MSI Press Blog

US Review of Books recently reviewed Fred Craigie's book, Weekly Soul . We are pleased to learn that the reviewer has awarded the book a RECOMMENDED rating.  The reviewer concluded that "C raigie's meditations are intelligently, sensitively presented for those who seek genuine improvement through thoughtful, thorough introspection."  Read the rest of the review HERE .  For more posts about Fred Craigie and his book, click HERE .

  We only find out these things by chance. Either someone tells us, or we stumble across them on the Internet. In any case, it is always pleasant to learn that we have received positive notice. That is important for our authors. So, this week, we were pleased to learn that MSI Press has been rated as #16 among publishers of religious works. See more information about the rating HERE . We publish works based on Christianity, Buddhism, Islam, Judaism, and general spirituality. For more detail about our religious and spiritual 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 book launches. A book launch, planned and carried out well, is a great opportunity to introduce and market your book to a large number of people. So, what are the ways books can be launched? What is the best way to launch a book? What are the benefits and risks of various kinds of book launches? So, let's take each question separately. What are the ways in which you can launch your book? A typical launch for a high-powered author is a tour of bookstore signings; a typical launch for a low-powered author is a book signings at one, perhaps two, local bookstores.  High-powe...

  Cheryl lives in an over-55 lifestyle community outside Atlanta that offers a an abundance of life-enriching activities. She dances for herself and teaches dance to others. In the past year she added tai chi instructor to her resume. She started a Flowing Rhythm Dance Class in her community and also teaches dance movement for sit-down classes for those without the ability or balance to dance while standing. In order to give back to others, Cheryl also takes her sit-down Flowing Rhythm class to an adult daycare facility to bring a sense of joy and fun to their lives. All these dancers are an inspiration in what they achieve. With Joanna Romer, she co-authored  Creative Aging: A Baby Boomer’s Guide to Successful Living . Read more posts about Cheryl and her book HERE .

(photos by Stacey Gentry) Sula, parish cat at Old Mission really got into preparing the creche for this Christmas. Here are some additional pictures of her participation. You can follow Sula's adventures on her Face Book page HERE . For more posts about Sula and her books, including excerpts, check HERE .

  (Sula, reminiscing, in her own pew, donated by parishioners in her honor.) So, how is Christmas 2020 going? You might ask Sula, beloved parish cat at Old Mission San Juan Bautista and MSI Press author, considering that she wrote a book a few years ago--a popular one really--called Christmas at the Mission . Different this year, she may tell you because her cancer returned in the form of a tumor but with some very skilled veterinarian care her very bad prognosis turned around and the tumor is disappearing. At the same time this is all too familiar.  Because of covid, her "home" being closed from lock-down many times, and her cancer, Sula retired in December. (Please pray for her cancer to disappear entirely.) She now lives with parishioners and gets to interact with a retired priest from the Mission who lives nearby, so it feels like home. But she does work on Sundays, and she participated in all the normal activities--if anything could be considered normal this year. She he...

  Just sending along best wishes for a wonderful day today. (Wish I knew who drew the image!)

  Fernando Ustman is a consulting psychologist from Colombia, now living in San Diego. He holds a master’s degree in transpersonal psychology from the South American School of Transpersonal Psychology as well as an MBA from the University of Phoenix. He has studied in Argentina, the United States, and Spain. He specializes in levels of consciousness, holotropic respiration, dynamic meditation, and archetypal psychology – applications that improve the quality of life — and conducts workshops and lectures on these topics. He also has produced videos on Neurolinguistic Programming. He has published three books through MSI Press:   Las Puertas de la Eternidad ,   El Poder de lo Transpersonal , and   Las Historias de Mi Vida .  For more posts on Fernando and his books, click HERE .

  Hey, #19 is NOT bad, considering the dozens and dozens of publishers of parenting books. AND, it puts us among the "top" publishers for new authors in this domain, and that is reason enough to be happy! So, what more information about the rating? Click HERE . See some of our parenting books 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 the publication process itself. You have a manuscript in hand, now what? There are several stages. So, let's take each stage separately. Stage One. Completion of the Manuscript You have finished writing the manuscript and have carefully proofread it, but you are NOT ready to move to Stage Two. There are a few things you need to do first. If not done, this is the stage that often dooms a manuscript never to move to Stage Two and on into becoming a book. You proofread, right? For what did you proofread? Spelling? Ran it through the spellchecker? Certain your own eyes wil...

  Julie Gentile, author of 108 Yoga and Self-Care Practices for Busy Mamas and How to Stay Calm in Chaos , appeared recently on Instagram TV, covering 3 self-care tips for a pandemic holiday as part of The GF Mom Certified 2020 Holiday Guide launch party. View her appearance HERE . Read more posts about Julie and her books HERE .

  (photo by Stacy Gentry) About Me and This Book I love Christmas! Who doesn’t? Everyone I know loves Christmas, but then they are all people. I am a cat, but I enjoy celebrating Christmas with my people friends and with my Boss.  Christmas is a special time for my Boss. He is the One and Only, you know, the One who brought His plan to life that first Christmas—except no one knew then it was Christmas.  As for me, if you have read either of my other books (if not, please do), 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, partly because the beginning is rather cloudy, and I only know what the people at the Mission Gift Shop remember about me some 12 years ago. Yes, I am getting to be 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 her...

  Pictures and videos by Stacey Gentry. If it is Saturday, it just might be Sula day. And if it is Christmas, it might be Sula Santa. Have fun getting to know Sula better below. (The videos, unlike the pictures, are not embedded in this post; they are linked. You have to click on them to see them.)   Sula, beloved cat of San Juan Bautista (CA) parish and author of 6 books (5 in English and 1 in Spanish, never lacks for photographers, videographcrs, and artists to portray her and her adventures. Their efforts can be found in a number of  posts about Sula on this blog  -- and definitely spread across the  Internet . This Saturday-Caturday, we are sharing a short video of Sula, taken by Stacy Gentry. She is trying to get into Mass on a day when Mass canceled. Covid has taken a toll on Sula's ministry, as well as on the life of all the parishioners as Mass has had moments of being changed, canceled, moved on lone, and the like. See poor Sula's frustration HERE . Lik...

  photo by Splash Magazine Library Journal calls it, “The perfect pandemic read for those, “thrown into the dating world and trying to mesh real life with that depicted in the movies.” Read more of the review by Splash Magazine on the holiday suggestion list HERE . Also, read the interview with the author in Splash Magazine: "A Movie Lover's Search for Romance" Review--A Captivating Read HERE . Read more posts by and about Joanna Charnas and her books HERE . 

  Shai Tubali is the author of fourteen books in the Hebrew language, among them bestselling and prize-winning fiction and non-fiction. For the last twelve years, he has taught spiritual transformation and spiritual therapy in Israel, Germany, and India. His knowledge of chakras and subtle anatomy derives from the Yogic Nityananda tradition through the American Yogi, Dr. Gabriel Cousens, and from working with thousands of people in hundreds of workshops. He developed the White Light method, which enables people to utilize their subtle anatomy and chakras for psychological and spiritual balance. Shai’s book,   The Seven Wisdoms of Life , was a   2013 Book of the Year finalist  and a USA Best Books  Award 2015 finalist. His book,   A Guide to Bliss , was published March 2015, Read more about Shai, including connections to his websites, interviews, and videos HERE . Shai's books remain relevant and popular and continue to garner great reviews. For more posts a...

  Congratulations to Bennett Easterling, whose book, God Speaks into Darkness, was selected as the winner of the Best Religion Book of 2020 by Pinnacle Book Achievement Awards. This book is one of the books in the pandemic series.  Amazing....Bennett's books have all been winners in the Pinnacle Book Achievement Award competition, organized by the National Association of Book Exhibitors. To read more about Bennett and his books, including this one, click HERE . To see the list of pandemic books, click HERE .

  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 contests and competitions. Should you participate? Is the effort (and, depending upon competition, cost) worth it. How do you decide which contests to enter? What are the positives and negatives of entering a competition? So, let's take each question separately. Should you participate; is it worth it? There is often a financial cost, as well as a time cost and a psychological-emotional cost associated with contests and competitions. So, the first question to answer is whether you have the money, time, and temperament to enter your book into competitions. (It is sort of like entering your bab...

Julie Gentile, author of 108 Yoga and Self-Care Practices for Busy Mamas and How to Stay Calm in Chaos , has published an article, "Go with Your Gut with Julie M. Gentile," on the Mom Certified website. You can read it HERE . Read more posts about Julie and her books HERE .   

  Patti Trombly has a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education and a Master’s Degree in the Teaching of Reading.  Even after 20 years of teaching in elementary school, middle school and college, she still looks for teachable moments in everyday life and for new ways to help children learn. She is a parent of two, a teacher and a business owner.  With Cindy McKinley Alder, she co-authored two books:         365 Teacher Secrets for Parents: Fun Ways to Help Your Child Succeed in Elementary School . 10 Quick Homework Tips  (one of the books in our pandemic series) Check out the 365 Teacher Secrets  website  for more "fun ways" to help learners -- and get a workbook that goes with it. For more posts about Patti and her books, click  HERE .