MSI Press Blog

    (photo by Frank Perez) 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 is  about taking a self-published book to a traditional publisher in hopes of getting a contract.  At least a couple of times a month, a self-published author approaches MSI Press with a proposal to republish his or her self-published book. They all seem to think that their  poorly selling self-published book would soar to best-seller status if only a traditional publisher would take it on or that their self-published book with modest sales would not thrill a publisher by how many sales had been made or had many polite reviews simply re-stated the content and refrained from sayin

  Photo from "Feeling Your Life's Energy," The Light Gap https://www.thelightgap.com/feeling-hearts-energy/ HEART ENERGY – WHAT IS IT? Heart energy flows through the heart from a source in the universe. Different religious sects label this source according to their belief systems. It can be called God, Brahma, Shiva, The Divine Mother, etc. Essentially, this energy comes from a Higher source and passes through several stages before reaching an individual. It flows through the heart center in waves, very much like solar energy. These waves of energy change as they pass through the heart. They vary according to the makeup of the individual and also in the way that the individual uses them. With each use of the heart, these waves become stronger and purer. They vibrate in the heart center and affect others. Again, this energy is as strong as the individual’s capacity to contain it and use it. The heart that is activated with this energy uses it for its many functions

  As folks get ready to settle in to some great yelling, screaming, and cheering for today's Super Bowl, we offer readers a look at the everyday players, the kids who might grow up to be stars, and how their parents affect them and the game. Jonas is a long-term sports coach, and his insights and humor make for a wonderful, easy, and inspirational read in Soccer Is Fun without Parents .  I never played soccer growing up but my son, Kevin, latched onto it about the same time he learned how to walk. I have learned how to love the sport by watching kids play and being a high school referee. Apparently, Americans don’t find the sport exciting; not enough scoring, too many dives by players, slow action, etc.   Have you ever watched a baseball game? Come on. Any NFL game typically entails only 11 minutes of actual playing time compared to 18 minutes in baseball, and 90 minutes in soccer. Despite what many Americans say about the sport, there is only one thing that needs to be fixed in so

  MSI Press author, Sula, parish cat at Old Mission, had a special visitor this week -- Ves, a young artist who drew a picture of Sula. In case you have not seen Sula's recent Face Book page, Stacey, Sula's personal photographer, took a video of Sula observing (overseeing) the Mission grounds before Mass this weekend. Very cute video, worth watching if you like cats: https://www.facebook.com/sulathecat/posts/3688009197959780 (There are also some other charming videos of Sula there.) Read more posts about Sula and her books HERE .

Excerpt from the award-winning book, God Speaks into Darkness , by Bennett Easterling, MSI Press author, winner of many book awards.  Are You Lonely Tonight? Inspired by Psalm 120 If you’re a believer sincerely trying to follow the Lord, you’re going to feel pretty lonely at times. Hello? Listen to the Psalmist crying on God’s shoulder: “Deliver me, O Lord, from this world of liars. They have lied so much it’s become a way of life. O lying tongue, what shall become of you? You will be pierced with sharp arrows and burned with red-hot coals. My troubles multiply among these God-haters; these scoundrels, scalawags, and scammers! I am weary of their talk of plots and revenge; they love wars and hate peace. My voice for peace is drowned out in their councils, by those clamoring for war. In my lonely troubles, I pled with God to help me. I opened my heart to him, crying out for him to intervene. And, once again, he heard my plea and came to my aid. Thank you Abba!” Have you noticed that ly

  Chapter 2: Get Straight As This one has come out of the mouth of almost every parent ever. I’m sure cave parents back in the stone ages groused to their kids about how little Ugg in the next cave over brought down a bigger bison than they did and why can’t they practice hunting more. Once your kid enters school, the obvious goal on everyone’s mind is getting good grades. However, just like all of these sayings, the way you deliver the message can make all the difference. Why We Say It In 2011, Amy Chua came out with her extremely popular book Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother. [1] If for some reason you spent that year hiding under a rock (or in the North Korea style media blackout that accompanies the attempt to parent any child under four), it’s basically a love letter to the strict discipline the author accredits to a traditional Chinese upbringing. It includes rules such as kids aren’t allowed to play any instruments other than the piano or the violin, they aren’t allowed

  Boris Shekhtman has been considered a national authority on teaching students to use foreign languages effectively in communication with native speakers. He has developed a unique set of tools designed to enhance an individual’s communication in a foreign language environment, which he describes in  How to Improve Your Foreign Language Immediately . Boris Shekhtman presented his communication rules at numerous seminars for a number of U.S. Government agencies including the Library of Congress, the Department of State, the Department of Defense, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Department of Transportation, the Department of Agriculture and Air Force. His clients included correspondents of major news organizations such as ABC News, CBS News, BBC, NBC News, New York Times , Washington Post , Los Angeles Times , Chicago Tribune , Time Magazine , and Associated Press. The content of the seminars is well described in his books. The most popular of them are:  Developing