MSI Press Blog

  Every year, Sula, parish cat at Old Mission San Juan Bautista, who takes care of the Mission, gift shop, and parishioners, dresses up for Halloween and has a great time greeting customers at the gift shop as well as at Mass. This year, Sula has done something special for Halloween. She has written a book, Dia de Muertos , about Day of the Dead that occurs at the same time, and she lists all the differences between the two holidays. See that except HERE . Enjoy Halloween, then curl up with Sula's book and get ready for Day of the Dead. For more posts from this blog and from the Internet about Sula, click HERE . For more posts about Day of the Dead, click HERE . For more posts about Sula's books, click HERE .

  We have recently added an interview with Renyuan Dong ( Rainstorm of Tomorrow ), conducted by Mary Ann Raemish. His interview joins a growing list of others. Check out our author interviews HERE .  (Check back periodically as we will be adding more.)

Calaveritas de azúcar, junto con los juguetes, se dejan en los altares para los niños que han pasado. Las calaveritas de azúcar no se usan como símbolo mórbido, sino como un recordatorio caprichoso de la ciclicidad de la vida, por lo que están decoradas con colores vivos. Las calaveritas de azúcar representan un alma difunta, tienen el nombre escrito en la frente y se colocan en el hogar de la ofrenda o la lápida para honrar el regreso de un espíritu en particular. El arte de las calaveritas de azúcar refleja el estilo del arte popular—grandes sonrisas felices, glaseado colorido y adornos brillantes. ¿Le gustaría saber cómo hacer calaveritas? No son fáciles de hacer, y llevan mucho tiempo a preparar, pero el proceso es muy divertido y el producto vale la pena. Entonces, si esta listo para intentarlo, así es como se preparan : 1. Primero, necesitar á ·        polvo de merengue, compuesto de o    almidón de maíz o    claras de...

  Joshua Shea is a recovering pornography addict and the author of   The Addiction Nobody Will Talk About: How I Let My Pornography Addiction Hurt People and Destroy Relationships.  He has appeared on over 50 podcasts, television and radio shows. Prior to admitting his addiction, Joshua was a prominent magazine publisher, award-winning journalist, film festival founder and politician in central Maine He is co-author of   He’s a Porn Addict…Now What?    and  Porn and the Pandemic. For more information about Joshua and his books, click HERE .

  (photo by Frank Perez) It is Tuesday. Time to tall turkey. Monday's madness is over, and Wednesday will take us over the hump, so Tuesday it is--for some serious discussion with authors. Tuesday talks mean to address authors in waiting and self-published authors who would like to go a more traditional route or who would at least like to take their steps with a publisher by their side. Today's topic is about an important understanding that many new authors do not have and that can make a huge difference in the long-term value of their book to them. What is the difference between copyright and rights? Sell the wrong thing, and you lose control over your book. Here is the difference and the importance and implications: - Copyright is what protects your book as being your work and your legal property. Selling the copyright (never do that--if a publisher asks to purchase copyright, run in the other direction) takes your work away from your permanently. While you may have written i...

  You would be surprised where you might find some unique -- and tasty -- recipes. Some of more interesting books have some special recipes tucked inside them. See, for example... Dia de Muertos . Ever wonder how to make some of those yummy Day of the Dead treats? Sula has the recipes for you! Syrian Folktales . Muna has included more than a folktale from each region of Syria; she has also included recipes from each region of Syria. Maybe this is one of the reasons that this is one of our best-selling books. Girl, You Got This! -- you might be surprised -- contains healthy recipes for mothers-to-be who are paying involved in fitness activities. HOWEVER, unlike Amazon's stubborn classification of The Optimistic Food Addict as a cookbook, it is anything but. Dr. Fisanick, the author, shares personal stories of coping with overeating and provides much self-help and guidance to readers. There is not one recipe there! (Seek instead, recipes in the books listed above.) But, should be i...

  ¿Cuál es la diferencia entre El Día de Muertos y Halloween?   Halloween no es parte del Día de Muertos, aunque el período y algunos símbolos son los mismos o similares. Hay siete diferencias principales.   1 El Día de Muertos dura 3 días, mientras que Halloween dura solo un dia. 2 Aunque los católicos generalmente celebran el Día de Muertos y Halloween, el Día de Muertos es una fiesta sagrada, mientras que Halloween es una fiesta secular. 3 El D ía de Muertos es una oportunidad para celebrar la vida y recordar, un día para reunirse con los familiares. El significado del Día de Muertos influye en las actividades. Ese significado se ha mantenido fiel a sus orígenes; no se ha perdido con el transcurre del tiempo. Halloween llega en la víspera del Día de Todos los Santos, y antiguamente se llamaba en inglés Hallow’s Eve (la víspera santificada). Siglos atrás, los celtas pensaban que esa noche las almas de los muertos volvían para dañar los cultivos ...

  Thanks to photographer, Stacey Jewel, Sula, Parish Cat at Old Mission, has a fresh new picture (above)  You can friend Sula on Facebook HERE   You will be joining hundreds of others who love Sula. She has had people from all over the USA come to California to meet her! For more posts about Sula and her books, click HERE .

  Introduction This book is a unique collaboration between a mental health professional, Tony Overbay, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Joshua Shea, a former journalist who spent more than two decades struggling with pornography addiction. Usually, the expert sitting in the chair and the person on the couch getting the help don’t work together on a project outside of the therapist’s office, but we think this is a natural match. (And for those wondering, Josh was never Tony’s client—they met on a podcast.) Tony spends dozens of hours every week working with couples who are at various stages of the therapy process. Many of these couples have struggled with pornography issues. Although you’re probably feeling alone in the world right now, you are not. Tony has dealt with women, men and couples who are going through exactly what you are experiencing. Josh was a pillar of his community when his world came crashing down. A magazine publisher and city councilor, his life...

TIP # 4 KNOW WHERE TO GET HELP Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it. I do that every day. Asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness, it’s a sign of strength. It shows you have the courage to admit when you don’t know something, and to learn something new. ~ Barack Obama   Why is this Important?  It is very frustrating for kids when they come upon something they don't know how to do while trying to complete their homework.  Getting stuck can really derail concentration for some kids.  That’s why it is good to know, ahead of time, what your child should do if she gets stuck. What You Can Do: Teachers sometimes use the “Ask 3 Before Me” rule.  This means that before kids go to the teacher for help, they are encouraged to try to solve the problem themselves by asking/using three other sources first.  At home, there may not be three other people to go to for help besides you, but you can brainstorm possibilities: frie...

Betty Shaw and her daughter, Liz, travel throughout the United States to bring awareness about the dangers of distracted driving.  She lives in Easton, Maryland with her family and their dog, Quintin. Her book with Dave Brown,  One Simple Text…The Liz Marks Story ,  is a poignant tale of the drama that Liz and her family suffered as a result of her nearly dying from an accident that resulted from texting while driving. For more information about Betty's book, click HERE .

(photo by Frank Perez) It is Tuesday. Time to tall turkey. Monday's madness is over, and Wednesday will take us over the hump, so Tuesday it is--for some serious discussion with authors. Tuesday talks mean to address authors in waiting and self-published authors who would like to go a more traditional route or who would at least like to take their steps with a publisher by their side. Today's topic is inflated claims from self-published authors looking for a "I have published traditional contract. "I have published three best-selling books" is a line on a recent proposal that came in to MSI Press. Such a claim ("best selling") is almost never warranted, in the experience at our press.  Here is why making such a claim can undermine your chance of being published. - Such claims are easily checked out; numbers are available from a variety of sources; if found to b e inflated, than the honest--or at least the ability of the author to see and accept reality-...