MSI Press Blog

   Continuing in the series of Sula (parish cat) Easter posts and especially on Caturday, here is another excerpt from Sula's Easter book; it comes from the section on the Easter vigil: Waiting before the Vigil The church is always dark on Easter Vigil. I am among the first there, waiting not just for the Resurrection that is to come but also for the people who will be coming to wait together—they with me and I with them. I like greeting the people as they come in. Often, I will know with whom I should be waiting. That, after all, is my mission.     The Mass The Easter Vigil Mass is unique. It is not like any other Mass during the year. The Vigil Mass is also complex—and rich. It goes from dark to light, from people who cannot see each other to people welcoming new members into the body of Christ. The Mass has four elements. These are (1) the Service of Light, (2) the Liturgy of the Word, (3) Baptism, and (4) the Liturgy of the Eucharist. The Service of Light starts outside, around

Book description: Posing for a picture at the southern terminus of the Pacific Crest Trail, a long-eared jackrabbit hop from Mexico and 2,650-some miles from Canada, your stomach churns and your mind reels. The air is dusty. A morning desert wind feels oddly cold. No amount of preparation is sufficient for the starkness of your decision. In this beginning, something has ended. Something practiced and old and broken-in has faded. In its place enters immediacy and relevance and sharp possibility. Plans and spreadsheets become paper prayer flags fluttering in a past mind, useless tributes to linear pretense. You catch yourself thinking that it feels like the first day of school. But there are no teachers, no classmates, no classrooms, no halls, and no walls. There is only one choice that yields results: to turn and to walk, to follow the well-worn trail North. With each step, you lose a little more of the other-world, the un-PCT. All you have is what you need. All you need is what you hav

We have a few Spanish-language books and two authors, very different from each other, who write in Spanish. First, meet psychologist Fernando Ustman . Fernando focuses on transpersonal psychology; his works intersect with psychology, philosophy, spirituality, and the eternal.  His works include the books below: Read about this book HERE . Read about this book HERE . Read about this book HERE . Read more about Fernando and his books HERE . Now, meet Sula, Parish Cat at Old Mission San Juan Bautista (Gata parriquial). Sula has published six books so far on theological topics that touch on the everyday lived experiences of Catholics and others. She has one book in Spanish, with a second one, about Catholic (Franciscan) prayers planned. Here is her Spanish-language book: Read about this book HERE . Read more about Sula and her books HERE . (Yes, when the prayer book comes out, it will automatically link here.)

  Recently, MSI Press received word that three of its authors' books have won their categories in the 2021 Best Indie Book Award competition. Congratulations to the following: Bertha Cooper: Women, We're Only Old Once . Winner, Nonfiction: Self-Help. Bertha also won the 2021 Phoenix Award for Best New Voice in Health and Fitness. Read posts about Bertha and her books HERE . Julie Potter. Harnessing the Power of Grief. Winner, Nonfiction: Grieving & Bereavement. Read posts about Julie and her book HERE . Arthur Yavelberg. A Spirituality for the Rest of Us . Winner, Nonfiction: Theology. Read posts about Arthur and his book HERE .

  Congratulations to Steven Greenebaum, whose multiple-awarding winning book,  An Afternoon's Dictation , was recently selected as a finalist in the American Legacy Book Awards competition in the category of spirituality: inspirational. Awards this book has earned Winner. London Book Festival Literary Titan gold award Indies Today runner-up Firebird Book Awards honorable mention Pacific Book Award finalist (runner-up) The BookFest honorable mention Chanticleer International Book Awards finalist American Legacy Book Awards finalist For more posts about Steven and his 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 on self-publishing and don't know where to start? Our  author au pair  services will mento

  We only find out these things by chance. Either someone tells us, or we stumble across them on the Internet. In any case, it is always pleasant to learn that we have received positive notice. That is important for our authors. So, this week, we were pleased to learn that MSI Press has been rated as #16 among publishers of religious works. See more information about the rating HERE . We publish works based on Christianity, Buddhism, Islam, Judaism, and general spirituality. For more detail about our religious and spiritual books, click HERE .

  In honor of International Women's Day, let us introduce you to some of MSI Press authors who are women bloggers. Take a look at their blogs; you may find some inspiring, information, or just plain fun. Julia Aziz, a counselor, writes a women's empowerment blog . Franki Bagdade , a teacher, writes a blog on parenting. Julie Gentile , a yoga instructor, writes a blog on mindfulness and self-care. Nanette Hucknall , a psychologist, writes a blog about relationships, higher order spirituality, and more. Dr. Susan Lewis , a lawyer and psychiatrist, writes a column for Psychology Today , "Law and Disorder." Marti Wells-Smith , a bereaved mother, writes a blog about matters of the heart and Christianity. Dr. Kristin Wilcox , a pharmacologist and psychologist, writes a column for Medium . Sign up for the MSI Press LLC newsletter  here  or on our  home page . Follow MSI Press on  Twitter ,  Face Book , and  Instagram .   Interested in publishing with MSI Press LLC? Check ou

Foreword  For most Americans, their lives center around the job they have. Strangely, it is the job that defines most people. When two strangers meet, one of the first questions invariably asked is, “What do you do?” Most people take a job because it pays well and has strong benefits such as health coverage. Most of the time the job they have is not what they would really like to be doing. Most people are working to have enough to retire some years or decades later or are working toward a goal they have set for themselves because someone said having a goal is very beneficial. This book is about my taking the jobs that came along because I wanted to do the work, not because of anything that came with the job. I did what I wanted to do and sometimes refused jobs that had a big salary, stock options, health plan, perks of homes and travel, but were not what I would like doing. I could never see why anyone would spend two-thirds of their life essentially working to make money, not

Seanne Larson Emerton, L.M.F.T., L.I.M.H.P., is one of our newest authors. She has been in private practice for over twenty years.  She loves her work and life in the Heartland,, including practicing yoga, spirituality and health, and enjoying music, travel, and time with her sons and families in Boston and Denver. The power of relationships fuels her desire to help others. She is grateful for her grandparents and parents who were her first teachers.  She and her husband, Tom, live on the land her great-great-grandfather homesteaded.  Family is her greatest joy.  Her book, co-authored with Dr. Geri Henderson,   Healing from Incest: Intimate Conversations with My Therapist , has earned multiple awards and recommendations. Finalist, Book of the Year Award. Book Excellence Award. Brings comfort and understanding and resolution to individuals. MidWest Book Review says that every library should have a copy. US Review of Books recommended it. Read more posts by and

  Omar Imady, who started out his publishing career with MSI Press and still has two books with us, has done some remarkable work over the past decade -- a couple of "gospels" with Villa Magna ( The Gospel of Damascus in four languages was a Book of the Year finalist for the English version; and The Gospel of Bethany ) and now, a new book, When Her Hand Moves , also with Villa Magna. Here is a summary of the new book: When Her Hand Moves  combines the sensual and the sacred, the intellectual and the imaginary, the divine and the dangerous in two stories that examine, interrogate, and challenge our understanding of universal truths and spirituality. A Syrian history professor escapes Damascus only to find himself in another surreal and dangerous setting, uncovering a conspiracy that places his life in even greater peril. And an Oxford professor and an eccentric journalist embark on an adventure through Portugal and Spain seeking to decipher an ancient manuscript and uncover a

What is a book jewel? A sometimes-overlooked book with remarkable insight and potential significance. Each month, we share near-daily, or as often 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  A Theology for the Rest of Us  by Arthur Yavelberg. Description: 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." In a time of internecine wars and all kinds of abuse of authority and t

It is Tuesday. Time to tall turkey. Monday's madness is over, and Wednesday will take us over the hump, so Tuesday it is--for some serious discussion with authors. Tuesday talks mean to address authors in waiting and self-published authors who would like to go a more traditional route or who would at least like to take their steps with a publisher by their side. Today's topic arises indeed from the fact that 'tis the season for book awards...at least, for the opening of accepting 2022 award entries. The question is whether or not to enter, how many, and which ones. After all, they cost. Are they worth it? Here are some reasons they are worth entering: Attention. The more attention your book receives, generally the better it will sell. Awards are a very positive source of attention. Confirmation. You think your book is good. Your publisher through so when accepting it for publication. Winning a competition, especially the difficult ones, provides confirmation that you are ri