Maryann Bucknum Brinley

I am an experienced writer keenly interested in the power of women of all ages, parenting, grandparenting and science. I've written and published nine non-fiction books and my first work of fiction, Annie's Redemption, was published in August 2024. I was a senior editor at Ladies' Home Journal, Good Housekeeping, Family Health, McCall's and Woman's Day magazines. For decades, I wrote articles and managed projects for Rutgers University's New Jersey Medical School, The Cancer Institute of New Jersey, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital and Lehigh University, working closely with Mike Lanctot, a gifted graphic designer at Always Advancing.

I am currently working as a free-lance writer and for our family business, Shipwreck Rum, a labor of love you can find more about at www.shipwreckrum.com. Our company started simply but with a passion. In 2002, our Brinley family -- Zach, Bob, Maggie and myself -- signed the incorporation papers for the Brinley Shipwreck Rum Company on the back porch of our Montclair, New Jersey, home. Established on the lush, green island of St. Kitts, one of my favorite places in the world, Shipwreck Rum is sold internationally now but still hand-crafted in the factory on the deep-water port. Like my heroine Annie, you'll find me recommending this spectacular destination, the setting for Annie's Redemption, all the time, as well as our award-winning, all-natural Shipwreck Rum.

Education

Penn State University, University Park, PA
BA, Journalism, Graduated cum laude in three years, Wrote for The Daily Collegian

Recent Experience

Senior Writer/Editor, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ), now Rutgers, Publications Office, Newark, NJ, for 12 years

Researched, wrote and produced Pulse, a 40-page magazine published twice a year for New Jersey Medical School and University Hospital

Wrote features, profiles and columns for UMDNJ Magazine, produced for the eight medical schools in the state of New Jersey 

Created UMDNJ University Report annually

Generated stories and marketing ideas for UMDNJ Public Affairs Department

To read some of the hundreds of stories I’ve written, click on "Writing Samples" on the right.

Magazine staff positions:

• Ladies Home Journal, Assistant Editor
• Good Housekeeping, Associate Editor
• Family Health, Senior Editor
• Woman Magazine, Editor-in-chief
• New Mother News, Creator and Editorial Director
• McCall’s Magazine, Senior Editor and columnist
• Good Housekeeping Institute, Director of the Infants and Children’s Laboratory
• Woman’s Day, Senior Editor

Books Written and Published:

• Through the Motherhood Maze (Doubleday 1981)
• Maternity Style (St. Martin's Press 1985)
• Jackie Cochran (Bantam Books 1987)
• Medical Book of Remedies for People Over 50 (Publications International 1996)
• Are We Having Fun Yet? The 16 Secrets of Happy Parenting (Warner 1997)
• The Everything Pregnancy Book (Adams Media 1999)
• Fat Chat with Tamara (Contemporary Books 2000)
• Oh Boy, Mothers Tell the Truth About Raising Teen Sons (Warner 2002)
• Annie's Redemption, A St. Kitts Adventure (Brinley & Company 2024)

Freelance Writing Bylines:

McCall’s, Country Living, Woman’s Day, Health, Walking, Home PC, Good Housekeeping, and Montclair State University. I have also produced newsletters for Reader’s Digest, for the Epilepsy Foundation of America and for various pharmaceutical companies.