MSI Press Blog

  1948-2021 It is with great sadness that MSI Press notes the death of Carl Leaver, CEO of the Press and typesetter and graphic designer par excellence . Many authors have expressed not only condolences but also a sense of legacy from covers he designed that they love.  Here is his obituary: On August 16, 2021, Carl Don Leaver of San Juan Bautista passed into eternal rest. A forester with the US Forest Service in Idaho and Montana, he turned to nature photography while working in the Bitterroot National Forest. His photographs graced national magazine covers and on a weekly basis the local paper of Hamilton, MT, the Ravalli Republican. He later worked on photography projects for the US Army (AFEES) and taught photography at the New York Institute of Technology in Amman, Jordan. His final career change led him to computer graphics and publishing as co-owner of MSI Press LLC; his many typeset books and book covers have helped MSI Press authors win a large number of awards over the years,

  We pause our Tuesday talks with authors to share information about to share our activities today, August 16, the one-year anniversary of the death of Carl Leaver, MSI Press co-faounder, primary graphic designer, and usual typesetter. We asked everyone who knew him to eat a piece of chocolate in his memory. It is not too late for others to do the same. Rather than repeat the in memoriam statement of a year ago, here is the link: IN MEMORIAM CARL LEAVER . More posts about Carl can be found HERE .  We began the day at the cemetery, beside his vault, and shared a rosary and his favorite breakfast -- corned beef hash -- with him, placing a favorite tablecloth from Damascus, with fine gold-thread embroidery that is unique to that area where Carl had spent time. Then we took some coffee cake bread to the firemen who so many times during the last months of his life would come and pick him off the floor or take him to the hospital. After that was lunch with friends and the priest who had org

  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  Instagram .   Interested in publishing with MSI Pres

  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 sell

  Today's fortune cookie is associated with Intrepid  by Carl Leaver and Betty Lou Leaver.  Available at discount (currently on sale) at the  MSI Press webstore .  Read more posts about Carl Leaver, Betty Lou Leaver and their books HERE . Sign up for the MSI Press LLC newsletter Follow MSI Press on  Twitter ,  Face Book , and  Instagram .   Interested in publishing with MSI Press LLC? Check out information on  how to submit a proposal . Interested in receiving a free copy of this or any MSI Press LLC book  in exchange for  reviewing  a current or forthcoming MSI Press LLC book? Contact editor@msipress.com. Want an  author-signed copy  of this book? Purchase the book at 25% discount (use coupon code FF25) and concurrently send a written request to orders@msipress.com.  Want to communicate with one of our authors? You can! Find their contact information on our  Authors' Pages .    

  Cancer Diary, begun after the death of Carl Leaver from a so-far-inexplicable and very aggressive cancer, Cancer of Unknown Primary , takes the day off on March 20 to mark his second marriage anniversary in Heaven. Carl was married March 20, 1970 and died August 16, 2021, five months after being diagnosed with CUP. Carl's wife marked this special day with lunch at Carl's favorite restaurant, Pizza Factory, with his lookalike son, who has CHARGE Syndrome , and the son's caregiver and her family. Carl's Cancer Compendium, founded to help families who suddenly find themselves faced with a diagnosis of cancer with little places to turn except lots of time lost to Internet research, updates the site weekly. This week a major reorganization was begun to make the site easier to read and a place where information can be found more quickly. Check it out! (It is quite fitting that today is also Nowruz , a new year and time of new beginnings.) For other Cancer Diary posts, clic

  This week's book back story features Intrepid: Fearless Immigrant from Jordan to America by Carl and Betty Lou Leaver from the publisher -- When Carl Leaver's beloved cat -- with quite a unique personality -- died from cancer, he found one way to deal with his grief was to compile the pictures he had made over the 11 years of Intrepid's life into a story. For sure, Intrepid did have a story. Ironically, Carl died from cancer three years ago. Intrepid is buried with him. Purchase the paperback at 25% discount with coupon code FF25  at the  MSI Press webstore . For more posts about Carl Leaver and his books, click  HERE . Sign up for the MSI Press LLC newsletter Follow MSI Press on  Twitter ,  Face Book , and  Instagram .   Interested in publishing with MSI Press LLC? Check out information on  how to submit a proposal . Planning on self-publishing and don't know where to start? Our  author au pair  services will mentor you through the process. Interested in receiving a

  Today would have been the 54th anniversary for Carl  and me. Last year, I spent it in the cemetery with Carl, as I did the year before. This year I cannot because I am in Bandung, Indonesia, but perhaps that is just as well.  On our 51st, he was alive, but not well. Three weeks earlier, he had fallen, been xrayed, and found to be in the advanced stage of cancer of unknown primary , with liver, lungs, bones, and stomach completely riddled with cancer cells, blood clots in his lungs, and his bones throwing off cells to create hypercalcemia, the reason he had fallen. It was a difficult time. We were just coming out of the covid months. We brought our CHARGE Syndrome son CB who had been living in group homes for 20 years home when they were not careful with protection from covid. At the same time, our spina bifida daughter, who lives about 30 miles to the south of us, independently, with a county-provided part-time aide lost her caregiver to surgery and no one wanted to take over, given

  CB and the late Carl Leaver, MSI Press authors Meet our author-dads who have written absolutely splendid books for fathers (and others) about all sorts of topics! (Some are no longer with us, but their works in life and in literature live on.) And, yes, of course, we continue to sell their books. Wally Amidon (deceased) The Musings of a South Carolina Yankee Read MSI blog posts about Wally . TL Brink How to Argue with an Atheist Read more posts about TL Brink  HERE . Dave Brown (co-author) One Simple Text.. KOPS-FETRHLING.INTERNATIONAL BOOK AWARD LEGACY. AWARD: INSPIRATION/MOTIVATION HOLLYWOOD BOOK FESTIVAL FINALIST Read MSI Press blog posts about Dave  HERE . Dr. Frederic Craigie Weekly Soul AMERICAN BOOKFEST BEST BOOK AWARD FINALIST; INSPIRATION BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD GOLD: MIND, BODY, SPIRIT READER VIEWS LITERARY AWARDS SILVER: MIND/BODY/SPIRIT READER VIEWS LITERARY AWARDS SILVER: RELIGION KOPS-FETHERLING INTERNATIONAL BOOKS AWARDS HONORABLE MENTIONN: INSPIRATION/MOTIVATION Read M