MSI Press Blog

Writers love to pretend inspiration arrives like lightning, but more often it shows up with dusty boots, a full tank of gas, and a dog who thinks every mile is an adventure. Two travelogues—written sixty years apart—prove that the open road has a way of shaking loose the stories we didn’t know we were carrying. John Steinbeck’s  Travels with Charley  and Larry MacDonald’s  Travels with Elly  share a surprising kinship. Both authors set out with a poodle riding shotgun. Both felt a tug to understand their country more deeply. Both believed that the best way to see a place is to move through it slowly, talking to strangers, watching the land change, and letting the journey rearrange their thinking. Two Journeys, Two Countries, One Instinct Steinbeck left Sag Harbor in 1960 because he feared he no longer knew the America he had spent decades writing about. He built a custom camper—Rocinante—and set off with Charley, his French poodle, for a 10,000‑mile loop around the U...

  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 blog post is the next in the series of book back stories and is the story behind RV Oopsies by Larry MacDonald. From the publisher -  The author Larry MacDonald was known for giving out an annual award for the dumbest mishap in RVing. (He still does.) So, when he came to us with a book proposal for a collection of these awards. we were enchanted.  First, it was obvious that this had to be a four-color book even though it would push the cost a tad higher (which has not hurt sales) because it made the "dumb mishap" clearer. Second, the helpful hint suggested by the mishap seemed ripe for a little attention. We created a lightbulb for the strip on the page with the hint, with the expression on the lightbulb changing and reflecting the reaction to that particular mishap. We hoped that readers would find the lightbulb characters as cute as we did. Interestingly, when it came time to identify the book category, we learned that we had been operating under a different ...