MSI Press Blog

Congratulations to Larry MacDonald on his book,  RV Oopsies , being selected as the  Kops-Fetherling International Book Awards  lega cy award in the category of sports and recreation.    “This practical book shows the way to live from your heart and use its potential." To read more posts about Larry 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 addresses prolific authors as well as authors working on their second book. Who should publish subsequent books by an author -- the publisher of the first book or another publisher? This is not always a simple question, but there are simple ways to make a decision about where your next book gets submitted. Consider the following: What does your contract with your publisher say? Some publishers require authors give them the right of first refusal for any subsequent books. This is more especially true for novels than for nonfiction books. What your contract says you are beholden to d...

  "Look to the mountains for relief from life's troubles," says MSI Press author, Arthur Yavelberg in the Tucson Daily Star . Click HERE to read the article to see what he has in mind. To read more about Arthur and his book, click HERE .

  Congratulations to Nanette Hucknall on her book, How to Live from Your Heart: Deepen Relationships, Develop Creativity, & Discover Inner Wisdom , being selected as the  Kops-Fetherling International Book Awards  lega cy award in the category of self-help.   “This practical book shows the way to live from your heart and use its potential." How to Live from Your Heart has won many awards, including Book of the Year Finalist Book Excellence Award Pinnacle Book Achievement Award American Book Fest Best Book Finalist To read more posts about Nanette and her books, click HERE .

  A Few Licks Go a Long Way  Cat Tale: It was starting to get dark on a Saturday night. As Shelly sat nearby licking herself, I was preparing to go out and hit the bars. I wanted to spend as little time as possible to get ready. The way I looked at it, if it took more than ten minutes to make myself presentable, I was doing it wrong. I put on my favorite collared shirt, hoping no one would notice the detergent stain on the back or the hole near the armpit. I dragged a brush through my hair a single time. I slipped on my pre-tied, 4-year-old sneakers, the ones with the bottoms of the soles coming off. That’s right, I was stylin’. As I headed for the door, I noticed that Shelly was still in the same spot, still licking herself. She hadn’t stopped grooming the entire time. She didn’t even have plans that night. Either she cared too much about personal appearances or I didn’t care enough. I looked in the mirror. The problem was me.  Cat Lesson: Grooming is imp...

  If you are planning to attend ths year's New York Book Festival, look for The Rose and the Sword by Dr. Judith Bach and Nanette Hucknall! Need some background information about this fan-favorite book? Click HERE .

         Congratulations to Dr. Omar Imady on his book, When You're Shoved from the Right, Look to Your Left: Metaphors of Islamic Humanism , being selected as the  Kops-Fetherling International Book Awards  lega cy award in the category of religion.   This book contains 29 stories originally articulated in Arabic by Bashir Al-Bani, Orator of the Grand Mosque of Damascus and one of the masters of the Sufi Naqishbandi Order. They have been compiled, rendered in English, and introduced by Dr. Omar Imady, professor of humanities and political science. The stories are often comic but deep in implication. One story may address the motives underlying human interaction; another may address how hidden principles guide the way in which our lives unfold. A delicate concern for the value, indeed the sacredness, of human value permeates all the stories. This concern is explicated through metaphors, the purest vocabulary of Islamic humanism. Rea...

  (photo Tucsonlocalmedia) Arthur Yavelberg, author of A Theology for the Rest of Us, was recently interviewed in the Tucsonlocalmedia: " Religion Educator Pens A Theology for the Rest of Us ."'  Here is an excerpt: There are questions that have answers, questions without answers, and questions that just lead to more questions. In his new book, “A Theology for the Rest of Us,” local writer Arthur Yavelberg tackles all these types of questions in the hopes of providing some religious illumination in these uncertain times. Now that’s not to say the book aims to convince anyone of anything, but by examining various religions’ insights on topics like free will, the identity of the creator, and why evil exists, Yavelberg provides a map for spiritual awareness.  Yavelberg, who has worked as a teacher of history and comparative religion, as well as the head of Tucson Hebrew Academy, describes the book as “the sum total of his religious theological insight over a lifetime.” But f...

  (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 launching a book, especially for authors without universal name recognition. It is a follow-on to our December 29, 2020 blog post . The model that many new authors have in mind are the events and actions that famous authors take. Unfortunately, those are not the most effective for unknown authors. Here are some things to think about. Book signings: Book signings at book stores can fail more often than succeed where the author is an unknown.  The current status at many bookstores is that there is insufficient staff to set up and support signings. That aside, even before th...

Congratulations to Dr. Dennis Ortman on his book,  Anger Anonymous , being selected as the  Kops-Fetherling International Book Awards  lega cy award in the category of psychology.   “When you feel in the grip of anger, ask yourself these questions: -Do you feel powerless to control your temper? -Does your anger frighten you so much that you feel compelled to suppress it? -Does your life feel unmanageable because of your anger? -Does your preoccupation with the unfairness of life and being wronged interfere with your happiness? -Do you feel hopeless about finding a cure for your temper? If you answer “yes” to these questions, you may be addicted to your anger. It acts like a drug that stimulates you, energizes you, and causes you to act insanely. <><><><><><><><> Viewing your anger as an addiction, Dr. Ortman guides you through the time-tested Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous to fi nd healing and growth. He show...

  Sincere congratualtions to Dr. Frederic Craigie, whose book, Weekly Soul , took top place in the Foreword Reviews' Book of the Year Award.  From the award committee: "A collection of 52 meditations on meaningful, joyful, and peaceful living. The meditations begin with thought-provoking quotations from writers, journalists, theologians, musicians and artists, activists--and touch on themes of miracles, aliveness, purpose, laughter and joy, presence/mindfulness, activism, acceptance, gratitude, forgiveness, creativity, civility, and hope. In "Weekly Soul," readers will find a year's worth of affirmation and engaging exploration of wholeness and well being." From posts about Dr. Craigie and his book, click HERE .

  There have been many posts on Sula, Parish Cat at Old Mission , by many people, including on Sula's own page, as well as articles written about her in Guideposts and All Creatures, but perhaps the most special thing about her (at least recently) was shared by her current vet oncologist.  Sula has had an ongoing struggle with cancer, in and out of remission, for more than six years. At first, she had skin cancer on her ears. That was controlled by cutting out the cancered areas. Then, the skin cancer returned, and Sula's ears were removed. She wrote about it in Surviving Cancer, Healing People: One Cat's Story . Then, Sula got another kind of cancer: injection site carcinoma. Her vet cut out a piece of her hip to help her survive it, and survive she did. But in a couple of years, the cancer came back. This time, the vet said the only way to save Sula's life would be to remove her leg. The priest said no. Let her live out her life however long with all her legs intact. ...

  Julie Gentile, author of award-winning books, 108 Yoga and Self-Care Practices for Busy Mamas and How to Stay Calm in Chaos, has been interviewed on two podcasts. Check them out: Relentless Pursuit Podcast "Everyday Self-Care" an Interview with Julie Gentile   The Teaching and Learning  Podcast Self-Care for Teachers   For more posts about Julie and her books, click HERE.

     Congratulations to Dr. Peter Jonas on his book, Soccer Is Fun without Parents , being selected as the  Kops-Fetherling International Book Awards  lega cy award in the category of leadership.   “ Great advice — in a number of spheres of life — for parents of those little soccer players.” This book also won the 2019 Readers' Favorite Bronze Medal. Read more posts about Peter Jonas and this book  HERE .

MSI Press is proud of William Hopkins, who has spent a career interpreting Russian-English for heads of state. In this photo, he is on the floor beside Reagan, interpreting for Reagan and Gorbachev. (Interpreters work under some difficult conditions.) Bill related his professional life story, including how he acquired such high level proficiency in Russian, in Volume 8 of Journal for Distinguished Language Studies. For more information about the journal, 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 a little bit about marketing. A lot about marketing would take not only one book but many. For authors, marketing is an important "duty" and a rather daunting one at that. Very few publishers (well, probbaly none) have big enough pockets to take on the full task of marketing, especially for new authors without a natural fan base. So, they expect authors to help.  So, let's look at some of the techniques authors can do to help with marketing. Techniques that exploit the author's fan base (an author without a fan base is not going to sell many books): Authors need ...

  MSI Press author, Julie Gentile, has once again contributed to Natural Awakenings Chicago . This time her artile is about self-care and is titled,  Three Ways To Say ‘Yes’ to Self-Care . This article is a nice complement to her earlier article, \ Self-Care Tips for Parents in a Pandemic . Check them out. And while you are at it, check out our other blogs about Julie and her books HERE .

  Liz Bayardelle was recently interviewed about her book, Clean Your Plate! on Podtail. Take a listen HERE , For more posts about Liz and her books, click HERE .

  Well, this is not news. Sula has had a Face Book page for a few years new, long enough to gather nearly 800 followers. (You can be a follower, too.) What is on the page? Announcements about new books by Sula. She has published six. Sula's reactions to events at the Mission. Pictures of Sula with visitors. Photos and videos of Sula's adventures at the Mission. All lots of fun, endearing, charming, and heartwarming. Great pictures, great stories. Check out her FB page HERE .. Check out Sula's blog posts and pictures HERE .

A Theology for the Rest of Us recently earned a RECOMMENDED rating from US Review of Books. The reviewer wrote, in part,   Yavelberg's book would serve as a good companion text to similar works or perhaps be suitable for those on a beginning path into spirituality. In short, it is simply engaging. Read the full review HERE . Read more about Arthur and his book HERE .

  Congratulations to Betty Shaw and Dave Brown on her book, One Simple Text... , being selected as the  Kops-Fetherling International Book Awards  legacy award in the category of inspiration/motivation.   “ In One Simple Text , Betty Shaw recounts her daughter’s frightening and arduous but ultimately uplifting and inspirational journey. Betty chronicles Liz’s ordeal from the day of the accident and provides a glimpse of their life on the speaking and television circuit. This is a poignant memoir about a young woman who triumphed over tragedy; a mother and daughter’s love; and the indomitable power of the human spirit .” Read more posts about Betty and Dave and this book  HERE .

  " Peppered with humor any parent will appreciate, Bayardelle’s book is a must-have." Literary Titan recently reviewed Clean Your Plate! by Liz Bayardelle and gave it 5 stars. The reviewer writes, in part -- "I love the breakdown the author gives in each chapter. She doesn’t simply tell us the bit of advice; she analyzes the psychology behind why we say what we do to our children. In addition, Bayardelle explains what the research reveals our kids actually hear when we utter those famous words over and over. It’s a fantastic approach to parental reading. One of the most spot-on aspects of Bayardelle’s writing is the parenting-versus-reality tone she takes. Both the writing and scenarios are incredibly relatable and will be appreciated by readers in all stages of parenting." Read the rest of the review HERE . Read more posts about Liz Bayardelle and her books 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, we step away from our weekly format to tell a couple of stories that might be revealing and helpful to authors who think that the only ways to get a book published are through the help of a literary agent, direct contact with a publisher, or self-publishing. Likely, very few authors think they might be contacted by a publisher and asked to write a book. But it does happen. How it happens, though, tends to be an "oh, by the way" that comes up as a publisher's need or as a publisher's insight about opportunity. Thre examples come from our publishing house.  When the pandemic broke out, there seemed ...

  Julia Aziz's latest post focuses on "beautiful mistakes and life u-turns." She writes: Life is messy! It just is. The artistry of my life–my decisions, the ways I fail, the ways I grow–doesn’t match the artistry of yours, and thank goodness! Our messes make us unique. I think of a flower with a torn petal. Shall we toss it to the wind for being imperfectly symmetrical, or will we cherish its fragile beauty?  You can read the whole post  HERE . You can read more posts by and about Julia Aziz and her books HERE .