MSI Press Blog

  When Carl lay dying in home hospice, we were given three vials of morphine for pain. Oddly, we used very little of it. He did not need or want it. At one point, his liver was grieving him, and we gave him a small amount and called the hospice to find out what we should be giving since the bottle said only "as needed." We were told that we had given a pediatric dose -- for a 300-pound man. He did not seem to need more at that time, though, but the next couple of days, a couple of times, he indicated he was in mild pain, and we tripled the dose as suggested by the nurse. He, however, after that, never indicated he was in pain. Our son asked if he might like to be given at least a small dosage prophylactically, to which he responded, "You wanna turn me into a dope addict?" Carl had a limited tolerance for pain all his life, so if he said he was not in pain, he was indeed not in pain. Had he been in pain, he would have taken anything and everything available!  The opp

  Rare Disease Day is an observance held on the last day of February to raise awareness for rare diseases and improve access to treatment and medical representation for individuals with rare disease. Rare Disease Day is meaningful for MSI Press since one of its authors, Shenan (CB) Leaver suffers from CHARGE Syndrome. CHARGE is so rare that he is one of only a handful of survivors in his age group worldwide -- he has personally found four besides himself! CHARGE Syndrome is a disorder that affects many areas of the body. CHARGE is an abbreviation for several of the features common in the disorder: coloboma, heart defects, atresia choanae (also known as choanal atresia), growth retardation, genital abnormalities, and ear abnormalities. The pattern of malformations varies among individuals with this disorder, and the multiple health problems can be life-threatening in infancy. When CB was born 42 years ago, CHARGE was not even known! Now, 70% of children born with CHARGE make it to age

  War and natural disasters create atrocious living circumstances not only for the people caught in the vortex but also for their pets, who are not used to foraging for themselves, have not built up the skills for survival, and are met with austere conditions too frequently too overwhelming to support their efforts to stay alive. Ukrainians are devoted to their pets; having to leave them behind may look like desertion but in a blitzkrieg style war can be the only option to helping ensure a fleeing family itself survives -- and is likely gut-wrenching. Many families are scooping up their pets. Some cannot, and their pets are now on the streets. Network for Animals is stepping in and doing the best it can to take care of animals left behind. It needs help. Help = money. Any amount; US dollars stretch farther there than here. Network for Animals is registered in a number of countries, including Brazil, the USA, and UK, as a reputable charity, and contributions are considered tax deductibl

  Watch the presentation HERE : For more posts about Dr. Sabzevary, his lectures, and his book, click  HERE . Sign up for the MSI Press LLC newsletter.

  Excerpt from Andrew's Awesome Adventures with His ADHD Brain Sometimes My ADHD Brain Needs a Reminder on a Neon-Colored Sticky Note. Dismissal time! My ADHD brain doesn’t have to pay attention in school anymore today. Now, if I could only remember what I have for homework. I rummage through the miscellaneous papers shoved into my backpack, looking for my planner. “Found it!” It’s blank because I forgot to write down my homework assignments. Again. I stare at the books in my locker hoping to remember. Nope. “Darn!” I hear my bus number being called. Slamming the locker shut, I run down the hall with the nagging feeling I am forgetting something. I weave in and out of the sea of kids making their way to the front door of the school. My feet are moving faster now as I make the final sprint to the bus. Made it with only a minute to spare! I flop down onto the seat. “My trumpet! That’s what I forgot!” Mom reminded me before I left for school this morning to bring my trumpet home. Oh w

  On December 9, Franki Bagdade chats with The Chaos Keepers , Jozlyn and Ginger. Her 5-star book, I Love My Kids, But I Don't Always Like Them . is available at the MSI Press LLC webstore at 25% discount (use code FF25). For more posts by and about Franki and her book, click HERE . Sign up for the MSI Press LLC newsletter.

   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 asks, very simply, what of the standard advice to authors is still viable, given the many changes in the book industry and life in general during and post-covid? Let's look at various pieces of advice that most authors have received from their publishers or from online writing sites. For books to sell, you need a lot of reviews.  Over 100 reviews is the recommended quantity. That is the classic advice. However, we have had hot-selling books that have had nearly no reviews. In those cases, there has been word of mouth "selling," in which influencers have recommended the book, book clubs hav