MSI Press Blog

  On Friday, August 28, Deborah Kalb interviewed Joanna Charnas about her new book, A Movie Lover's Search for Romance. Read the interview HERE . For more posts about Joanna Charnas and her books, click HERE .              

There is too much stress, anger, anxiety, and depression today. We all need a counterbalance to them, some sunshine among the shadows, and some MSI Press authors have written just those kinds of books: either ones to help cope or ones to help achieve happiness. This blog posts focuses on the latter, including self-care because without good self-care, it is indeed difficult to achieve happiness. 57 Steps to Paradise For more posts on Patricia Lorenz and her work, click HERE . 108 Yoga and Self-Care Practices for Busy Mamas For more posts on Julie Gentile and her books, click HERE . A Guide to Bliss For posts on A Guide to Bliss , chick HERE . A Woman's Guide to Self-Nurturing For more posts on Joanna and her books, click HERE . Creative Aging For more posts on Joanna and her books, click  HERE . God Speaks into Darkness For more posts on Bennett and his books, click HERE . Good Blood: A Journey of Healing For more posts on Irit and her book, click HERE . Harnessing the Power of Grie...

  The second MSI book by Pat Young and the eleventh in our pandemic series, Exercising in a Pandemic , was released today.  See information about Pat's other book, Life after Losing a Child , HERE . 

  Old and On Hold was recently released on kindle. Get your copy HERE . Written for active vulnerable elders by a vulnerable elder, this book provides unique perspective on the meaning, adjustment, and management of "stay at home." Others made vulnerable by a pandemic will find support, practical guides and relevance in managing life disrupted by an invisible threat and a nation struggling to save itself. For more posts about Bertha and her work, click HERE .

Choice and Structure for Children with Autism . Get it HERE .  How are you and your child with autism managing during his time of quarantine? Are you productively juggling or really struggling? Is your daughter playing throughout your home or staying alone? During interactions, is your son engaged or enraged? Are your toys being enjoyed or does your child get annoyed? After most days do you feel celebrated or devastated? If you are struggling, this little book offers some ideas of support in improving focus, engagement, and cooperation. Some strategies shared include ways to offer thoughtfully chosen choice and structure when engaging with autistic children. For more posts on Colette McNeil and her books, click HERE .

  Porn and the Pandemic. Get it HERE ! Porn and the Pandemic examines the early months of the exponential growth of Internet pornography during the time of the novel coronavirus, COVID-19. Author Joshua Shea, himself a former pornography addict, traces how segments of the population flocked to only pornography and tells the stories of those whose lives were impacted, including his own. Shea interviews former pornography addicts who succumbed to temptation during quarantine, often after years of sobriety, along with those who managed to "stay on the wagon" learning why addicts either failed or succeeded while stuck at home. Along with an analysis of online porn industry marketing techniques and measurements of their success during this unique time, Shea examines how the industry reacted to a sudden need for more content, recruiting young adults who found their jobs suddenly gone, into making stay-at-home pornography. Several "cam models" both veteran and rookie, talk...

  Seeking Balance in an Unbalanced Time . Get it HERE The notion of a worldwide pandemic has been ripped out of the realm of "someday" and dumped in our laps. We can feel lost. How do we cope? How do we find our way? How can we find and keep some kind of balance as we walk this pandemic tightrope? This short book helps us find that balance as well as offering an affirming path forward. It helps us understand that the crisis humanity is facing is a family crisis. It helps us to take care of ourselves, offering concrete, positive examples. It helps us to keep our balance by also giving concrete positive examples of how we can help each other. For more information about Steven and his books, click HERE .

  Harnessing the Power of Grief . Get it HERE . In this book, Julie Potter traces back decades the research on understanding and coping with grief, which she describes as a natural human response to loss. Pulling from the work of Worden, the author prescribes four tasks for those in grief to use in managing their grief. She also walks the reader through special situations like tragic loss without warning. A book for those who are grieving and those who are walking with grievers. Read more about Julie Potter and this book HERE .

  When times get tough and everyone has to look out for everyone else -- helping children, older parents, neighbors, and others, the most forgotten person is the self. Yet, taking care of the self can be the single most important thing you do in order to be able to care for all the others who need your help, regardless of your role in their lives or relationship to them. So, start out the week being good to yourself. Here are some books that can help.     Mama, do you find yourself too busy to take good care of yourself? Whatever your situation, you deserve spectacular health and wellness. With Julie M. Gentile as your personal wellness mentor, this book coaches you along your own authentic self-care path. Using 108 writing prompts and self-care practices, including yoga poses, meditations, and breathing exercises, Julie shows you practical ways to live well that only a mama modern would understand. Become the self-care goddess you truly want to be—you’re worth it! A Woma...

  Photograph by Stacey Gentry  And now, about me— Every morning, I make the rounds of the museum, grounds, and church, after starting my day at Mass in the Chapel with the priest and parishioners I love—and, appropriately, on a bit of an empty stomach though I do not take communion (being a cat, you know). After Mass, I go to the Mission Gift Shop for breakfast and, depending upon the day, I begin my rounds somewhat later. Actually, if you have read my other books, you know as much about me as it is possible to know. For those who have not read them yet, I can tell you my tale in a nutshell. It is pretty simple because the beginning is rather cloudy. I only know what the people at the Mission Gift Shop remember about me some 12 years ago. Yes, I am quite a big girl now with my own set of life experiences. It seems that I was always in San Juan Bautista, a beautiful Mission town in the Mexican tradition. Lots of Spanish spoken here, so I have had to learn to meow in and respond...

                          Dr. Haim Omer Author of 12 books and morethan 100 articles translatedinto 12 languages, Haim Omer created the “New Authority Approach” to parenting. Born in Brazil to survivors of the Holocaust, he has lived in Israel since 1967. He is a professor at Tel-Aviv University. He is author of  Courageous Parents, which is been reviewed with high favorability. For more posts by and about Omer and his book, check HERE .

In the words of Julia, we are all " whole beings that encompass scared parts, pleasure-seeking parts, ambitious parts--the inner child and the inner elder too." Read the whole article, Expanding the View,  HERE .   Julia is the author of Lessons of Labor .  Check out posts by and about Julia and her books HERE .