MSI Press Blog

  www.allthingsmindful.org I came across an excellent post recently about personal development on the All Things Mindful website. The article says, quite rightly, that change starts with embracing transformation, not from rote applications of suggestions of coaches and books. Take a look at this great article, "Maximizing Your Personal Growth and Development," and then, when you are ready, check out MSI Press books, by experts, that can help provide you guidance as you leap from pillar to pillar, gaining strength and agility at life itself. A Guide to Bliss: Transforming Your Life through Mind Expansion (Tubali)   A Theology for the Rest of Us (Yavelberg)   A Woman’s Guide to Self-Nurturing: How to Build Self-Esteem by Being Nice to Yourself (Romer) El Poder de lo Transpersonal (Ustman)   How My Cat Made Me a Better Man (Feig)   How to Get Happy and Stay That Way (Romer)   How to Live from Your Heart: Deepen Relationships, Develop Creativity

SHELLY Shelly starred in the book, How My Cat Made Me a Better Man , by Jeremy Feig -- and that book placed as finalist in the Book of the Year award. For more posts about Shelly and the book she inspired, click HERE . INTREPID Intrepid is a memoir and love story written by grieving owners when he died at age 11, far too young, of cancer. For more posts about Intrepid, click HERE . SULA Sula is perhaps the most famous cat of MSI Press. She has written six books.        For evidence of Sula's Internet fame, click HERE . For more posts about Sula and her books, click HERE .

  I Am Not Wearing That Leash  Cat Tale : Shelly was an indoor cat so I thought she might benefit from going outside. She could breathe the fresh air and smell exciting new things. But since my apartment was on a busy street, I didn’t have the nerve to let her go out untethered. I was afraid she might run away or get eaten by a pack of coyotes. So, I decided I’d walk her on a leash. The idea made sense at the time. After all, why would a pet store sell cat leashes if it weren’t at least theoretically possible to put one on a cat?  The leash was really more of a harness, where you slip each of the cat’s front paws through a loop, then tighten the cord so the whole thing fits snugly. I’ve seen them on dogs before, mostly bulldog types with portly bodies and stumpy little legs.  I brought the leash home and put it on the floor, letting Shelly check it out. She was suspicious but also curious. As she started to sniff it, I made my move. I took her paw and slipped it through one

In honor of Caturday, we are sharing photos of the cats who own MSI Press authors, starting with Sula, pictured above, who is herself an MSI Press author. Click HERE  to see Sula's works. Simon is owned by Joanna Charnas, author of chronic illness support books and A Movie Lover's Search for  Romance , who says he is her "foster failure." Click HERE to see Joanna's works. Jeremy Feig was owned by Shelly. He wrote a book about her, How My Cat Made Me a Better Man , that won a book of the year award. Click HERE   to read about Shelly, including excerpts from the book. Carl and Betty Lou Leaver are owned by Intrepid about whom they wrote a book, stuffed with illustrations, and five other cats. Click HERE to see Intrepid . In the picture, Happy (black & white) and Murjan (red & white) share a cat bed. Cindy McKinley Alder is owned by Watson, shown here wrapped in a ribbon. So cute! Click HERE to see Cindy's contributions to the field of teaching, parenting

  We indeed have books about cats -- a number of them -- and welcome more. Here are some cat lovers might enjoy: How My Cat Made Me a Better Man . Jeremy Feig Book of the Year Finalist Kops-Fetherling International Book Award Legacy Award for Humor 25% discount with code FF25 at msipress.com/shop Intrepid Carl and Betty Leaver 25% with code FF25 at msipress.com/shop Sula series -- there are six books (five in English and one in Spanish) in a series of books "written" by Sula, Parish Cat at Old Mission                                         Sign up for the MSI Press LLC newsletter                           Follow MSI Press on  Twitter ,  Face Book , and  Instagram .

  Excerpt from How My Cat Made Me a Better Man Make the Most of What You've Got Cats strut around like they own the place. Even the homeliest kittens are born with the unalterable knowledge that they are da bomb . It doesn't matter if they have a goofy overbite, are missing an ear, or have a skinny tail that looks like an extension cord. Whatever they look like, they own it. Ideally, it should be the same for you. Most guys aren't blessed with the eyes of Ryan Gosling or the body of Channing Tatum. You've got to work with what you've got. So, look at your face, your body, and your hair and figure out how to make it work. Overweight? You'll probably want to avoid wearing spandex. Going bald? Cut your hair uber-close to the scalp. Missing one of your front teeth? Get a diamond-studded grill, or learn to smile with your mouth closed. Whatever your situation is, you have options to tailor your appearance based on what you've got to work with. You can create your

  CB and the late Carl Leaver, MSI Press authors Meet our author-dads who have written absolutely splendid books for fathers (and others) about all sorts of topics! (Some are no longer with us, but their works in life and in literature live on.) And, yes, of course, we continue to sell their books. Wally Amidon (deceased) The Musings of a South Carolina Yankee Read MSI blog posts about Wally . TL Brink How to Argue with an Atheist Read more posts about TL Brink  HERE . Dave Brown (co-author) One Simple Text.. KOPS-FETRHLING.INTERNATIONAL BOOK AWARD LEGACY. AWARD: INSPIRATION/MOTIVATION HOLLYWOOD BOOK FESTIVAL FINALIST Read MSI Press blog posts about Dave  HERE . Dr. Frederic Craigie Weekly Soul AMERICAN BOOKFEST BEST BOOK AWARD FINALIST; INSPIRATION BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD GOLD: MIND, BODY, SPIRIT READER VIEWS LITERARY AWARDS SILVER: MIND/BODY/SPIRIT READER VIEWS LITERARY AWARDS SILVER: RELIGION KOPS-FETHERLING INTERNATIONAL BOOKS AWARDS HONORABLE MENTIONN: INSPIRATION/MOTIVATION Read M

Why Cats Make Better Mentors Than Dogs  1) Pet’s goal in life: Dog: Please his master. Cat: Please herself. Point: Cat 2) How pet gets what it wants: Dog: Begging for it. Cat: Taking it. Point: Cat 3)  How pet endears itself to humans: Dog: Demeaning tricks. Cat: Being herself. Point: Cat 4) Pet’s favorite activity: Dog: Long, repetitive walks. Cat: Sleeping. Point: Cat 5) Likelihood pet will eat its own vomit: Dog: Extremely high. Cat: Pretty unlikely. Point: Cat Excerpt from How My Cat Made Me a Better Man (Code FF25 for 25% discount at MSI Press webstore) Also available on Kindle 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 ori

Fear  You Can’t Always Hide behind the Toilet  Cat Tale: Shelly lived in a lot of different places: upstate New York, Manhattan, Los Angeles, and even a brief stint in New Mexico. Every time she moved someplace new, she’d be utterly terrified. I signed a lease for a great new apartment in Santa Monica, California. The place seemed ideal for a cat. It had a long layout she could race through, a few steps for jumping fun, and ample sunbeam access. I knew Shelly would love it.  As soon as I got the keys to the empty apartment, I took her over to check it out. I figured she’d enjoy exploring her new digs, especially since there was no pesky furniture to get in the way, but from the moment I turned her loose, she was scared to death, darting out of sight almost immediately.  Of course, it’s easy to find a cat in an apartment with no furniture. She was hiding in the bathroom, wedged behind the toilet. I tried to coax her out with some treats, but she wouldn’t budge. I stepped away