MSI Press Blog

  We have a tenant downstairs in our house, and the tenant has a son. He is nine years old and treats us as his grandparents. We, in turn, treat him as a grandson. So, I was astonished that he could not pull himself up on the chin-up bar that my husband had installed in our bedroom doorway so that I could get to the point of being able to do pull-ups, lots of the them. He was very weak yet a very active boy -- we walk about a mile each night together, with him scootering (well, I guess that is really not walking) and me running along beside him. He found the light weights I lift to be very heavy. I mean, we are only talking about 20 pounds. Then, I was appalled to find out that gym is no longer part of elementary classrooms around here. Goodness, where do kids get their guidance in physical activities? So, I interested him in a competition, using the bar. Who could get to do pull-ups sooner. He pulled in a kid visiting a neighbor for two weeks and vowed to do better than t...

Steven Greenebaum has established a website for One Family: Indivisible . Visit it, please. You will find interesting interfaith information there. He also has a Facebook page for his book: https://www.facebook.com/One-Family-Indivisible-Practical-Interfaith-Interfaith-Alternative-218797114868880/?ref=bookmarks

We do not publish fiction, but one of our writers, Omar Imady, writes some pretty terrific novels. His newest is The Gospel of Bethany: Mormon Coffee and Sufi Tea. (The link is to a page that contains all his works.) From the description, it will be a roller coaster experience and emotional wringer of a read. Definitely looking forward to a great bedside book. Recommending it to all, based not only on the description but also on Omar's other work of fiction, The Gospel of Damascus , which is an extraordinary book--and available in four languages: English, French, Spanish, and Arabic. The Gospel of Damascu s is published by Villa Magna; the books are available on Amazon. In addition, Omar has written two works that MSI Press has published: When You're Shoved from the Right, Look to Your Left: Metaphors of Islamic Humanism , a delightful book that everyone I know who has read it loves. One Catholic priest uses the stories for his homilies--testimony to the fact that the...

Author of Girl, You Got This! , Brittany and her book were featured today in Atlanta Latinos Digital Magazine. The magazine features interesting and useful topics in English and Spanish. Most compelling about this magazine is its beautiful and artistic design. A must-see, must-read! Take a look: Atlanta Latinos Magazine

What are the benefits to being a teacher? Long-time teacher and MSI Press author ( 365 Teacher Secrets for Parents ) knows! Recently, Cindy was requested to contribute to an article in Up Journey : " The Benefits of Being a Teacher, According to 9 Teachers ." The journalist writes: What are the advantages and benefits of the teaching profession? We asked experts to provide some great insights. MSI Press's Cindy was one of those experts. Yes!

Released today! More than a series of lectures, this collection of dialogues addresses the following questions: Can one be religious in modern, predominantly secular environments? What social and psychological functions do religions serve? Can one truly learn to live religious philosophies in the modern era? Professor Sabzevary's intellectual dexterity is matched only by his clarity, not only into perennial religious questions but also the modern condition. Far from leaving religious concepts in the lofty confines of tradition, Professor Sabzevary speaks a religious language with a modern tongue. Rather than simply detailing the nuances of various religious philosophies, Dr. Sabzevary's dialogues place these nuances within the lives of his students, thus evoking a startling intimacy. More than an ecumenical discourse, these lectures move in a profound depth that cannot but tap into the wellspring from which all religious philosophies draw their substance. Avai...

When I was twenty-eight years old, I tried to learn how to knit. I’d just finished graduate school and hadn’t found a job yet, so I had plenty of time to visit the yarn store where I’d purchased wool for a sweater. At the store I received instructions from the owner whenever my knitting hit a snag. The yarn shop was like an informal club, and other knitters would sit at the large table in the middle and knit and chat with each other.  I got to know the owner over the course of the summer. She operated the store full time while also running her house and raising three teenagers. She told me that when she needed a break from her demanding life, she checked herself into the Ritz Carlton for a weekend. She explained that several weekends a year at the Ritz in Boston was less expensive than year-round therapy, which she implied was the alternative. She said she chose the Ritz because it was the only hotel in Boston (in 1988) that had twenty-four-hour room service. Duri...

The Finding Your Path Project recently published 30 back to school tips from experts: five of them came from MSI Press author, Cindy McKinley ( 365 Teacher Secrets for Parents , co-authored with Patti Trombly),

Brittany Renz, author of Girl, You Got This! , had a great book signing last Saturday at Barnes & Noble in Gilroy. Here are some fun pictures from the event, including the participation of her husband HOlden and daughter Sophie.

One of the first things I learned as part of my fitness training -- and am still learning -- is that when it comes to physical fitness development of any sort, slow is better than fast. That came as a surprise to me, especially since I have been impulsive and near-hyperactive my entire life. Doing things fast comes naturally. Doing them slowly does not--and frustrates me as well. However, I now understand that I MUST do fitness activites slowly for a number of reasons: to avoid injury to let your muscles fully experience the activity not to confuse cardio training with muscle training to get the full benefit of each activity  to build muscle faster -- more time under tension Try it. Lift 20 pounds rapidly 20 times. Then lift 20 pounds slowly 20 times. Slowly is harder to do; it taxes your muscles more; it build muscles faster. (Though with faster, you can live more weight or do more repetitions.) A length of 2-6 seonds between repitions seems to optimal. What you...

How We Meditate Right Concentration furnishes the eighth step on Buddha’s Eightfold Path. Technically, Right Concentration signifies passing through four stages in meditation called jhanas , and arriving at mindfulness. While the steps on the path are not consecutive and are practiced together, Buddha said that by following the previous steps, that is, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Understanding, Right Effort, Right Intention, Right Livelihood, and Right Mindfulness, we arrive at Right Concentration. When we concentrate, we focus our attention on something. Concentration, here called samadhi ,  means that we focus our mind on an object that helps us to become more wholesome and pure in our awareness. As we know, a distracted mind races between ideas, thoughts, and concepts, filled with anxiety, worry, concern, and delusion (thinking that things differ from the way they actually are). This mind has been compared to the antics of a drunken monkey. A drunken monkey...

Holidays   If you’re a newly bereaved parent of a deceased child and you haven’t encountered a major holiday yet—say Thanksgiving or Christmas, be prepared for a shock. The holidays can bring home the extent of your loss in a way that nothing else can. Having recently lost a child, you might not be thinking about the holiday or how it will affect you. This is a mistake. It is better to face it in advance and decide how you will handle the holiday. Will you decorate for Christmas as you’ve always done? Will you go to a relative’s house and try to get through the whole thing as quickly as possible? Or will you close up shop and absent yourself from the holiday completely, traveling to Cancun, Key West, or a neighborhood motel, with or without your spouse? Paulette Jarnagin lost her son Keith in a drowning accident six months before Christmas. Paulette, who admits to “always going overboard” at Christmas, didn’t want to celebrate the holiday that year, but her family and...

Advanced review copies are available now for Peter Jonas's new book, Soccer Is Fun without Parents . Pre-orders also available at online retailers (Amazon, B&N, etc.), as well as at the MIS Press webstore  (25% off with coupon code FF25). MSI Press will provide free copies to readers who will review and post to places like Goodreads and Library Thing or blogs. A limited number of copies are available. Contact editor@msipress.com.

Congratulations to Julie Gentile for her article, "A Journal Entry a Day to Help You Let Go of Grief Your Way" on My Greiving Place.  Read it here . Julie is author of the award-winning booi, 108 Yoga and Self Care Practices for Busy Mamas .

Cindy McKinley ( 365 Teacher Secrets for Parents , coauthored with Patti Trombly) shared some of her secrets for avoiding summer learning loss with reporter Kerry Griffiths.

Ever wish you could have someone guide you personally through the jungle of moving from idea to manuscript to published book? Now you can! Starting September 2, MSI Press is offering a 10-week highly personalized interactive online course, Authoring 101. Only 10 spots available. Sign up now to ensure yourself a spot.Click HERE to enroll. TOPICS Week 1. Shaping a though, idea, or experience into a viable book concept Discusson hour: evalaution of ideas (existence of niche, narrow enough focus) Week 2. Everything is story – what is your story/message Discussion hour; sharing stories Week 3. Starting your book –  outline, “research,” and theme Discussion hour: when.how/if “research” is needed (even for memoirs), is your outline manageable, is your them classic enough to sell & does it reflect your “message” Week 4: Table of Contents – organizing your research or experience into “story” Discussion hour: sharing of TOCs, do they reflect the theme,...

We have all heard about dressing for success. Generally, that refers to the concept that if you want a promotion (or to be hired), your clothing needs to make you look the part, whether that be a suit or some kind of specialized attire -- or in the case years ago when I wanted to get my daughter accepted into Moscow schools when I was living and conducting research there and needed a "napravlenie" [written permission form from the school district] a school univform with fartuk [frock] and properly tied hair ribbons). If you plook the part, you generally have a better chance of getting the part. I have found that to be the case as well with fitness training. If I put on my walking shoes, I want to walk. If I put on my sneakers, I want to run. If I put on slippes, I want to lounge. It is not necessarily what "I" want to do, but what my body expects to do. It has become habituated to associate attire wtih intention. If I don shorts and tank top, I am suddenly re...

MSI Press is proud of Susan Lewis, PhD, JD, author of From Deep Within (sharing of her experiences in working with seriously mentally ill individuals) for being asked to give an opinion for a column on Holistic Health and Healing Hacks for All Ages for Brain Hackers blog. Read the hacks here .