I'm Shannon Jerkins, and I write books for people doing hard, beautiful work — the kind that doesn't make headlines but matters deeply.
"I started writing because there is very little encouragement for those in funeral service."
That is where it began. A funeral director's wife looking for something — a devotional, a prayer, a word that understood the weight of this work — and finding almost nothing. So she picked up a pen. What started as one book for embalmers became a calling. And that calling grew into In the Trenches Media.
For over 24 years Shannon has walked alongside her husband Richard in funeral service — answering calls at odd hours, managing the business behind the business, raising children in the gaps between death and life, and holding her family together with faith, stubbornness, and a lot of grace.
She knows what it is like to live between death calls and Bible study. To comfort grieving families while managing a household. To hold sacred space for others while still finding it for yourself. She has learned that the trenches — whether in a prep room at 2am or around a dinner table with more kids than chairs — are where faith gets real.
Shannon handles most of the writing. She brings honesty, warmth, and Scripture to every page — not from a place of having it all figured out, but from the middle of the mess, holding onto hope.
When she is not writing or running the business, you will find her working on stained glass, studying herbalism, cooking from scratch, or preserving the old ways of Appalachian living that have been passed down through generations. She is a woman who believes deeply in doing things with her hands and her faith in equal measure.
Richard is a licensed funeral director, embalmer, and crematory operator with over 30 years of hands-on experience. He holds active licenses in Virginia, North Carolina, Kentucky, and Tennessee. He began his career in Pasadena, Texas — working in large, high-volume firms — before making his way through both family-owned and corporate funeral homes across multiple states.
His expertise shapes the funeral service books — he knows exactly what happens in the prep room, what challenges transport operators face on rural roads at 3am, and how to navigate the practical and emotional realities of death care work. Shannon handles most of the writing, but Richard's knowledge and experience make it real.
Richard has a story for everything and will talk to anyone who will listen — which makes him a natural in the funeral profession where connection and conversation are everything. When he is not working, coming up with book ideas, or keeping Shannon on her toes, he is reading his Bible, playing his bass guitar, or off on a call somewhere in the region.
He does not seek recognition for what he does. He simply shows up, does the work, and trusts God with the rest.
Richard and Shannon have been married for 25 years. They built their life together in the funeral profession — navigating the demands of death care, raising a large family, walking through adoption, and finding that faith is not something you practice on Sunday. It is something you practice at 2am when the phone rings and you have to get up anyway.
Together they own and operate Jerkins Mortuary Services in Castlewood, Virginia — a full-service mortuary company serving funeral homes across Virginia, North Carolina, Kentucky, and Tennessee. Shannon manages the bookkeeping and operations. Richard does the work in the field.
In the Trenches Media grew out of that life. Not as a business plan, but as a response to a need they saw every day — people doing sacred, exhausting, invisible work with almost nothing written for them.
Richard and Shannon are raising five children they homeschool here in the mountains of Appalachia. Some of their children came to them through adoption — a journey that has taught them more about grace, perseverance, and the long road of building family than anything else ever has.
Their home is loud, messy, and full. There are more kids than chairs at the table some nights and more noise than quiet most mornings. They would not have it any other way.
That family life — its beauty and its chaos — is woven into everything Shannon writes. Because real help has to come from real life. And real life in the Jerkins house is anything but quiet.
In the Trenches Media exists because some of the most important work in the world happens in places people do not see.
In prep rooms where embalmers care for the deceased with dignity. In homes where mothers are stretching groceries and schedules to cover a family of seven. In courtrooms where adoptions are finalized. In mountain communities where heritage and faith are woven together.
These are the trenches. And if you are living in them, you need more than inspiration — you need real help. Practical guidance. Scripture that holds when life gets hard. Someone who understands.
That is what we are trying to give you. Every book comes from lived experience, not theory. Shannon brings the writing and the faith perspective. Richard brings the expertise. Together they create resources that are both practical and grounded in Scripture — written for the people actually doing the work.
Devotionals, prayers, and practical resources for funeral directors, embalmers, and mortuary transport professionals navigating the sacred work of caring for the deceased and serving grieving families.
Real help for managing the beautiful chaos of many kids under one roof — from pantry management to homeschooling, budgets to washing machines. Practical wisdom without the fluff.
Encouragement and guidance for the adoption journey, foster care advocacy, and families building through adoption. Honest stories, biblical truth, and hope for the hard days.
Preserving the old ways — traditional food, faith practices, and mountain wisdom passed down through generations. Celebrating the strength and beauty of Appalachian culture.
We write from a Christian perspective grounded in Scripture and lived faith.
We do not write from a place of having it all figured out. We write from the middle of the mess, holding onto hope and helping others do the same.
Whether you are an embalmer looking for prayer, a mama trying to feed your crew, an adoptive parent in the waiting, or someone holding onto mountain heritage — you are not alone in the trenches. Browse our books and know we are walking this road alongside you.
If you are carrying something heavy and just need someone to pray — we mean that. Send us a note at prayer@inthetrenchesmedia.com and we will pray for you by name.