MSI Press Blog

Name: Patricia Young Book: Life after Losing a Child   Date of Interview: August 5, 2018 Who are you? What do you want readers to know about you? Pat Young has written for the Daytona Beach News Journal, South Bend Tribune, Flint (Michigan) Journal, Clarkston (Michigan) News, New Mexico Magazine, Silver City (New Mexico) Life Magazine, and other publications. She earned numerous awards for her writing, including National Newspaper Association and Michigan Press Association awards. She earned two media awards while at the South Bend Tribune. One of her stories (Giant Wind Harp in Tune with Nature) in New Mexico Magazine was chosen for inclusion in SIRS Discoverer data bases. Why are you qualified to write this book? Pat, and her late co-author Joanna Romer, are both widows. Though neither has lost a child, both women understood the painful bereavement process one goes through after the loss of a loved one.   What is the message

  Book excerpt: Self-Nurturing or Entertainment We all like to be entertained. The trouble is, sometimes entertainment isn’t as satisfying as we think it should be. The reason for this is because, instead of nurturing us in some way, the entertainment drains us, even makes us feel bad about ourselves. What kind of entertainment does this, and how can we avoid it? A little bit of forethought will usually do the trick. Take movies for example: perhaps we are assiduous in our efforts to avoid violence in films—we just don’t like it. But many of the movies out today contain violence, whether we like it or not. (This was explained clearly on the PBS special “Makers”: most movies, it seems are geared for men, and men, according to this special, like to see something being blown up or somebody getting shot.) So suppose you’re going to a movie with a man—husband, brother, male friend—and he is gravitating toward a really violent flick, while you’d like to see something like “The 100 Foot J

Divorced! Survival Techniques for Singles over 40  shares the stories of men and women just like you who have gone through the trauma of divorce, and now feel comfortable talking about it. Turning to God, to friends, family and even therapy, these adults were able to pull their lives back together again. Whether your divorce was recent or years ago, the guidelines in this book will help you put heartache aside and begin a new and fulfilling life. Read more posts about Joanna Romer and her many books HERE .

Excerpt from Passing On: Preparing for the Afterlife by Joanna Romer Meet Joe Black   At the beginning of the film Meet Joe Black , Anthony Hopkins’ 65-year-old character is awakened from his sleep one night by a voice saying, “Yes…yes…” He continues hearing the strange voice as time goes on, telling him odd things like: “I want you to get swept away”—until he meets the Angel of Death, played by Brad Pitt. The angel stays with Hopkins’ character, preparing him for death (and also, evidently, learning a thing or two about life for himself). Do we have people in our lives—perhaps angels—who come to us as the time grows nearer to help prepare us for what is to come? This is an interesting thought (and if such beings look like Brad Pitt, we may not mind too much). In Meet Joe Black , the angel helps Hopkins’ character make peace with his family and himself before he passes on. I believe that’s what our angel encounters are for: to help us find peace. The world is constantly pulling th

  Books on discount through Kindle (Kindle Countdown) Understanding the Seeker  (Quinelle) 10/5 - 10/12 How to Be a Good Mommy When You're Sick  (Graves) 10/8 - 10/15 Jesus Is Still Passing By (Eastterling) Pinnacle Book Achievement Award/Religion 10/10-10/17 Tucker & Me: Growing Up a Part-Time Southern Boy  (Harvey) Hollywood Book Festival finalist 10/22 - 10/29 Helping the Disabled Vet  (Romer) 10/23 - 10/30 Passing On  (Romer) 10/24 - 10/31 57 Steps to Paradise  (Lorenz) 10/25 - 11/1 Books on discount at  MSI Press webstore /books available while supplies last 10 Quick Homework Tips  (McKinley-Alder & Trombly) 365 Teacher Secrets for Parents: Fun Ways to Help Your Child Succeed in Elementary School  (McKinley-Alder & Trombly) $5 book sale at  MSI Press webstore /books available while supplies last 100 Tips and Tools for Managing Chroni c Illness (Charnas) 108 Yoga and Self-Care Practices for Busy Mamas  (Gentile) For posts on any of these books or their authors, typ

  This week's book back story features How to Get Happy and Stay That Way by Joanna Romer -- a perfect Christmas theme! from the editor -- I will have to tell this story since Joanna, alas, is no longer with us. She passed away suddenly from a heart attack a few years ago. Still, her books are loved and still sell.  This particular book proposal caught my attention immediately. Happy is the name of my cat, and here was an author wanting to tell the world how to get him. Oh, right, she meant joy, happiness, peace -- not my cat! At the time, Joanna was exploring some of the happier, kinder, and kind-to-self themes, writing several books in that vein. Maybe she was looking for joy. Maybe she had found it and wanted to share it. In either event, the book is certain to help others find the joy in their lives. Purchase the paperback 25% discount with coupon code FF25 at the  MSI Press webstore . For more posts about Joanna and her books, several of which have won awards, click HERE . Si

  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

Recently released: audio book of Joanna Romer's book, Widow: How to Survive (and Thrive!) in Your 2d, 3d, and 4th Years . This book takes new widows on a journey from the first difficult days of widowhood through 12 months of self-discovery. Along the way, you will learn how to handle emotional challenges such as suddenly being alone; how to tackle painful tasks including cleaning out hubby's closet; and how to re-enter the world again in terms of work, personal development and socializing. Guidelines are provided for each new phase, making this book a practical self-help book you can use for re-creating your life. For more posts about Joanna Romer and her books, click HERE . Purchase this book at discount from the  MSI Press webstore . Use Coupon Code FF25 for 25% off. 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 . Planning

  excerpt from Life after L RIVER CHILD   Our children are like rivers Flowing with the seasons of our lives. Some meander gently Through pockets of humanity. Some flow quietly into oceans, While others encounter Deep gorges and tumbling waterfalls. It is this “challenged river” Which carves the deepest banks, Leaving the greatest mark upon the earth. While some of our river children Flow on through many sunsets, Others make a briefer splash. But when the river child Who flowed through many challenges Disappears, It leaves behind those beautiful carvings, Etched deeply into the banks Of our memories. -Pat Young osing a Child For more posts about the late Joanna Romer and her works, click HERE . For more posts about Pat Young and her works, click HERE . 25% discount on paperback with code FF25 at www.msipress.com/shop Sign up for the MSI Press LLC newsletter Follow MSI Press on  Twitter ,  Face Book , and  Instagram .

From MidWest Book Review: Synopsis: "Compiled and co-presented by Pat Young and Joanna Romer, " Life after Losing a Child " tells the poignant stories of a dozen individuals who have suffered the loss of a child. and describes how they learned to heal. "Life after Losing a Child" shows readers who have suffered the loss of a loved on how to come to grips with the loss and handle the grief; how to engage in activities that help the healing process; and how to find the strength to move on. Critique: Exceptionally well organized and presented, "Life after Losing a Child" is especially recommended reading for anyone having to deal with the loss of a child -- as well as those wanting to know how they can help someone bereft and grieving the loss of a child. Simply stated, "Life after Losing a Child" should be a part of every community library collection in the country.

  excerpt from A Widower's Guide to a New Life (Romer) -  Self-Esteem What gives you self-esteem? Is it wearing a clean shirt and well-polished shoes when you’re heading out to dinner with a friend, whether male or female? Is it the knowledge that you can still be useful as you fix your neighbor’s lawn mower, or maybe even her computer?  Is it the fact that the woman in the grocery store smiled at you when you let her go ahead of you in line, or the realization that you can still beat your old pal Phil on the tennis court after 31 years? All of these things (and more) can contribute to self-esteem, a very useful commodity for a widower to have. Chances are, if you’ve lost your wife recently, your self-esteem has taken a beating. When our typical routine is drastically altered and we find ourselves struggling with everyday events, one of the first things to plummet is our opinion of ourselves. That good opinion, that high self-regard, is very important in the process of healing. Mo

  Today's fortune cookie is associated with Divorced! Survival Techniques for Singles over Forty! Joanna Romer.  Available at discount at the  MSI Press webstore .   Use coupon code FF25 for 25% discount. For more posts about Joanna Romer and her books, 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.  Want to communicate with one of our authors? You can! Find their contact information on our  Authors' Pages .    

Whether the death of a child was due to illness, accident, suicide or drug overdose, the pain is the same — an ache in your heart that won’t go away. Will your life ever be the same? Perhaps not, but as the interviews in this book reveal, you can go on to have a meaningful life. Trish Armor [previous chapter] dealt with her loss through a number of powerful methods. She started a local branch of a bereavement group called Compassionate Friends for other parents who had lost a child. She turned to her faith, a gift she said her daughter had given her, and most significantly for her, Trish turned to Mindfulness. According to Mindful.org, Mindfulness is the basic human ability to be fully present—aware of where we are and what we’re doing at the moment. Such an awareness, says Trish, can be hugely beneficial. “We tend to live in the past when losing a child and have a lot of negative thoughts,” she remarked. Forgiveness is another very important element in the process of co

Holidays   If you’re a newly bereaved parent of a deceased child and you haven’t encountered a major holiday yet—say Thanksgiving or Christmas, be prepared for a shock. The holidays can bring home the extent of your loss in a way that nothing else can. Having recently lost a child, you might not be thinking about the holiday or how it will affect you. This is a mistake. It is better to face it in advance and decide how you will handle the holiday. Will you decorate for Christmas as you’ve always done? Will you go to a relative’s house and try to get through the whole thing as quickly as possible? Or will you close up shop and absent yourself from the holiday completely, traveling to Cancun, Key West, or a neighborhood motel, with or without your spouse? Paulette Jarnagin lost her son Keith in a drowning accident six months before Christmas. Paulette, who admits to “always going overboard” at Christmas, didn’t want to celebrate the holiday that year, but her family and fri