MSI Press Blog

  Sula is back on duty at the Mission Gift Shop at Old Mission San Juan Bautista on Sundays, but she is taking Valentine's Day off, but has sent greetings. Now in semi-retirement, in part because of health (she is fighting cancer for the fourth time), she spends Sundays ministering to people at the various Masses, helping out in the gift shop, and receiving pets, accolades, and gifts from those who love her.  On this Valentine's Day, relaxing at her godparents' house, where she is spending her retirement except for her Sunday duty days, Sula reiterates a tweet from the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA): This Valentine's Day, help mend the broken hearts of unwanted and helpless animals who feel that they've been forgotten. Just $19 a month can help the ASPCA provide love and care for neglected animals across the country. Make an urgent gift TODAY. HERE is where to reach the ASPCA. You can read more posts by and about Sula and her boo...

Dear Carl, Tomorrow is Valentine's day, the first one without you. I want you to know that I received the note above a couple of days after you died. I do not know why it took over a week to reach me; perhaps I was distracted with your dying and spending every minute I could with you even though you were barely aware (seemingly) of what was going on around you. I am told that with the brain fog from hypercalcemia and chemotherapy, it would have taken much effort for you to be able to get online and write this note. I am so glad that you did. That note is the centerpiece on our bureau now. Thank you, too, for the poppies. I know you loved California poppies; that is why I asked you to send me poppy flowers after you died so that I would know that you are okay. Well, even though all the flower books say that poppy season ended six months ago, you have done a good job of keeping at least a couple of the poppy plants blooming. The one at the bottom of the hill had three blossoms yester...

  Today's tip for parents from two talented teachers comes from  365 Teacher Secrets for Parents  by Cindy McKinley Alder and Patti Trombly.                                                              #121 Holidays   He who asks is a fool for five minutes, but he who does not ask remains a fool forever.  ~Chinese Proverb   So many children complain about not having anything to write about. The trick is to offer them real reasons to write, and then it will most likely be fun and easy for them to do. Holidays are perfect days to try this. From major holidays like Christmas and Hanukkah to fun ones like April Fool’s Day, special days provide special opportunities for writing. Try the ideas below to get your child writing today for all the fun reasons!   ●       N...

  On today's post, Franki Bagdade, author of IAN Book of the Year, I Love My Kids, But I Don.t Always Like Them , shares template for making Valentine's Day cards. To obtain them and more Valentine's Day gift ideas, click HERE . For more posts by and about Franki, 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 . 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. 

  (Picture by Stacey Gentry. This year is Sula's first Valentine's Day in heaven; she crossed the Rainbow Bridge last August. MSI Press wishes her a happy Valentine's Day, a happy Caturday, and a happy afterlife without pain.) This Valentine's Day, help mend the broken hearts of unwanted and helpless animals who feel that they've been forgotten. Just $19 a month can help the ASPCA provide love and care for neglected animals across the country. Make an urgent gift TODAY. HERE is where to reach the ASPCA. You can read more posts by and about Sula and her books (six in English and one in Spanish) HERE . You can read many stories about Sula online and find some great pictures of her HERE . And, if you would like to become a Sula fan, you can interact with her on her Face Book page HERE . And, yes, even though the account is now posthumous, it continues to be active. Sign up for the MSI Press LLC newsletter Follow MSI Press on  Twitter ,  Face Book , and  Instagram...

Do You Love Me?   Arthur  Yavelberg     "Do you love me?   Most people see such a question and assume it comes from some  starry-eyed  young person, thrilled with emotion but quivering that the feelings are not mutual. Depending on the experiences of the reader, the reactions might range from a nostalgic "How sweet!" to the hardened "How stupid!" to the cynical "How naive!" There might even be the analytical "Once again the Darwinian drive to perpetuate the species rears its ugly head."   As it turns out, the question is posed by a wizened, abjectly poor Jewish farmer to his equally wizened wife of some 25 years.  In the musical, “Fiddler on the Roof,” Tevye and Goldie are contemplating the arranged marriage of the first of their five daughters in the pogrom-ridden, Russian village of  Anatevka   around the turn of the century.  They are wrinkled, rather shapeless, shabbily dressed and, maybe worst of all, just oh so tired...