MSI Press Blog

  Looking for something new to read on your Kindle? These are our newest -- fresh out: Click HERE for posts on Women, We're Only Old Once. Click HERE for posts on Weekly Soul . Click HERE for posts on Staying Safe While Sheltering in Place. Click HERE for posts on  How to Stay Calm in Chaos . Click HERE for posts on Exercising in a Pandemic . Click HERE for posts on Damascus amid the War .

  MSI Press authors are located all over the world. Getting to know the authors can also mean getting to know a new part of the world. We will be sharing this information on a regular basis. Follow us and map our authors' locations. Jeremy Feig, author of the award-winning, terrifically amusing, fun and easy to read, and insightful book, How My Cat Made Me a Better Man, moved recently from Santa Monica, California to Cascais, Portugal.  Here is some information about Cascais.  Cascais began as a traditional fishing port. But in the 19th century, Portugal’s King Luís I added a touch of glamour by taking up residence in the town each September. Today, Cascais feels more like an elegant version of St Tropez, with 19th-century villas covered in azulejos, and bougainvillea draping over the garden walls. There is an emphasis on outdoor living for most of the year, especially cycling, running or golf, while the short winter months are rather windy and humid. For more beautiful informatio

  Because we work with first-time authors, we are exposed to some "interesting" ideas about how best to promote a book. Reality is often counterintuitive to assumption, perception, and imagination. Let's look, then, at reality. What new authors often expect from promotion--and why they are either unrealistic or undesirable or both:  Book tours from city to city; one new author asked if we would be flying her around the country on a private plane (honest to goodness, she really expected that although she was an unknown person with a first book). Clearly, city book tours do occur--but for people like Dog the Bounty Hunter, not for Joe Blow in Smalltown, America with no platform. The name of the author is what attracts people to these tours, not the title of the book.  Book tours like this -- and we have had some authors do them, usually with the help of a publicist -- are generally a dollar-losing proposition; however, if you can afford the cost, have other things to do in

Spring has arrived fully here in central Texas, with wildflowers sprinkling the meadows, trees bursting with green, and birds singing across the skies. Of course this spring feels different from years past, as the death that came through winter presents itself starkly alongside the rebirth. The once proud agave cacti are heavy and drooping; browned palm trees struggle to stand while fallen branches rest defeated upon the ground. What's fresh and new is intertwined with what has perished. Nature seems to be mirroring the paradox of our strange re-opening world, where excitement over returning to former freedoms goes hand-in-hand with the grief and uncertainty that remains. If you feel both hopeful and unmotivated, depleted and on the brink of change these days, it doesn't mean you're doing anything wrong. You're living through a complex time with complex emotions, and it's not easy to move forward in ambiguity. Part of the challenge, as I see it, is we haven't fu

  St. John the Baptist Early first Century A.D. The town of San Juan Bautista (St. John the Baptist), where our Mission is located, was founded on the feast day of St. John the Baptist, June 24 (the reason that most of my books have been released on June 24), and named after him. Our Mission was founded on that day, too. In the beginning, the two were very connected. St. John the Baptist is one of the best-known saints, even to non-Catholics. Even so, his exact birth dates are not known. He was born six months before Jesus, whose coming he foreshadowed, and was murdered in the last year of Jesus’s ministry, so we do know the approximate dates—the first 30 or so years of the first century. He was so young when he was killed, but for such a short life, he made a significant impact on the world. He influenced Christianity, Islam, and Baha’i—and perhaps other faiths. Here is what most history books will say about him: He was a Jewish itinerant preacher in the early first century. H

Sula, Parish Cat at Old Mission and well known author to readers of this blog, has suffered from cancer for many years bow. Her first book, Surviving Cancer, Healing People: One Cat's Story , was meant to provide hope and understanding to people suffering from cancer. From the input received at the publishing office, that goal is being reached on a regular basis. Sula's skin cancer returned, as detailed in the book, and her ears were removed. After that, she has been free of skin cancer.  However, another cancer appeared. This one was at the injection site for one of her inoculations. It resulted in a cyst, which Sula's vet removed. However, with time, the tumor returned about a year ago. Her vet recommended amputation of her leg and estimated that her remaining life would be about six months if the cancer were not treated. The parish priest did not want to go to extremes like amputation and decided that it would be best to let Sula live out a normal life even if it would

  Monday Stay Motivated What motivates you to get out of bed every day? There’s a reason why Motivation Monday is a thing. It’s the start of the work and school week, with the possibility of making room for something new. If you’re feeling like every day is just a blur, find what motivates you to help you bring more meaning to your day. Everyone is motivated in a different way. What motivated you before might not work for you anymore, so let’s explore what can help you get and stay motivated in times of chaos with the ideas below: ·        Start your day with purpose and intention. Choose an affirmation from the practice below to get started. ·        Wake up with something to look forward to every day, even if it’s small. It could be eating delicious, gluten-free dark chocolate chip pancakes (even better if someone else makes them), giving your kids a big snuggle, exercising, or eating a quality piece of organic dark chocolate. (Can you tell I like dark chocolate?) Choose something