MSI Press Blog

  Difficult Relationships That Take More of a Toll As We Age Long-standing relationships that are chronically stressful begin to take a greater toll as we age. We know that chronic stress and mental anguish have a greater impact on our physical bodies as we age. Making a final attempt to mend difficult relationships or to let go and to stop obsessing about them becomes an essential task when you are on the cusp of old age. Mental distress robs us of valuable time and energy we need or want for other pursuits so it becomes essential to pick our stresses. Difficult relationships are not those friendships that seem to have a natural ebb and flow and enter and leave a life. Most of us have countless relationships that we can pick up after years. Difficult relationships, on the other hand, become tiresome, unbalanced, and demanding. If resolving a difficult relationship were easy, we would have done it long ago. However, we somehow have gotten entangled in old feelings, responses, hurts, an

  Happy International Women's Day ! We are taking a different approach today because it is International Women's Day. So, it seems natural to look at the process of women writing books for women, using some examples from our onw publications. Of course, there are no limits to the topics that women are interested in. The range really is as broad as for men. However, there are some books that zone in on areas experienced principally or exclusively by women and sell nearly exclusively to women. Is it worth writing such narrow-niche books? Based on sales, the answer appears to be yes, and don't forget that women make up over half of the world's population, so the unanalyzed market is large. While the topics that women can and do write about for each other are many, the ones we have focused on at our press and that seem to resonate with a large enough part of the population are: aging, health & fitness, and life events. AGING Aging happens to all of us, and it would seem

  The following is an excerpt from Women, We're Only Old Once: Keep What You Can, Let Go of What You Can't, Enjoy What You Have Left . What’s Really Happening to Our Face and Skin?  “Everything is just breaking down … it just is,” Dr. Haycox told me matter-of-factly in her captivating English accent.(personal interview 11/04/10). Skin is the largest organ of our body and the first to show the signs of aging. Just like our vital internal organs, skin is regenerating at a slower pace; unlike our internal organs, we can see it. Of course, a life without skin is unimaginable, but it is lost on most of us that the skin is a complex organ without which we would not have protection, body temperature control, pain or pleasure sensations, hair, and padding. We also wouldn’t have the body contours and structure that shape our faces, our expressions, and bodies.  Skin is flexible and accommodating of thin figures and obese figures, although once skin is stretched over an obese build for

What is a book jewel? A sometimes-overlooked book with remarkable insight and potential significance. Starting in August, we will share near-daily, as possible, reviews of the monthly book jewel - short, succinct reviews that can be read in 1-2 minutes with links to the reviewer by reviewers whose words are worthy of being heard and whose opinions are worthy of being considered. Sometimes a couple of minutes contains more impressive thought than ten times that many. We will let you decide that. This month's book jewel is Women, We're Only Old Once by Bertha Cooper. Amazon review by Paula Simpson - Fact-based, practical, and inspiring1 Here’s a terrific book for women who are facing, or already in, our golden years. The author consulted medical and mental health experts and interviewed dozens of women to write this pragmatic handbook covering all the facets of life: physical and mental health, weight, exercise, relationships and sexuality, spirituality, the inevitability of los

  We just released an incomparable and comprehensive book on growing old with grace and smarts.  With over ten years of growing into an old woman with the help of her friends, Bertha Cooper knows whereof she writes. In this book you will learn that growing old is not the slow death of our personalities, our bodies, or our relevance to the world. Someday, it will happen, but not yet! Feel the wisdom below the years we've lived and the power that comes with making our own choices about our aging selves.  Women, We're Only Old Once  offers explanations for natural changes that occur while aging and transitions we must make as we age. Women can be relieved to learn that having less endurance or word-finding problems are not signs of disease. Women are empowered to put their energy and spirit where it counts on their journey in this important phase of life. More information about the book can be found HERE .  Bertha was born and raised in Seattle WA long before Microsoft and Amazon.

  MSI Press books have, historically, won many awards from a wide range of competitions. This is the first in a series of sharing the various awards that our books have earned. The first category is Best Indie Book Award. The following MSI Press books have been Best Indie Book Award Winners to date: A Theology for the Rest of Us (Arthur Yavelberg).  If God exists and is good, why is there evil? Avoiding such questions underlies the spiritual emptiness and anxiety in today's world. A Theology for the Rest of Us explores how to approach the divine through Eastern and Western religious traditions without dogma, challenging readers to "be you lamps unto yourselves."  This book also won the Literary Titan Silver Award. Read more about this book and its author  HERE . Andrew's Awesome Adventures with His ADHD Brai n (Kristin Wilcox & Andrew Wilcox).  T his book provides unique insights into ADHD behaviors and suggests highly pragmatic and successfully implemented stra

  What is a book jewel? A sometimes-overlooked book with remarkable insight and potential significance. Starting in August, we will share near-daily, as possible, reviews of the monthly book jewel - short, succinct reviews that can be read in 1-2 minutes with links to the reviewer by reviewers whose words are worthy of being heard and whose opinions are worthy of being considered. Sometimes a couple of minutes contains more impressive thought than ten times that many. We will let you decide that. This month's book jewel is  Women, We're Only Old Once  by Bertha Cooper. Amazon review by CK - Active aging travelogue! As the author states "we begin aging the moment we are born"...so why not be an active participant? Aging IS normal, and Ms. Cooper presents descriptions and footsteps on a path to follow. People steer clear of aging conversations (except when we complain about our health) because it's not usually an encouraging or exciting topic, and most of us dread t

  What is a book jewel? A sometimes-overlooked book with remarkable insight and potential significance. Starting in August, we will share near-daily, as possible, reviews of the monthly book jewel - short, succinct reviews that can be read in 1-2 minutes with links to the reviewer by reviewers whose words are worthy of being heard and whose opinions are worthy of being considered. Sometimes a couple of minutes contains more impressive thought than ten times that many. We will let you decide that. This month's book jewel is  Women, We're Only Old Once  by Bertha Cooper. Amazon review by Bonnie Svardal - For elders and also their family! I agree with the great positive reviews before me. This book presents a wide-ranging scope of information for the woman of a certain age. It is well-written, informative, a reference as well as an entertaining read. I enjoyed reading the stories of women who were interviewed for this book, many from different backgrounds and interests. Highly rec