgive me if I don't try to summarize this book. It doesn't lend itself to an easy summary. Let's just put it this way. If it were a novel rather than a true story it would make William Faulkner seem like Beatrix Potter. To put it another way, if they made a movie of this book, I don't think that people under the age of 18 would be allowed to see it. The author can't be blamed for that. Her life was what it was.
This book isn't for everyone, but everyone at the very least can be grateful if they had a better life. Maybe reading this book will cause someone to help a friend or neighbor who may be having similar troubles. That would be very good also.
I note that, according to the publisher, the author has been writing since the age of 16. They mentioned that although this is her first book to be published, she's written many short stories and poetry. Perhaps someday some of that will be published. It would be interesting to see how the author deals with other subjects. She lives with four sons and a daughter somewhere in the area.
This book is available in various book and gift stores throughout the area. It's also available on line a Amazon and Barnes & Noble. For more information about the book, visit the publisher's web site at www.publishamerica.com or call 301-695-1707.
FRONT PAGE STORY by Mark Wilcox
Houghton, Michigan Monday, April 19, 2004
THE DAILY MINING GAZETTE
Sexual assault brought to fore
U.P. woman's book speaks to child abuse
April is Child Abuse Prevention and Sexual Assault Awareness Month.
Over three million cases of suspected child abuse and neglect were investigated nationwide in 2002, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. About 10 percent of the cases involved sexual abuse, the agency reports.
According to the National Criminal Victimization Study, which was conducted by U.S. Department of Justice, in 2001 there were 248,000 reported rapes of persons 12 years of age and over. And it's estimated that up to 80 percent of all sexual assaults go unreported.
Terry Sayatovich, Sexual Assault Services Coordinator at Dial Help in Houghton, says Sexual Assault Awareness Month serves two important purposes.
"It raises awareness that sexual assault occurs everywhere, even in small towns," she said. "And it also sends a message to victims that they're not alone. There is help and comfort available."
Sayatovich says that occasionally when a victim hears of or reads a first-person account of sexual abuse, it helps ease the feeling of isolation victims often experience.
An Upper Peninsula woman has written a book she hopes will help others cope with the pain of abuse. "I Promise Not to Tell" by Brenda M Weber of Manistique explores the struggles of a young woman coming to grips with the memories of child sexual abuse.
Weber says the death of her mother at age nine was such a traumatic event that it blocked out most of her memories of childhood. To this day she has no recollection of her mother, she said.
As a teen, some memories began to trickle back. "Some were triggered by looking at old pictures," she said. "Other times, a memory would strike me unexpectedly."
One of those memories was of her being sexually assaulted by an older boy when she was a child. Weber says painful memories of additional sexual abuse began surfacing involving other people.
Those early traumas, she said, influenced the decisions she made as a young adult. "I feel the choices we make as adults reflect the experiences of childhood," she said. As a result of being sexually abused, she grew up with a distorted view of what was appropriate.
She said she was sexually promiscuous as a teenager and was married and divorced three times to men she described as abusive. Although she had been "in and out of counseling" for years, it was when she addressed the cyclical nature of abuse that she started down the road to recovery.
"I found out that my teenage son had been molested when he was seven, then he was accused of molesting a little girl," she said.
Weber learned that her mother had also been abused as a young girl.
"I realized I was stronger than I thought," she said, "I was determined to break the cycle." To help the healing, she began to write. A short story was submitted to a national magazine. She said the publishers liked the story but didn't use it.
Eight years later, her story, now expanded into book length, was published. The book was Weber's way of breaking free of the past. However its publication did cause problems.
While names were changed to protect what she calls "the innocent and the not so innocent," Weber was met with anger and resentment from many in Manistique.
However, she remains optimistic. She plans to remarry and has just finished her second book, a novel about a lumberjack in Manistique in the late 1800's.
Her next project is a sequel to "I Promise Not to Tell." June 2004 Manistique woman publishes autobiography Story by Carol Hollenbeck Lifetime Manistique resident Brenda M Weber has her first book, an autobiography, published with Publish America of Frederick Maryland. Her book, I Promise Not to Tell, was released in August of 2003. Weber's book covers the sensitive subject of sexual and domestic abuse. Weber, who was molested at the age of 4, had no knowledge of it until she was 16. When Weber was 9, her mother died in the family home. The trauma of it caused her to repress her childhood memories. She still has no memory of her mother, except what others have told her or what she remembered after the first memory was triggered. Weber's book has a continuous thread of abuse, including three marriages that were all emotionally and physically abusive. This is a story of survival by one woman determined to change her lifestyle. She hopes that in telling her story, others will be inspired and helped to know that they are not alone. Weber reveals many secrets she had promised not to tell. With a forthright manner, her story is a compelling walk toward freedom and inner peace. Her second book, a fictional account of John Horn, a lumberjack, is set in Manistique and surrounding areas. She just recently submitted it to her publisher in hopes of it being accepted for publication also. Weber has been writing since the age of 15, mostly poetry. To learn more about Weber and her books, visit her websites at: http://publishedauthors.net/BrendaMWeber or e-mail her at: brenweb@charter.net LIFESTYLES June 17, 2004 Publisher accepts Weber's latest book Brenda M. Weber of Manistique has had a second book accepted by Publish America of Frederick, MD. Her novel, "JOHN HORN-Legend of Lumberjack" will be released late this year or early in 2005. Weber's first book, the autobiography "I Promise Not to Tell" was published in September 2003. "John Horn" is a work of fiction based on the finding of a lumberjack's grave along a branch of the Manistique River in the 1960's. Some of Weber's family members found the grave, and few people know of its actual location. The story is her version of finding the grave, who John Horn was, how he came to be in Manistique, and why his grave is along the river. Weber is currently involoved in the pre-publication process of editing, page-proofing and cover approval. For the latest information on Weber's work, go to her website: (You're already here!!
UPPER PENINSULA BUSINESS TODAY
MANISTIQUE PIONEER TRIBUNE
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COMMUNITY
July 27, 2004
ESCANABA DAILY PRESS
Writer publishes book
Manistique- Upper Peninsula author Brenda M Weber has had her second book accepted for publication with Publish America of Frederick, MD. Her book, "John Horn-Legend of a Lumberjack" is in the pre-publication phase with editing, page proofing and cover approval. A late 2004 or early 2005 release date is expected.
Weber, a lifelong resident of Manistique, had her autobiography, "I Promise Not to Tell," published in September 2003. Weber says her autobiography has had a tremendous response.
Her second book is fictional account of the life of a lumberjack in the late 1800's. Her story is based on the actual finding of a lumberjack's grave along the Manistique River in the early 1960's Some of her family members found the grave and few people know of its actual location in the deep woods of the Manistique forest.
Although her book is fiction, she uses actual names of towns, landmarks, logging camps and some historical people with most of the events being fictional.
Weber is also a novice photographer and uses her own black and white photos for the covers of her books. Her first love is poetry and she plans to submit her poems in book form for consideration in the future.
JADA PRESS ANNOUNCES 2005 ANNUAL BOOK AWARD WINNERS!!!
Both the Fiction and Non-Fiction winners will receive a check for $1,000.00. Winners and First Runners-up will receive the exquisite JADA Trophy, extensive Internet exposure, Press Releases in two (2) newspapers of their choice and award winning labels for their books. The Honorable Mention authors will receive an engraved JADA Plaque, extensive Internet exposure and a Press Release in two (2) newspapers of their choice.
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE WINNERS AND SPECIAL APPRECIATION TO THE MANY GREAT BOOKS THAT WERE SUBMITTED.
Waking Walt by Larry Pontius (Longwood, Florida)
Nonfiction
WinnerCreating the New World: Stories & Images from the Dawn of the Atomic Age by Theodore Rockwell ( Chevy Chase, Maryland)
Fiction
1st Runner-upA Soldier's Love by L.K. Campbell (Laurinburg, North Carolina)
Nonfiction
1st Runner-upI Promise Not To Tell by Brenda M. Weber (Manistique, Michigan)
(The original Press Release mistakenly listed Missouri as my home state.)
TWILIGHT INC'S. AUTHORS MONTHLY
ISSUE #1 
8 FEBRUARY 2005
Theodis Moore Jr, author of Calvary- Hell's Seed is the author of this online magazine for new and inspired writers, artists and musicians.
I am honored to be featured as the debut-
(I cannot thank you enough Theodis. You are awesome!)
Lifestyles Section - May 13, 2005
'Legend of a Lumberjack'
MANISTIQUE - Brenda M Weber, lifetime resident of Manistique has had her second book published by Publish America of Frederick, Md. "John Horn - Legend of a Lumberjack" is a historical/adventure based on the actual finding of a lumberjack's grave by some of her family members back in the 1960s.
In Weber's fictional account of John Horn, she takes her readers back in time to the lumbering days in the late 1800s, using towns and businesses familiar to the Upper Peninsula while the events are purely the imagination of the writer.
Weber offers this synopsis of her book:
"Deep in the forest along Lake Michigan's Manistique River, a simple wooden grave marker reads, 'John Horn - April 1897.' Why is it there? Who was John Horn? More than 100 years ago, Manistique was a booming lumber town owned by the Chicago Lumbering Company. Thousands of immigrants worked there, some living in company homes, some in the logging camps. Steamers docked daily at the busy Manistique Harbor, met by a local Indian chief, Ossawinamakee. Into this town came John Horn.
"Step back in time to the late 1800s where you will meet John Horn and the woman he loves, Lily, the preacher's daughter, the girl with the moon in her eyes. You'll also meet Moonwater, John's sister and owner of Ravenwood, a boarding house shunned by the townspeople.
"Meet their nemesis, a fur trader with a mangled hand and surprising identity. Come take a walk through the streets of a logging town and the deep Michigan forests where you'll meet Bittenear, and where you will want to visit time and again. This is one adventurous historical love story you will not want to miss."
John Horn is a 180-page paperback which will sell for $19.95 in bookstores. It can be ordered directly thorough Weber's publisher at a slight discount online at www.publishamerica.com by searching books for "John Horn," or calling (301) 695-1707.
It will soon be available online at Barnes & Noble and Amazon also.
Weber's first book, "I Promise Not to Tell," a personal memoir dealing with domestic abuse, was published in 2003, also with Publish America.
Weber lives in Manistique. She is the mother of four sons and a daughter and has six grandchildren. She has been writing since the age of 15, mostly poetry, and is a novice photographer which gives her the opportunity to take the photos for her book covers. Her signature is black and white covers.
Weber is employed as a pharmacy Tech and part-time bartender, writing as a hobby.
Samantha Mitchell, formerly of Manistique, graces the cover of "John Horn." Weber took the photo at the Big Springs Kitchitikipi in Manistique.
For information about Weber, her books and her poetry visit her Web site at: www.brendaweber.bravehost.com.
Manistique Pioneer Tribune
Community May 19, 2005
Manistique resident Brenda Weber has published her second book, a work of fiction called, John Horn: Legend of a Lumberjack. The book, described as a historical-romance-adventure, was inspired by an incident from the 1960's when some of Weber's family members found a lumberjack's grave along the Manistique River.
Most of the story is set in the late 1800's, during the boom days of the logging industry. Weber mixes some modern elements into the historical tale, but notes that while towns and some businesses are named, the events are purely from her imagination.
The book also includes photographs provided by her father, Richard (Bud) Weber, and Raymond Holmberg, one of the men who found the grave.
The black-and-white cover photo, taken by Weber herself, features former resident Samantha Mitchell posed in period dress at the Big Springs.
The 180-page paperback sells for $19.95 in stores. It can be ordered at a slight discount from the publisher, Publish America of Frederick, Md., at www.publishamerica.com or by calling 301-685-1707.
Weber says it takes approximately three months for the book to become available at online retailers Barnes & Noble and Amazon.
Locally, John Horn will be available soon at Booktique and Putvin's Health Mart Drugstore.
Weber's first book, the autobiographical I Promise Not to Tell, was published in 2003. Her plan now is to write a sequel to that book, complete another work of fiction, compile her poetry and perhaps write a children's adventure book.
JOHN HORN- Legend of a Lumberjack receives a mention in the 
Books to Read section of the September/October issue of
Thanks Carolyn!
bravenet.com