MapleLine Magazine: About the Publisher

Magazines are created through a desire to share.

Meet the Publisher/Editor

Mary P. Brooke, B.Sc., Cert.PR is the creator and publisher-editor of MapleLine Magazine. Mary has a "nose for news" plus a knack for drawing together talent to produce creative results about a diversity of topics and interests.

The now bi-monthly (formerly quarterly) MapleLine Magazine is a news issues print publication that draws upon Mary's interest in fostering dynamic, mindful and sustainable growth in Sooke /west shore and southern Vancouver Island as well as contributing to the production of meaningful news coverage within the journalism profession. In the past two years the magazine has garnered a strong readership among ages 30+, particularly those in positions of leadership and influence in the local community and notably those with families and with businesses in the area.

MapleLine was launched in 2008 by Brookeline Publishing House Inc., a company that has written, edited, produced and managed print and online publications for clients in the southern Vancouver Island region since 1993. In February 2010 she opened the MapleLine/Brookeline Business Service Centre in Sooke, which offers print, web, marketing, book/poster/brochure publishing, Internet access (both workstation and wireless for netbook users), elearning courses in business and computer training, a local education centre that is open to local educators, meeting space, and self-serve copy services.

In Fall 2009, Mary launched the MapleLine Journalism Mentoring Program, providing journalism career training to adults ages 17+; the program continues in 2010-2011. She delivered two talks in the Writing 12 class at Edward Milne Secondary School (Sept.09).

Mary's company Brookeline Publishing House Inc. is a member of the Sooke Region Chamber of Commerce and Mary is a director on their board for 2010 and 2011 (and hosted their September 2010 mixer at the MapleLine Business Centre); in 2009 she helped edit their newsletters and volunteered with the Chamber's 2009 Sooke Spirit Fest Committee (for the Dec.5, 2009 event), including coordinating the Sooke Spirit Fest photo contest. Mary is a member of the Editors' Association of Canada; in the 1990s, she was a founding director of the Professional Editors Association of Vancouver Island (PEAVI). Mary was a panelist at the Canadian Authors Association conference in June 2010. She has assisted a local group of writers with the concept of a Sooke Literary Association. Mary has been a member of the Sooke Community Arts Council since 2008 and for 2010-2011 will be a director on their board.

Mary P. Brooke won the 2010 Service Industry Business Excellence award for MapleLine Magazine from the Sooke Region Chamber of Commerce on November 6, 2010. In November 2009 she was a finalist for the same award after only one year of publishing the community magazine. She was an invited guest speaker at the Sooke Rotary Club regular weekly lunch meeting on December 2, 2009 to speak about the MapleLine Journalism Program.

Mary's background in nutrition science and sociology drives her interest in expanding the health publishing side of Brookeline's ventures. The Winter-Spring 2010 issue of MapleLine Magazine focused on health and wellness. Starting in Fall 2010 MapleLine Magazine has a regular section on health issues written by health professionals. Another focus of MapleLine Magazine is the arts; the new ArtsinSooke.com online magazine is helping to broaden the interpretation of the arts to beyond painting, sculpture, textiles music and dance to also include language, culinary and landscape.

MapleLine Magazine is located at the MapleLine Business Centre, 6707 West Coast Road, Sooke (the office opened there in February 2010). In July 2010, MapleLine received a Communities in Bloom recognition award for the exterior presentation of the new office. As of Fall 2010 there are workshops and courses in writing, business, computers and book publishing presented through the MapleLine Education Centre.

Other interesting stuff

Mary edits, formats and publishes books for Canadian authors. She has worked on a wide range of manuscripts in the past few years, including a parenting guide by two PhD counsellors, a science fiction anthology, a dementia case studies caregiver's manual, a re-examination of the Bible's Book of Revelation, an older woman's autobiography about tough times growing up in rural Alberta, and the 40-year career memoir of a top-level energy utility corporation executive. She is working on her own book about 'coincidence'.

Mary has four children.  Three are now grown and attending university in BC. Her youngest attends middle school in Sooke.

Mary lived in Victoria/Oak Bay for 22 years before moving to Sooke in 2007. Before that she lived on the Canadian prairies, enjoying the spaciousness of the Regina-area landscape and the historical ambience of Saskatoon. Toronto-born, Mary brings big-city flair to her work.

Mary won a journalism award at the University of Saskatchewan (1981), wrote the inaugural 36-week curriculum for the Western Academy of Photography in Victoria (1991-92), has operated an online computer training service (since 1999), and won a small business recognition award from National Post Business in 2001. Her company started publishing books in 2007 and launched MapleLine Magazine in 2008. In 2009 Mary launched the MapleLine Journalism Program, for which she develops curriculum and leads the workshops.

Mary's other publishing projects in Sooke have included layout and design of the SEAPARC Leisure Complex program guides for three years (2008-2010), the District of Sooke annual report layout and design (2008 & 2009), and assisting other writers with editing their stories and manuscripts toward book publication.

Mary has a B.Sc. in nutrition science with a second major in sociology from the University of Saskatchewan, where she also won the McGeachy Prize in Journalism from the English Department. She holds a Canadian Public Relations Society as achieved through studies at the University of Regina.

Real estate marketing is one unique aspect of Mary's marketing career. For a short time in 1992-93 she held a BC Real Estate Licence where she learned real estate marketing from the inside out. Ever since, she has been producing customized real estate marketing materials for Realtors in the Greater Victoria area.

Testimonials about MapleLine (2008-2010):  click here