MSI Press Blog

  When authors travel with dogs, they find themselves. Two journeys, two countries, two eras — yet one unmistakable kinship. John Steinbeck’s Travels with Charley and Larry MacDonald’s Travels with Elly share more than a title and a poodle. They share a way of seeing. 🚐 Companions Who Listen Without Judgment Both Charley and Elly are more than pets; they are mirrors . Steinbeck’s Charley listens as America speaks — sometimes kindly, sometimes harshly. MacDonald’s Elly listens as Canada reveals itself — vast, diverse, quietly proud. A dog’s presence changes the rhythm of travel. It slows the pace, softens the solitude, and invites strangers to approach. Through the dog, the author becomes approachable too. 🐕 Voice by Proxy Speaking through a dog frees the author from self‑consciousness. When Steinbeck wonders what has become of his country, Charley’s reactions — a bark, a sigh, a tilt of the head — let him express doubt and affection without sermonizing. MacDonald inherits that ...

  Today's publisher's pride is Travels with Elly by Larry MacDonald, which reached #145 in travel with pets books. Book description: Discover Canada like never before -- from a personal perspective, similar to John Steinbeck's view of America in his 1960 book Travels with Charley . The author travels from coast to coast in a trailer with his wife and pets, including their Standard Poodle, Elly, in order to gain a better understanding of his adopted country. Interspersed between descriptions of history, cultures, places, and icons are the author's reflections on various things such as Elly's antics, signage, ferries, political injustice, environmental issues, and animal instincts. To provide a canine's perspective, Elly reflects on things of interest to her, including cats, cows, and other critters...but especially cats! Where was Canada's first settlement? What is its prettiest town? When and where was its most devastating shipwreck? And who was its greatest ...

  Some people travel for the scenery. Some for the food. Some for the stories they’ll tell later. But when you travel with a dog, you travel for the presence . A dog doesn’t care about the itinerary. He doesn’t ask how many miles are left or whether the hotel has decent Wi-Fi. He isn’t calculating the time, the cost, or the inconvenience. A dog simply climbs into the car, circles once, settles in, and says with his whole body: I’m with you. That’s enough. And that changes everything. A dog keeps you grounded Humans can overthink a trip into exhaustion before the engine even starts. A dog, meanwhile, is already enjoying the first five minutes. The open window. The new smells. The promise of adventure. Traveling with a dog reminds you that the journey is not a problem to be solved but a moment to be lived. A dog notices what you miss We speed past landscapes. Dogs inhale them. We glance at people. Dogs greet them. We hurry through rest stops. Dogs turn them into small pilgrimages of ...