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...

  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 ...

excerpt from RV Oopsies: 101 Dumb Things That RVers Do!  (MacDonald)  91. UP ON THE ROOF Alan decided it was time to clean the roof of his motorhome while it was parked in the driveway. Since his model did not have an attached ladder, he propped his extension ladder against the side and climbed up with a hose and cleaning supplies. While spraying down the roof, his hose caught the ladder and knocked it down. OOPS! Alan’s wife was not due home for another four hours, but quite a few cars were passing by in view of the rig. He figured he would just wave and someone would stop to help. For more than an hour, he waved. The few motorists who noticed him waved back and kept on driving. Finally, a man stopped and put the ladder back up. Alan sheepishly thanked him and decided to clean his roof another day. When Alan reported this mishap to me, he still hadn’t figured out how to prevent a reoccurrence. I suggested several options: ·    use a distress wave (crisscros...

RV Oopsies by Larry MacDonald received a 5-star review by Java Davis at Readers' Favorites. The reviewer concludes: The author is from Canada, but these lessons are universal, and they are not geocentric. From prospective RV’ers like myself to novices to the seasoned traveler, this is a great RV Bible. I learned that I am completely ill-equipped to purchase and drive an RV, but rather than discourage me, RV Oopsies by Larry MacDonald made me feel that if the people illustrated in these stories can do it, I can too. Look out, World, I may be road tripping soon! Read the full review here:  Readers Favorite Review. Larry is also author of  Travels with Elly. RV Oopsies  can be purchased for 25% discount at the  MSI webstore . Use coupon code FF25.

San Juan Books is the hybrid division of MSI Press LLC. It allows first-time writers to become published in a traditional way through the reduction of risk by sharing publication costs. All other publishing features are traditional in nature, and most SJB authors go on to be offered traditional contracts for their subsequent books. SJB publications are available as paperback, hard cover, and e-book versions. SJB authors' books very much hold their own against their contemporaries in the traditional publishing division. Indeed, a number of them have outsold their traditional compatriots, and many have gone on to write books that have been subsequently traditionally published by MSI Press. Today, San Juan Books presents author Larry MacDonald. Larry MacDonald has a Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology and over 30 years of experience RVing and freelance writing for various magazines, including  MotorHome ,  Trailer Life , and  Canadian RVinglds . His book,  RV Oopsies: 101 ...

  Yes, Elly had a friend, Buster, a cat, who made the RV trip across Canada with her. Buster was apparently not a very good traveler at first, but adapted with time and experience. Here are some times the cat appears in the book: Buster is a Rag Doll breed of cat whose defining characteristic is going limp when he’s picked up. Having grown up with Elly, the slightly older Buster established himself early on as Alpha and maintained that relationship by a swat or nip on Elly’s hindquarters when he decided a playful interlude was over. While Elly was always a great traveler, Buster had some issues, even before our trip began. He occasionally upchucked if a road became too twisty or bumpy for more than 10 or 15 minutes. Buster’s problem behavior stopped suddenly and permanently during our trip, much to our delight. When appropriate, I’ll offer my opinion as to why. Our departure date of July 1 coincided with Canada Day, a statutory holiday for citizens to celebrate the birth of Canada....

  Larry MacDonald, author of RV Oopsies , Travels with Elly , and a pandenic-era book, Diary of an RVer during Quarantine , routinely provides to tips to RVers on his website, Land Yachting . The first one is cited here; others will be shared later. Helpful Tips for RVers 1. TV Antenna up or down? Many an RV’er has been dreadfully reminded, often by a low tree branch or overpass, that they forgot to lower their rooftop TV antenna. And who hasn’t looked up during a walk around to ensure that their antenna is down? I thought of this tip while lying in bed one morning, wondering whether mine was up or down. To insure that it was “down,” I simply cranked the antenna handle until it was down completely and marked the ceiling at the end of the handle, using a stick-on label colored green for “Go.” Get it? On your mark … Go! When cranking up the antenna, I make sure that the end of the handle is on the opposite side of the mark. Now I just have to remember to check the position of my hand...