MSI Press Blog

Colette McNeil published a helpful article on apps and other tools for parents of children with autism in the September issue of Autism Parenting Magazine . The title is "Personal Communication Supports for Nonverbal Children with Autism." The article focuses on specific tools and support for communicating with nonverbal children. To ready the article, you will need to subscribe to Autism Parenting Magazine , but if you have a child with autism (or are a teacher of one), it should be worth it. Colette is the author of two books on autism that have been published by MSI Press.  For more information about this book, click HERE . For more information about this book, click HERE . For more posts on Colette, click HERE . For more posts on autism, click HERE .

  Readers' Favorite recently reviewed Julie Potter's book, Harnessing the Power of Grief . Here are some excerpts:  - informative and inspiring  - I loved the format.  - If you are grieving from any kind of loss, like a family member's death or a divorce, then I highly recommend this book.   Read the full review HERE . To see more posts about Julie Potter and this book, 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 derives from a series of enote correspondences with a self-possessed, pumped-up-on-his-own-greatness self-published author, simply names James (will leave off the last name to stave off any embarrassment, should he even feel any). The initial note, like many others I receive (no James is not unique), said essentially, I published the greatest book ever, everyone says so, it got some attention from my professional organization, and it has a wonderful review from Kirkus. It just needs a publisher to market it because I am not a marketer; I am an author. When I get those kinds of communications, here is wha...

  Giving care to cancer patients or to anyone with a chronic, life-threatening, terminal illness is highly stressful. This includes hospice situations as well since hospice nurses and aides are only there for a few hours (if that) a week. Meanwhile, the loved one receiving the care may be experiencing deteriorations that are hard to understand (either as patient or caregiver).  While the medical professional generally does a good job, focusing on the needs of the patient, few in the profession give much thought to the caregiver (although some church programs [support groups] exist that do help).  As the patient deteriorates, the stress on the caregiver generally increases -- from a pending sense of doom, from escalating demands on time and knowledge (often inferior to the need), and decreasing lack of time for self-renewal. If you are a caregiver, find some help. Live-in assistance with care provides the most relief, but respite care can help as well. Don't wait until it ...

  In a post on her blog that she shared today, Marti Wells-Smith ( Lamentations of the Heart ) relates a dream about her late son that was experienced by a friend.  Here is the beginning of the post: I want to share a dream with you that a dear friend had, following the passing of my son in 2019. She said that Grant appeared in what looked like a hologram, with a radiant smile, and impressed upon her what seemed to be a telepathic message. He told her that we shouldn't be sad, because there is no sadness in heaven - and that everyone there is connected heart to heart - with a universal language...I think of this often, and rejoice for the beautiful signs I've received, and for a dream such as this. My son is blissfully happy now, forever. But my sadness? It still comes and goes, as time moves along and life continues. Yet it's not a hopeless sorrow - I have great hope for our futures. Can you feel your loved ones gone on? Do you also wait to be reunited with great ex...

  How many gift shops can boast the presence of a divine cat, always willing to meet with and pose with customers? Sure, a few can. Among them, a leader is the gift shop at Old Mission San Juan Buatista, where Sula, parish cat and a member of the staff at Old Mission, as well as author of six books, lives in residence. Well, lived in residence pre-covid. With current covid curtailments, she retired to live with her godparents nearby in Hollister and now works on Sundays, where she attends Mass to comfort people who need her and engage with customers at the gift shop next door. Among other Catholic products, such as rosaries and statues, the gift shop also sells all of Sula's books, and the proceeds go toward the restoration fund for the Mission. Sula has raised a lot of funds to help save her Mission! To read more about the Mission and the gift shop, click HERE . To see more information about Sula and her books, click HERE .

  Breakthrough means breakdown first It has often been said that as humans we will do far more to avoid pain than we will to maximize pleasure. We realize that most people think that they want to find joy, happiness, or pleasure, but in truth most of our efforts are in the opposite direction. One look at evolution, however, will quickly demonstrate that it is through pain, failure, and breakdown that we get better, stronger, and smarter. What is it that we learn in these painfully tough moments or experiences? Let’s first dissect what happens in a total breakdown. What do we actually mean by breakdown? It is important to differentiate that we are not discussing something like a “nervous breakdown.”  That is something that should be handled by a medical professional, and neither this book nor this specific chapter are intended to solve these kinds of problems. That being said, please read what follows through this important filter.  Breakdowns are, in fact...

Congratulations to Dr. Liz Bayardelle, MSI Press author, for the selection of her book as the finalist in the Nonfiction-Humor category of the Readers' Favorite Book Award competition.  Check out the awards HERE . Find out more about the book HERE .

  According to Literary Titan -- "Readers will love this book because it answers a lot of questions that bothers believers." " A Theology for the Rest of Us  is not just a religious book. You will get history lessons from the book and also learn more about humanity. Every reader is guaranteed lifelong lessons once they are done reading the book." Read the complete review HERE . To see more posts about Arthur Yavelberg and this book, click HERE .

  (photograph 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 difficult authors.  No publisher likes a difficult author. All publishers get them at times. All difficult authors are difficult in different ways but here are some that we have seen (not necessarily within MSI Press, where we have a wonderful consortium of authors supportive of each other and the press itself but with sister presses, for the most part):  They want to have control over every aspect of production, e.g., the time schedule, the cover design, the marketing plan, color vs B&W; this can be particularly the case for first-time authors. There is a ...

  Personal experience from the editor: When three of our six cats were diagnosed with cancer, it was at a late stage. (The number is normal; 50% of cats over the age of 10 end up with cancer.) Even talented feline oncologists cannot turn the clock back. They can try to stop the clock, but sometimes the damage is too great.  We lost Intrepid to cancer three years ago (and wrote a book about him). He survived only a month of chemotherapy; he was diagnosed too late, and several important organs were in the process of failure: kidneys, pancreas, stomach. His older "brother" (not biological) who came from Jordan as well was diagnosed at the same time.  Murjan  managed to survive three years on chemotherapy, but by the time he died last Sunday, he was on seven medicines, periodic hydration, and down to 5 pounds (from 16). He fought valiantly, but ultimately the cancer won. Likewise, our young Lynx Siamese cat, Snyezhka, has breast cancer, diagnosed at stage 4, treated with...

  Murjan went over the rainbow bridge tonight after a valiant three years of fighting lymphoma and with such indomitable spirit that even on Sunday, after his hydration, he jumped down from the chair he was on, certain that he still had the springing power that he has always had. But he fell and landed on his side. Clearly, he hours were numbered.  His last days and hours were so typical of cancer patients. (Check the MSI Press website in a few weeks; there are plans for a cancer resource page for people and animals -- those questions that one can never find an answer to in spite of how much time you spend on Google; the tentative page name is Carlr's Cancer Compendium. And check out the book on cancer by Sula, Parish Cat at Old Mission ) First, the chemotherapy stopped working. Then Murjan lost interest in food, then in drink -- and then his spirit left his body. Just like his owner, MSI Press graphic designer, Carl Leaver, a month earlier. Murjan was born in Jordan and moved...

  From US Review of Books book review of Passing On; Preparing for the Afterlife: "...written beautifully in the descriptions of bliss, peace, forgiveness,  joy and beauty, both on earth and what others have described in the afterlife through their NDEs. The work about how to prepare for the afterlife, such as reading, meditation, being in nature and praying, is helpful as is the Appendix with its focus on afterlife characteristics."                                                  -Carol Anderson,  U.S. Review of Books Read the rest of the book review HERE . Read more posts about Passing On HERE . Read more posts about Joanna and all her books HERE .

  Whew, it is HEAVY out there! It feels like a hot, thick, dense fog of negative emotions in the collective right now, at least locally where I live in Texas. If you're going with the societal flow, you're probably being fired up and/or pulled down again and again. It takes a warrior's intent to stay centered in this dark time of human history. Even the phrase "stay" centered doesn't make much sense. "Return to center as often as you need to," is my more favored refrain. To be honest with you, I'm personally feeling strong in spirit lately, as I've recommitted to self-discipline around what nourishes me, like taking a sleep retreat last weekend and setting aside consistent solo time to deeply feel and express my own feelings. Being a person in the world and experiencing my own rough times, as well as listening to so many different experiences other people are having, keeps reminding me of that old Indigo Girls song line, "Darkness has a ...

MSI Press, over the years, has published a number of books that focus on cancer, include cancer, or discuss related items such as living with chronic illness, caregiving, dying, and grief. Here are some of them. All of these books can be found on the MSI Press website  HERE .                 For more Cancer Diary posts, click HERE . To reach the MSI Press catalogue, click HERE . Note that the coupon code FF25 will gain you a 25% discount on any book, including those on sale. Blog editor's note: As a memorial to Carl, and simply because it is truly needed, MSI  is now hosting a web page,  Carl's Cancer Compendium , as a one-stop starting point for all things cancer, to make it easier for those with cancer to find answers to questions that can otherwise take hours to track down on the Internet and/or from professionals. The web page is in its infancy but expected to expand into robustness. As part of this effort, each week, ...

  Congratulations to MSI Press authors whose books placed in the Hollywood Book Festival. Irit Schaffer ( Good Blood ) earned the silver medal in the spiritual category and an honorable mention in the historical category. Andrew Harvey ( Tucker and Me ) earned an honorable mention in the autobiography/biography/memoir category.  MSI Press Blog Joanna Charnas ( A Movie Lover’s Search for Romance )    earned an honorable mention in the autobiography/biography/memoir category.  Betty Sha w and Dave Brown ( One Simple Text… ) earned an honorable mention in the general nonfiction category.

  www.allthingsmindful.org I came across an excellent post recently about personal development on the All Things Mindful website. The article says, quite rightly, that change starts with embracing transformation, not from rote applications of suggestions of coaches and books. Take a look at this great article, "Maximizing Your Personal Growth and Development," and then, when you are ready, check out MSI Press books, by experts, that can help provide you guidance as you leap from pillar to pillar, gaining strength and agility at life itself. A Guide to Bliss: Transforming Your Life through Mind Expansion (Tubali)   A Theology for the Rest of Us (Yavelberg)   A Woman’s Guide to Self-Nurturing: How to Build Self-Esteem by Being Nice to Yourself (Romer) El Poder de lo Transpersonal (Ustman)   How My Cat Made Me a Better Man (Feig)   How to Get Happy and Stay That Way (Romer)   How to Live from Your Heart: Deepen Relationships,...