MSI Press Blog

  This being Veterans Day, it seemed like a good research question to find out what resources exist for vets with cancer. Here is the answer: 1. VA National Oncology Program (NOP) The VA NOP provides comprehensive cancer care for veterans, including diagnosis, treatment, and survivorship support. They offer various services such as precision oncology, teleoncology, and clinical trials 2 . 2. CancerCare CancerCare offers support services for veterans, including financial assistance, counseling, and support groups. They also provide information on health care services and resources tailored for veterans 1 . 3. American Cancer Society The American Cancer Society provides resources specifically for veterans, including information on cancer risks, health care services, support groups, and financial assistance. They also offer a 24/7 helpline for cancer-related questions and support 3 . 4. Disabled American Veterans (DAV) DAV helps veterans connect with health care, disability, employment, a

  Today's book back story is about  The Musings of a Carolina Yankee  by Wally Amidon. From the publisher: Wally's book did not land at my doorstep in the traditional way--not as a proposal in any form either via mail or email. Rather, it showed up as a self-published book literally on my doorstep, sent as a gift by childhood friend, Wally, who had moved from Yankee territory (the Maine-New Hampshire border) to redneck country (rural South Carolina). I was aghast at the production, and I often use it as a sample of the difference between self-publication (especially when authors are taken in by a vanity press that does no extra work) and a professional publication. Certainly, self-published authors can produce quality books, but that was not the case with Wally's. The vanity press had just published it exactly the way he had written it. It looked like they had just scanned typewritten pages. The content was good, and the humor could prompt out-loud laughing, but the present

  Excerpt from The Musings of a Carolina Yankee by Wally Amidon. Alone in the Swamp Have you ever had a day that you would like to forget but that seems to come back at regular intervals in your life to haunt you? I had such an adventure a few years back. I can laugh at it now, but at the time, it really tried my spirit. I have two sons, Mike and Steven, who, I think, sometimes thought of themselves as Lewis and Clark because of the way they could navigate the woods. One day, they thought it would be nice to take me to their newly found hunting area. Now, things would have been different were I built more like a Chuck Norris or Sylvester Stallone, but I am built more for comfort than for physical exertion. The boys came by the house at about 3:30 a.m. to pick me up for the adventure. I should have known the day was going to be long when they told me to hop into the back of the pickup as there wasn’t enough room for the three of us in the front of the small truck they were driving. I l

  excerpt from The Musings of a Carolina Yankee by Wally Amidon Eagle Lake Fishing Trip In the course of a man’s life, there comes a time to think back to simpler times and things that made you a little happier as the years rolled by. One of these snippets involved my father-in-law, Louis Saucier. The story begins in Eagle Lake, Maine, where Louis was born and grew up. Part of the family journeyed back to the homeland with him from our home in New Hampshire to visit his relatives and to do a little fishing. At this time, Eagle Lake was still a small town, made up mostly of small houses and camps. It was a place that appeared to be in lost in time. The inhabitants neither realized about this nor particularly cared about it. Most of them were family in some way or related to others who were related to someone in the town. I would venture to say that this was where the term, close-knit family , came from. I had never before been to Eagle Lake, nor had I met this side of the famil

                                                                                       (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. Ever wonder how books get to be accepted for publication? There is often more to any author's story than non-authors and not-yet-published authors would image.  Yes, of course, every publisher has the normal channel of proposal reading and acceptance based on the quality of the proposal, the "fit" of the book, the quality of the writing, and the perceived marketability, typically based on the author's platform. But...some books come into being in some other ways. Here are a few from the MSI Press e