MSI Press Blog

(illustration by Zhenya Yanovich)   GIFT EXCHANGE “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light.” --Isaiah 9: 1   “I’m so exhausted! I can’t wait until the holidays are over,” adults complain. The Christmas season is filled with toil and trouble. Adults are fatigued with the endless round of decorating, cooking, baking, partying, gift buying and wrapping, and fighting crowds at the mall.  “I’m so excited! I can’t wait until Christmas comes,” exclaim children. They are excited to be on vacation, escaping the toil and trouble of school. Play time begins, and they look forward to Santa coming. They enjoy the rounds of parties, time with friends, caroling, meeting Santa, and getting gifts.  Both the giving and receiving, the toil and excitement, capture the true spirit of Christmas--and make the world go around. God gives the gift of Himself in His Son. We open-heartedly receive that great gift and respond by sharing ourselves with God and one another. The freely-given gift ex

About the Book People are often at a loss to find the right words to say in prayer. Whether you're a believer but unchurched or are a devout member of a religion, if you wish to expand your home worship, finding the right words to say to God can be a problematic issue. The prayers in Everybody's Little Book of Everyday Prayers are nonsectarian-suited for Protestants, Jews, and Catholics, as well as unaffiliated deists who believe in God but not in organized religion. They cover a raft of occasions on which individuals or families may wish to say a prayer. If prayer is an integral part of your life, or you would like it to be, you'll find the help you want in Everybody's Little Book of Everyday Prayers. Delightfully illustrated by Zhenya Yanovich of Moscow & Siberia (Russia) and Charlottesvile (VA< USA). Book Endorsement "This book is a keeper. It gets to the heart of our communication with God." Rev. Grant A. Houser, M. Th. Review of the Book

Hello, My name is Sula, and I am the parish cat at Old Mission San Juan Bautista. My first book, Surviving Cancer, Healing People: One Cat's Story , came out a couple of years ago. I am very grateful for  everyone who read and reviewed my book. All five stars! That made me so happy. More recently I have written three more books, one after the other, on slightly different topics. Many people had written to me, especially om my Face Book page , and told me that they like my books, but no one has written reviews. Reviews really help to get the word out. So, if you would like to write a review in exchange for a free copy of one of my books, just contact my publisher: info@msipress.com . Here are the books that need to be reviewed: Christmas at the Mission: A Cat's View of Catholic Customs and Beliefs Sula the Cat does it again! Sula, parish cat at Old Mission San Juan Bautista, is a cat with a special mission: to comfort people in need. Every morning, she spends time

From Midwest Book Review Synopsis: Jeremy Feig was at rock bottom - broke, alone, and living in a shoebox-sized apartment. At the same time, his cat was perfectly content. What was her secret? She couldn't say it out loud, but it was clear she had all the answers to living a good life. How My Cat Made Me a Better Man is a hilarious self-help book for guys, based on the lessons of an edgy cat named Shelly. It's packed with useful advice on topics like relationships, dealing with stress, and even grooming habits. If you feel like your life is spinning out of control, this book will help you set things right - and keep you laughing along the way. Critique: Witty, whimsical, and featuring life-changing "Cat Lessons", How My Cat Made Me a Better Man is filled with everything from dating tips to coping with anxiety and pursuing life goals. Although written with a spry dash of feline humor, How My Cat Made Me a Better Man is a genuine self-help book filled with nine l

Yes, we are entering our 20th year of service to authors and the book industry. For our history, take a look at our entry in Wikitia . Unfortunately, we do not enter our 20th year with everyone who started with us or all of those who joined us along the way. Death has claimed her share--more than her fair share, it seems to us.  And so, we remember the following authors and staff with sadness for their loss and gratitude for their gifts which linger with us still. Alfred Stites (author and nonagenarian from Costa Rica)  Anne LaForge (volunteer podcast interviewer and literary advisor from San Juan Bautista, CA) Boris Shekhtman (author from Maryland and co-founder of the Coalition of Distinguished Language Center, which spawned MSI Press)  Carl Leaver (typesetter and MSI Press co-founder) Ekaterina Filatova , Ph.D. (author, professor at Leningrad/St. Petersburg State University, and founder of the socionics movement in Russia) Evgeniy (Zhenya)Yanovich (illustrator and Russia-based S

  Introduction about the book: Sometimes you want to talk to God when it isn’t an occasion or a specified time of day and when there isn’t something happening in your life that you want to ask God for or thank God for. You just feel a need to reach out to Him and talk to Him. You might be inspired by an especially pretty sunset, or there may be something else that you want to say that doesn’t fall under a particular prayer category.                 I’ve always wondered whether maybe God likes those prayers best, when He hears from us at times when we want to talk to Him not to ask him for something, or to pray at a time we think we’re supposed to, but “just because.” Don’t you appreciate the phone call from a friend who says, “I was thinking about you, so I thought I’d pick up the phone and say Hi”? Don’t you appreciate the spontaneous kiss from your child—or from anyone else—that isn’t a Hello kiss, a Goodbye kiss, a Good morning kiss, or a Good night kiss, but is a kiss on the spur o

  Multi-published author and freelance editor, Cynthia MacGregor, has also formerly hosted two TV shows, “Solo Parenting” and “Younger Every Day,” both of which were seen in the South Florida area, where Cyn (as most people call her) has lived since 1984. In addition to the more than 100 books she has published, Cyn also writes plays, both for adults and for kids, and has had all but one of them produced in her community. In addition, one show, for kids, was produced in New York. Cyn works seven days a week at her craft of writing and editing and loves every minute of it. Calling herself “arguably the happiest woman there is,” she says, “There’s no one in the world I’d want to trade lives with.” Cyn’s book,  Everybody’s Little Book of Everyday Prayers , illustrated by Russian artist Zhenya Yanovich, was released in September 2015.

Jeremy Feig is originally from a small town in slightly upstate New York. After graduating from New Paltz College, he moved to Los Angeles for TV and film production work before stumbling into a career in digital marketing. Jeremy spends much of his time working on creative projects, usually involving comedy. He’s written numerous screenplays and TV scripts, created original cartoons, and directed quirky short films. Jeremy lives in Santa Monica with his wife, young daughter, and large cat.  His book,  How My Cat Made Me a Better Man , has captivated men and women alike. Jeremy's book placed as a finalist in the 2016 Book of the Year award, and it has not lost its appeal since. 5 stars from Reader's Favorites Highly recommended by US Review of Books. Teena in Toronto says, "Of all the self-help books out there, this was an interesting twist." Cat blogs LOVE this book! US Review of Books calls it "fun-filled" and "novel."

  book illustrations by Zhenya Yanovich an early Christmas gift...an excerpt from Christmas at the Mission by the famous and beloved Sula , Parish cat at Old Mission Christmas Carols Music is such an important part of our life at the Mission. At every Mass we sing hymns, liturgical songs, and excerpts from the Psalms . Christmas, though, has special songs. People call them Christmas carols . There are many different Christmas carols. Each carol tells a different part of the story of what happened at and shortly after the birth of Jesus. Here are some. I am sure you know others: ·        O, Little Town of Bethlehem is about the city where Jesus was born. ·        Silent Night is about the time when Jesus was born. ·        Away in a Manger talks about the place where Jesus was born. ·        What Child Is This? is about Jesus himself. ·        The First Noel is about the angels telling the shepherds about the birth of Jesus. ·        We Three Kings is about the ma

How My Cat Made Me a Better Man by Jeremy Feig, would never have come into being with its heroine, Shelly. Here are some pictures of Shelly: And here are some drawings of Shelly by the late Zhenya Yanovich, up-and-coming Russian artist: Read more posts about Shelly, Jeremy, and this precious, award-winning book HERE .