About Max’s Mom

Out to dinner for Cory’s birthday in Sept. 2012.

I’m Jaymie, and I write reviews of children’s books. I’m starting with the ones I’ve already bought for my son, born in April 2011, and those we’ve gotten as gifts. I’d love to receive review copies from authors so I can give them a test-run with Max and let other parents know what great new books are on the market. If you have a book you’d like to send me to review, email me at jaymie (dot) shook (at) gmail (dot) com.

At church for Max’s baptism in August 2012

Aside from my past in public relations, I also have a background in journalism and the aversion to poor grammar to prove it. I previously worked as an account executive for both the Indiana Daily Student and the Ball State Daily News, coming away from each experience with a degree, honed customer service and marketing consultancy skills, and a fondness for bright red t-shirts on game days.

Home movies show my cousins playing tag while I read Anne of Green Gables, and  I’m determined to pass along my love of reading to my son. I began reading nightly to Max before he was born, and I now give him practice being a bookworm, reading him stories such as Shark vs. Train and How Full is Your Bucket while he strains to chew on the brightly drawn pages.

2013 family photo, which was my Mother’s Day present this year!

In my past position as Social Media Publicist for Author Solutions, Inc., I wrote for the publicity team blog Authors’ Lounge. As Marketing Coordinator for Wesleyan Publishing House in 2013, I blogged from April to October on behalf of the organization. Currently, I work as a publicist at Bohlsen Group, a public relations and marketing agency. We do a lot of work for Author Solutions, so I am overjoyed to again be working with independent authors. Visit our company blog today!