MSI Press Blog

  When Betty Shaw’s daughter, Elizabeth Marks, distracted by a text message, was hit by a truck, the world tilted. The crash shattered bones, fractured her skull, and left her fighting for life. Brain surgery. Facial reconstruction. A long, uncertain road back. A potential modeling career derailed. But the heartbreak ran deeper. Elizabeth had been answering a text from her mother when the car struck her. That detail added a layer of guilt to Betty’s grief — a cruel twist that could have silenced her. Instead, it fueled her. One Simple Text… isn’t just a book. It’s a reckoning. A warning. A lifeline. Betty didn’t write it to wallow — she wrote it to wake people up. Her daughter’s story became a movement: more than a million views on social media, an invitation to the Oprah Winfrey Show, and a ripple effect that continues to save lives. This is what maternal resilience looks like: not just surviving the unimaginable, but transforming it into testimony. Betty Shaw turned guilt in...

  Today's book back story is about  Overcoming the Odds,  edited by Carl Leaver. From the publisher -  At one point in time, MSI Press embraced the idea of a book of excerpts to use in book promotion. The idea was to put these in various waiting rooms, such as medical clinics, to give people something interesting to read -- and the opportunity to order the full book from which their favorite excerpts came.  Carl selected some of the most heartwarming and triumphant books we had published for excerpting in Overcoming the Odds .  That book has served its purpose. It no longer sits in waiting rooms; however, it is still available for purchase from MSI Press . For more posts about Carl Leaver and this book, click HERE . Sign up for the MSI Press LLC monthly newsletter (recentof  releases, sales/discounts, awards, reviews, Amazon top 100 list, author advice, and more -- stay up to date) Follow MSI Press on  Twitter ,  Face Book , and  Instagr...

    The following excerpt comes from Overcoming the Odds, edited by Carl Leaver\. GUIDELINES: TWO RULES FOR SURVIVAL Gratitude 1. When you get up in the morning, express gratitude that you had your husband as long as you did. You can do this by writing down some thoughts in a journal, saying a prayer, or just thinking grateful thoughts. 2. Talk about your loved one with friends, mentioning particularly nice things your husband did for you and others. 3. Make a list of everything that you have to be grateful for. Post the list in a conspicuous place: near your computer, on the refrigerator, or in a journal you use every day. 4. Take yourself out to lunch at a favorite place, and feel grateful to be lunching there. Savor the food; admire the ambiance. 5. Go to a movie that you know will touch you. Be grateful that you can still be touched. Do Something for Someone Else 1. Buy a little gift for one of your husband’s relatives. Sisters, brothers, even cousins may be hurting as m...

  Excerpt from Overcoming the Odds , edited by Carl Leaver . Introduction  If you have picked up this book, you are likely somewhere waiting. Perhaps you are in a waiting room (aptly named). Perhaps you are in a hospital room somewhere. Perhaps you are at a library or even happily ensconced on a plane, train, bus—or in your living room, having picked up this book at a library sale or some other charitable event.  We are sorry that you are “stuck” somewhere. We hope that the stories in this little book will help you pass your time enjoyable. (And, if you are in a waiting room, please leave it where you found it so that others may be entertained after you.)   If you would like to read more stories from the books from which these excerpts have been taken, they are easily obtained. You can order them from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or any other online bookstore. Your local bookstore may also have it, but if not, the manager can certainly order it for you...

This book itself contains excerpts from the best of MSI Press's publications on triumphing over difficulties. Want to brighten your day? Find out how others did! From Good Blood by Irit Schaffer -- As soon as I looked into his blue eyes, every cell in my body bubbled with joy. Yes, this must be love. I am in love for the first time. His are the bluest eyes I have ever seen. They are like the deep blue of the ocean on a clear and sunny day. My mom is sitting to my left, my sister, Edna, to my right, and I am falling in love. Ari Ben Canaan is his name. He is in charge of taking a boatload of people to Palestine. The boat, Exodus, is filled with Jewish Europeans planning to make their home in the soon to be independent State of Israel. Unfortunately, the British authorities have detained the boat in Cyprus. They are not allowing Exodus to complete its voyage to Palestine, and Ari has to take charge. His confidence is portrayed in his thin and muscular 5’9” frame. “We can g...