MSI Press Blog

  New to the MSI Press family is Victor Montgomery III, whose books, Heart to Heart Resuscitation: A Memoir and Heart to Heart to Heart Resuscitation: My Journal were recently released. They are available online and in bookstores.  (Use coupon code FF25 at the MSI Press webstore for a 25% discount.) Want to know a little something about the books, watch the trailer HERE . As a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, serving with 1st Marine Air Wing, Iwakuni, Japan and Da Nang, Vietnam Air Base, the author has experienced first-hand, an inside view of what it takes to survive the challenges and trials of deployment and reintegration back into society and family, which gives him strong credibility in counseling veterans. Vic, himself a recovering alcoholic with 43 years clean and sober “a day at a time”, and a PTSD diagnosis, writes about the sheer power and honesty he experienced while meeting weekly, face to face with the 12 combat veterans in Group Room #2. Vic puts into action re...

                    One of the fun things that a publisher (or at least, an acquisitions editor) gets to experience is meeting more than one member of a family -- as authors whose work we publish, In this series of presenting family authors, we take note of the Imady writers, who have written several exciting and award-winning books. Above pictured, left to right, is Elaine Imady, the mother of Muna (daughter) and Omar (son). Elaine's book, Road to Damascus , a memoir of her physical and emotional journey from New York to Syria with her husband, Mohammed, was the first runner-up in the Eric Hoffer Legacy Award competition. Muna, who published two books with MSI Press -- the popular Syrian Folktales and the gut-wrenching Damascus amid the War , passed away suddenly and unexpectedly just as she finished the latter book; may she rest in peace. Omar's MSI Press books are quite different one from another: The Rise and Fall of Muslim Civ...

One of the fun things that a publisher (or at least, an acquisitions editor) gets to experience is meeting more than one member of a family -- as authors whose work we publish. In this series of presenting family authors, we take note of the Leaver writers, who have written books in various combinations and solo. Above pictured is Betty Lou Leaver and Shenan (CB) Leaver, who collaborated on Mommy Our House Guest , a fun book that has gained a number of afficionados and been serialized in a magazine.  Betty Lou, who has written dozens of books, including, for MSI Press, Think Yourself into Becoming a Language Learning Super Star and The Invisible Foreign Language Classroom (with Laura Dabbs) and Carl, who typeset and designed the covers of many MSI Press publications and edited Overcoming the Odds , collaborated on the book,  Intrepid.  who unfortunately passed away in 2021 from Cancer of Unknown Primary, Carl, unfortunately, passed away suddenly in 2021 from Cancer of ...

New to the MSI Press family is Diana Keathely, whose book, GodSway: My Anecdotes with God , is on pre-order at Amazon, B&N, and elsewhere. (Use coupon code FF25 at the MSI Press webstore for a 25% discount.) Diana is a teacher of Spanish and English as a Second Language turned author. She writes about her unusual and compelling experiences with God. Her writing has been published in several magazines, and she has won awards for it.  She has been active in several local churches for many years where she was part of a Worship Team and more. Her true-life stories of God’s intervention, protection, provision, and personal communication, as laid out in her first book, GodSway: My Anecdotes with God , have had an impact on her students and her peers, in addition to her family.  Diana resides in Tulsa, Oklahoma , with her husband of 43 years. She loves spending time with extended family and playing games – especially Corn Hole (“bags”) and Catch Phrase –with their four adult chil...

  Bob was born in Richmond, California and attended California State University Hayward. After college, he became a third-generation steel painter. He spent 20 years painting bridges in the Bay Area, the last 12 as a member of the Golden Gate Bridge paint crew. Bob retired in 2014 and is now a contributing author to local magazines. He lives with his wife in Northern California. Bob was born in Richmond, California and attended California State University Hayward. After college, he became a third-generation steel painter. He spent 20 years painting bridges in the Bay Area, the last 12 as a member of the Golden Gate Bridge paint crew. Bob retired in 2014 and is now a contributing writer at Bicoastal Digest Magazine , with his work also appearing in Marin Magazine , and The Argonaut, Journal of the San Francisco Historical Society . He now lives with his wife in Valley Springs, California. Bob's book, A View through the Fog , was recently released and is already near to top 10...

  Ken Mogren has been a nearly lifelong resident of Winona, MN, in the beautiful Mississippi River Valley. At Winona State University, he majored in Psychology and English and credits an understanding of human nature and good communication skills for success in a 43-year insurance industry career.  At about age 60, he rekindled a dormant interest in creative writing and began entering humorous sonnets in contests, enjoying a bit of success. In retirement, he has picked up the pace, resulting in a collection of nearly 200 sonnets, with over 100 of these in his first book, SPUNKY GRANDMAS …. And Other Amusing Characters .  Ken and his wife, Sally, enjoy traveling and spending time with their three sons and their families. He also serves as a volunteer on the non-profit boards of a hospital, university and theatre company. Ken’s other interests include running, cycling, and cross-country skiing. He regularly competes in those sports and has won three national age group champ...

  Andrew loves learning about anything space related, and dreams of a career at NASA or SpaceX. Andrew plays the trumpet in marching band and plays the piano.  He has his black belt in karate, is a sprinter on the track team, and enjoys skiing with family and friends.  Andrew loves to fix computers and other electronics. He has been making origami designs since he was five and sells his creations in a shop in his hometown. Andrew lives in Maryland with his mom, dad, and older brother. Read more posts  about Dr. Wilcox and her book,  A ndrew's Awesome Adventures with His ADHD Brain .  

  Dr. Wilcox has a Ph.D. in Pharmacology from the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, MS and has spent over 20 years as a researcher studying the pharmacological and behavioral effects of drugs at Emory University in Atlanta, GA and then at John Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, MD.  She has authored several manuscripts published in peer reviewed scientific journals and presented her research at international scientific meetings.  Dr. Wilcox’s research career has always combined her interests in pharmacology, psychology and neuroscience. Initially studying potential therapeutics to treat drug abuse behavior, the scope of her research changed to focused on studying the neurobiology of ADHD and treatment medications. Around this time Dr. Wilcox’s son was diagnosed with the inattentive subtype of ADHD.  When searching for books to help her as a parent, Dr. Wilcox realized there was a lack of information on the inattentive subtype of AD...

The author of I Love My Kids, But I Don't Always Like Them , Franki Bagdade graduated from Michigan State University with a BA in Elementary Education. She received her MA in Special Education from Wayne State University. She is currently enjoying her largest “pandemic purchase” and is half-way through earning her master’s in clinical social work at University of Kentucky. She has spent more than 20 years specializing in the world of children with extra needs, including non-traditional learning environments, camp settings, and everything in between. Her traditional mainstream educational experience includes all types of general classroom teaching, running a special needs resource room, consulting for pre-school through high school resource programs, and conducting training sessions for professional development. Most recently, she was the assistant director of Tamarack Camps, one of the largest overnight camps in North America. Franki is the owner and founder of FAAB Consulting, wh...

Candace Sjogren is a corporate executive, entrepreneur, trainer and coach.   She is the Head of Emerging Sales at Marqeta and CEO at Boston Breakthrough Academy, a leadership development academy for adults looking to level up in life. Prior to this, Sjogren was the founder and CEO of two fintech companies and chief strategy officer at a number of lending platforms nationwide, and continues to serve as an angel investor.   She lives on Cape Cod with her husband, Andrew, son, Ivar and dog, Pan. Candance co-authored  Typhoon Honey: The Only Way Out Is Through , which is currently available on pre-order.

Kris Girrell is an author, speaker, and executive leadership coach on a global level. His education spans the disciplines of psychology, theology and coaching. Kris has lectured, presented and coached clients in the Americas, Europe, Africa and Asia/Pacific.  A father of three and grandfather of four, he lives with his wife Sarah and son Jesse in Andover MA. Kris co-authored Typhoon Honey: The Only Way Out Is Through , which is currently available on pre-order.

  There is not a name in Socionics better known than Filatova. She nearly singlehandedly brought the field of Socionics (Jungian typology, manifest in the West as the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator) to the public in the East.-- and with her book, Understanding the People around You , to the public in the West. Shown here with some of her colleagues and the managing editor of the MSI Press, she was beloved by her students at St. Petersburg State University.  Speaking of St. Petersburg, Russia, if you have not visited this city that has much in common with Europe, especially Venice, please enjoy these pictures . And if you do not know the story of this historically significant and heroic city, check out this article . If you want to search out more articles on your own, remember that St. Petersburg, named for its founder, Peter the Great, has also been called Leningrad and before that Petrograd and is affectionally referred to by Russians today as Piter (pronounced Peeter).  F...

  A teacher and administrator in public and private schools for close to 40 years, Arthur Yalevberg has dedicated his career to making complicated concepts and issues accessible to people of all ages and backgrounds. While most of his students were middle schoolers, he has also been involved in teaching World History, American History, and Comparative Religion in high school and adult education programs around the country. Where many academicians seem to delight in abstruse jargon that confuses more than it explains, his goal has always been to present information in a manner that does not intimidate but instead helps the student understand and draw independent conclusions.  Besides his professional career in education, Arthur also had the opportunity to live and teach in Singapore for two years. A microcosm of all Asia--with temples, churches, synagogues, and mosques mere blocks from one another--Singapore is a wonderful place to delve into many different religious traditions...

  Marti Wells-Smith is a Christian, wife, friend, and grieving mother, who finds great hope in continuing her life journey amid unexpected joy and sadness. She shares her deepest thoughts and experiences through free verse poetry and non-fictional prose to comfort others who struggle with the loss of a child or loved one, or with life itself. She’s a native Kansan who advocates for people in need as well as animals, large and small. Her background includes being a past board member for a local mother to mother ministry, safehouse and no kill animal shelter, as she continues to raise funds for the shelter at a local antique/thrift store. Her daily routine includes caring for her adopted lab mix and three devoted cats. Marti was involved in all fine arts that were offered during her school years and participated in local and regional theater productions well into her adulthood. She received a BA in English and Sociology from Pittsburg State University, Pittsburg, Kansas, and began he...

  Jeremy Feig, MSI Press author of the award-winning book, How My Cat Made Me a Better Man , inspired by his silky black and highly pragmatic late cat, Shelly, wrote recently that he and his family (wife and young daughter) had moved from Santa Monica, California to Cascais, Portugal in December. Say what? That is what I imagine Shelly would say. They pulled up roots and moved half a world away. Now, for a cat, that is a bit distressing. They don't like to change their habitats, and Shelly certainly was complete owner of her habitat in Santa Monica. However, Santa Monica is on the coast, and so is Cascais. Just perhaps Shelly could have found some way to feel at home in the new location. "We were looking to shake up our lives up a bit," Jeremy wrote. Very likely, Shelly would have agreed that he had succeeded. Nothing like moving to another geographic location, where everything looks different, the language is different, and you are now the minority. Still, Shelly would h...

  MSI Press author, Sula, parish cat at Old Mission, had a special visitor this week -- Ves, a young artist who drew a picture of Sula. In case you have not seen Sula's recent Face Book page, Stacey, Sula's personal photographer, took a video of Sula observing (overseeing) the Mission grounds before Mass this weekend. Very cute video, worth watching if you like cats: https://www.facebook.com/sulathecat/posts/3688009197959780 (There are also some other charming videos of Sula there.) Read more posts about Sula and her books HERE .

  Boris Shekhtman has been considered a national authority on teaching students to use foreign languages effectively in communication with native speakers. He has developed a unique set of tools designed to enhance an individual’s communication in a foreign language environment, which he describes in  How to Improve Your Foreign Language Immediately . Boris Shekhtman presented his communication rules at numerous seminars for a number of U.S. Government agencies including the Library of Congress, the Department of State, the Department of Defense, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Department of Transportation, the Department of Agriculture and Air Force. His clients included correspondents of major news organizations such as ABC News, CBS News, BBC, NBC News, New York Times , Washington Post , Los Angeles Times , Chicago Tribune , Time Magazine , and Associated Press. The content of the seminars is well described in his books. The most popular of them are: ...