MSI Press Blog

  All English Blog posted a review and overview of How to Improve Your Foreign Language Immediately by MSI Press author, Boris Shekhtman. The review is dated, but the information is fresh and so comprehensive that it is indeed worth bringing readers' attention to it, especially the detailed overview of the book contents. Summary given in the review, which gives an extensive overview of the book contents: "If you want to have a relationship with a native speaker you need to be able to communicate on their level. And using these approaches helps you put your best foot forward and helps you look your best using the existing language skills and vocabulary that you possess." The review can be seen HERE . For more posts about Boris Shekhtman and his books, click HERE .                                              Sign up for the MSI Press LLC newsletter ...

  MSI Press authors, Sula Parish Cat and Shenan (CB) Leaver, at Old Mission San Juan Bautista Gift Shop office Sula, Parish Cat at Old Mission, has written seven books, the most recent one, Sula and the Franciscan Sisters , released this month. Today, KSBW in Salinas, California featured Sula, her passing, and parishioner response -- along with quite a surprise at the first Mass after her passing. Listen to it HERE . For more posts about Sula and her books, click HERE For posts about Shenan and his book, click HERE .                                    Sign up for the MSI Press LLC newsletter                           Follow MSI Press on  Twitter ,  Face Book , and  Instagram .

  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 contracts -- what is a good one, what is a bad one, and what do the specialized terms actually mean? I will answer these questions in a series of posts, using, to start, our contracts, and will go through them paragraph by paragraph. Then, I will look at some other publishers' contracts for differing content. So far in this series, we have looked at paragraphs 1-7. Now we will look at paragrahs XX. At this point, it is important to know that all contracts differ, sometimes even those from the same publishing house, and numbers are not going to match. However, all contracts should have essen...

  When Carl first died, a friend sent me a little book, wonderful in its pragmatism and understanding of the immediate-after-death emotions and psyche. That book pointed out that widows (or widowers) have a tendency to turn the former spouse into an icon. (Well, some of them do, anyway, and that, according to the little booklet, makes it difficult to move on or even to maintain a normal range of sanity. I realize that I was doing just that -- not wanting to change anything in the house or how anything. I also put a picture in every room. Reading that booklet, I realized that I was indeed iconizing Carl. In an opposite manner, some people, perhaps many people, completely change their life and lifestyles after the death of a spouse. This was clearly expected of me. I cannot begin to count the number of real estate agents who contacted me for the first weeks and months after Carl died, offering to sell the house for me. I guess that would be a form of minimization. I had no desire to ...

  Recently, Arthur Yavelberg, author of A Theology for the Rest of Us,  contributed a column, " Becoming the Best of Yourself, " in Tucson.com . For more posts by and about Arthur and his book, click HERE .                                          Sign up for the MSI Press LLC newsletter                           Follow MSI Press on  Twitter ,  Face Book , and  Instagram .

  The Journal for Distinguished Language Studies has been issued by MSI Press since 2003. The newest issue, 2021-2022 will be out in December and has some really thrilling articles (for an academic journal).  Information about the journal, including a rolling call for papers, can be found at the journal's website page. It is not too early to consider a submission for the next issue (2023-2024). These articles require much experience and knowledge of the highest levels of language learning and teaching; therefore, articles take a lot of time to write, review, and revise prior to publication. Some of the articles in the issue about to be released began their journey in 2020.  An excerpt from the journal is posted on the journal page. For more posts about the JDLS, click HERE .                                          Sign up for the MSI Press LLC newslett...

  San Juan Books is the hybrid division of MSI Press LLC. It allows first-time writers to become published in a traditional way through the reduction of risk by sharing publication costs. All other publishing features are traditional in nature, and most SJB authors go on to be offered traditional contracts for their subsequent books. SJB publications are available as paperback, hard cover, and e-book versions. SJB authors' books very much hold their own against their contemporaries in the traditional publishing division. Indeed, a number of them have outsold their traditional compatriots. Today, San Juan Books presents author Brittany Renz. Brittany Renz is a successful personal trainer and mother in Hollister, California. A popular trainer with a very large, stable clientele, she trains together with her family, as well as coaching others. After years of people asking her how she does it all, she finally decided to take her experience and share it with the world. To see more posts...

  Excerpt: The Three Cornerstone [of Joshuanism] Humans have become isolated creatures. They spend most of their time alone, behind windshields and computer screens. Christians are not immune to this increasing isolation. Even when they come together for small groups or Bible studies, there is still a very private element to the way they communicate with one another. How many people actually tell the truth about what is really going on in their lives or their minds? How many people really admit how messed up their world is? How many people divulge their needs of the moment? Very few. Why is it only a few? Because no one wants anyone else to know that his life is not the picture perfect scene that it appears to be on the surface. Christian churches are just as isolated as the people in them. Most of them sequester themselves away from other churches just a few blocks down the street. Why? Because one church does things one way, and another church does things a different way. God fo...

  IN MEMORIAM On August 24, 2022, Sula, the beloved parish cat at Old Mission San Juan Bautista, passed away quietly in her carrier as she prepared to spend her last working day at the Mission. For about 15 years, based on the estimates of parishioners who have known her since she appeared at the Mission as a kitten, she has spent her time at Masses, exploring the gardens, and in the Gift Shop where she lived until recently, moving in with parishioners, her godparents, when covid struck and spending Sundays on duty at the Mission. She brought excitement to scores of visiting children, peace to parishioners during Mass, and healing to the hurting. As a survivor of multiple forms of cancer, including skin cancer that took her ears years ago, she served as a role model to cancer patients. Visitors came not only to visit the Mission but also to meet Sula. On her Face Book page, she had over 1000 followers, including fans from more than a dozen states and many countries. Sula, a “divine...

  Excerpt: THE WOMAN WHO TOUCHED JESUS (Gospel account in Matthew 9:20-22; Mark 5:24-34: Luke 9:43-48)   A large crowd was following Jesus, pressing around him. A woman crept up quietly, trying to touch him. This dear lady had an internal bleeding disorder. For twelve years, she’d suffered under the care of many doctors and spent all her money to pay them. But, instead of getting better, she grew worse. She’d heard of Jesus. So, she pressed through the crowd and slipped up behind him, thinking, “If I only touch his clothes, I’ll be healed.” As soon as she touched his cloak, she felt the bleeding stop. Background This brave lady risked public humiliation by approaching Jesus unbidden. Women of her day were often not treated with dignity. She knew she would likely be ridiculed, but she was enough desperate to choose to face the consequences. The disciples would not be sympathetic. They fancied themselves to be Jesus’ palace guards, shooing the riffraff away, especially women an...