MSI Press Blog

  The following excerpt comes from Since Sinai by Shannon Gonyou. Foreword This book is about my journey as a woman raised Catholic in a town with very little exposure to Jews and Jewish ideas who subsequently became Jewish. If you picked up this book, it could mean one of a few things. Maybe your family has been Jewish for generations, and you’re curious about why a total stranger to Judaism would want to join the community. Maybe you’re considering Judaism for yourself and are curious about what the process of conversion will look and feel like. Perhaps you’re a devoted Christian, curious about what would lead someone away from Christianity. This book will strive to provide a satisfactory answer to all of those questions. My high school English teacher told me that every piece of writing is a persuasion piece. I think that’s true, but this book is not here to persuade you that Christianity is “wrong” or that Judaism is “right.” I won’t even attempt to persuade you that Judaism

  Bestselling Kindle book yesterday is Since Siani by Shannon Gonyou. Check out posts by and about Shannon and her book HERE . Currently #8 among Amazon bestsellers in the category, biographies of Judaism. 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. 

  This week, Jews around the world gathered to celebrate Rosh Hashanah, and are now turning to preparations for the rest of the fall holidays: Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Simchat Torah, and Shemini Atzeret.  To say that the fall is busy for Jews would be an understatement, particularly for Jews who are adjusting to a new school year (or helping kids do the same).  Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year. Instead of celebrating with fireworks and champagne toasts, Jews bring in the New Year with round loaves of challah, apples dipped in honey, and the sharp cry of the shofar (a ram’s horn that is blown in the month leading up to the holiday to “wake us up” to the new year and day of judgment ahead).  Although the mood of the “high holidays” Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are supposed to be serious and reflective, since we are focused on evaluating a year’s worth of behavior and our destiny for the year ahead, Rosh Hashanah tends to be a more light-hearted event for family and delicious food.  Yom Ki

  "A heartfelt peek into one woman's search for spiritual fulfillment and a sense of community." Read the full review HERE . Find out why. Click  HERE  for the full review. For more posts about Shannon and her book, click  HERE . For more conversion stories, click  HERE . For more memoirs, 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. 

  And the best books of First Quarter 2024 are ... drumroll! .... Amazon Top 100 Greg Bagdade's book, Mental Health Mayday , reached #51 in Psychology Education and Training and #83 in safety and first aid. Kris Girrell’s book,  Learning to Feel , reached #60 in biographies of social scientists and psychologists. Shannon Gonyou’s book,  Since Sinai , reached #11 in biographies of Judaism. Steven Greenebaum’s book,  An Afternoon’s Dictation , reached #59 in ecumenism. Larry MacDonald’s book,  RV Oopsies , reached #80 in travel humor. Bob McGee’s book,  A View through the Fog , reached #63 in bridge engineering. Ken Mogren’s book,  Spunky Grandmas and Other Amusing Characters , reached #71 in limericks and humorous verse. Boris Shekhtman’s book,  How to Improve Your Foreign Language Immediately , reached #15 in study and teaching references and #35 in academic and commercial writing reference. Awards A View through the Fog (Bob McGee) Pinnacle Book Achievement Award An Afternoon'

"Absolutely intimate, raw, and beautiful book." Read more on Goodreads . For more posts about Shannon and her book, click  HERE . For more conversion stories, click  HERE . For more memoirs, 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.   

  We thank Shannon Gonyou, author of Since Sinai , for the following post: As winter settles in, the days get shorter and the nights grow colder and darker.  Winter coats come out of storage and moods begin to darken in tandem with the sky.  Against this bleak early-winter backdrop, myriad cultures feature a holiday or festival that largely centers the concept of light or brightness. For Judaism, that holiday is Hanukkah.  Dates for Hanukkah are set using the Hebrew calendar, which is lunar rather than solar, so the eight nights that it occupies around December shift around each year.  We celebrate the holiday by lighting one candle each night in our hanukkiah (commonly called a menorah) until we have nine candles— one for each night plus the “helper candle” used to light the others— glowing bright against the darkened winter sky.  Hanukkah celebrates a historical event rather than a Biblical one.  The world Hanukkah means “dedication.”  According to legend, during the Second Temple pe

  San Juan Books is the hybrid division of MSI Press LLC. It allows first-time writers to become published in a traditional way through the reduction of risk by sharing publication costs. All other publishing features are traditional in nature, and most SJB authors go on to be offered traditional contracts for their subsequent books. SJB publications are available as paperback, hard cover, and e-book versions. SJB authors' books very much hold their own against their contemporaries in the traditional publishing division. Indeed, a number of them have outsold their traditional compatriots. Today, San Juan Books presents author and convert to Judaism Shannon Gonyou. Shannon is a practicing attorney, Jewish content writer, and convert to Judaism. She is affiliated with the Conservative Judaism movement. A Michigan native, she now lives in New York City with her family. She is the author of  Since Sinai . Therein lies her story. It just came out two weeks ago. To see more posts about

  Shannon Gonyou, author of Since Sinai , appeared on A Jew and a Gentile podcast , sharing her faith journey. For more posts about Shannon and her book, click HERE For more spiritual conversion stories, click HERE . For more posts on spirituality, click HERE . For more posts on Judaism, click HERE . To listen to podcasts by MSI Press authors, click HERE .                                         Sign up for the MSI Press LLC newsletter                           Follow MSI Press on  Twitter ,  Face Book , and  Instagram .

    Today's Publisher's Pride is  Since Sinai  by Shannon Gonyou, which reached #40 in Jewish biographies.  Read more posts about Shannon and her book  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.       MSI Press is ranked among the top publishers in California. Check out our rankings -- and more --   HERE .

  It's here!!!! After five months of waiting on pre-order, orders are being fulfilled, and Shannon Gonyou's fascinating journey into Judaism is now available everywhere great books are sold! Already selling in the top 1% of books on Amazon ! Get it at our webstore and save 25% with the coupon code FF25. Description:  Raised in a heavily Catholic suburb of Detroit, Michigan, Shannon grew up focusing on two things: how to do enough good deeds to get into heaven and how to stay pure enough to escape hell. In college, she followed many of her peers into an Evangelical church known for guitars, drum, religious-based shame, and the idea that without Jesus she was nothing. But when she encountered Judaism on that same campus, a spark ignited within her and refused to be put out. Judaism felt obvious, familiar. After a falling out with her biological mother and two miscarriages, she found the courage to send the most important email of her life: she asked the local Jews by Choice progr

  And the best books of September 2023 are ... drumroll! .... Top 100 Amazon 1.          Hot new releases           Bob McGee’s book,  A View through the Fog , was #1 in hot new releases in bridge engineering for the entire 30-day new-release period and bounced around #13-#41 overall in bridge engineering. Great showing for a first-time author.         Steven Greenebaum’s book,  An Afternoon’s Discussion , was #1 in ecumenism in hot new releases on June 24 and #21 overall in Christian ecumenism, mostly staying in the top 100 during the new-release period. Congratulations to him on that #1 status!!  General categories a.    Kris Girrell’s book, Learning to Feel , reached #60 in biographies of social scientists and psychologists.   b.      Shannon Gonyou’s book, Since Sinai , reached #10 in biographies of Judaism.   c.       Steven Greenebaum’s book,  An Afternoon’s Discussion , reached #59 in ecumenism.   d.      Larry MacDonald’s book, RV Oopsies , reached #34 in travel humor, #116 in