An award-winning author, Jan taught literature, art and music to students in Alberta before she began writing her own stories. In 1972 she won the Alberta Search for a Novelist competition with Bird at the Window. A Very Small Rebellion was her second novel, originally published in 1977, and her third novel, Jasmin, won the Ruth Schwartz Award. Her short stories have appeared in such magazines as Redbook, Chatelaine, on CBC radio, and in various collections.