MSI Press Blog

  We do have books that make great Mother's Day gifts. Here are some of them: Girl, You've Got This! Transitioning to motherhood is hard. Along with it comes a lot of fear, anxiety and responsibility. You want to provide everything for your new child, and it is all too easy to let other things – like self-care – slide. How do new moms stay on top of finances, a healthy diet, housework, a fitness routine, work, and other personal needs? Combining her expertise as a personal trainer and successful entrepreneur with her life as a wife and mother who is pregnant with her second child, Brittany Renz helps readers find balance as new moms by preparing and establishing routines throughout the nine months of pregnancy. She encourages expectant mothers to set themselves up for success as mothers, spouses and working professionals – and she knows what she is talking about. How to Be a Good Mommy When You're Sick Soon after receiving her Bachelor’s Degree, Emily Graves was diagnosed w

  Ken Mogren has been a nearly lifelong resident of Winona, MN, in the beautiful Mississippi River Valley. At Winona State University, he majored in Psychology and English and credits an understanding of human nature and good communication skills for success in a 43-year insurance industry career.  At about age 60, he rekindled a dormant interest in creative writing and began entering humorous sonnets in contests, enjoying a bit of success. In retirement, he has picked up the pace, resulting in a collection of nearly 200 sonnets, with over 100 of these in his first book, SPUNKY GRANDMAS …. And Other Amusing Characters .  Ken and his wife, Sally, enjoy traveling and spending time with their three sons and their families. He also serves as a volunteer on the non-profit boards of a hospital, university and theatre company. Ken’s other interests include running, cycling, and cross-country skiing. He regularly competes in those sports and has won three national age group championships. He a

   Almost missed this one! It came out a few months ago, but as long as children go to school, the information is valuable. Find out what these five things are HERE . Cindy is the co-author of two award-winning books, along with Patti Trombly, of which MSI Press is proud. Check them out: Read details HERE . Purchase from Amazon HERE . Get 25% discount with coupon code FF25 at www.msipress.com/shop. Read details HERE . Purchase from Amazon HERE . Get 25% discount with coupon code FF25 at www.msipress.com/shop. Read more posts about Cindy McKinley Alder HERE .  Read more posts about Patti Trombly 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  addresses an issue critical for planning your book promotion/marketing activities -- understanding the reasons people buy books. Without that understanding, you are shotting at a target blindfolded. It does not matter how good your weapon is if you do not know where the target is. So, let's look at what approaches are most effective and less effective, based on recent research as to how readers make a decision to buy a book, derived from a 355-person survey by Gigi . Personal Connections The #1 reported reason why someone purchased a book is that the buyer loved the author; this would apply to subseq

(photo from Wikipedia)   When traditional treatments are not working, cancer patients may want to participate in clinical trials. We did not have the time to arrange for something like that -- Carl was diagnosed very late and endured a very short time. When the cancer became quite out of hand after just three rounds of chemotherapy, the oncologist offered to "look for" a clinical trial, if we wanted one. Of course, that did not work out because Carl died just three weeks later.  However, the suggestion got us thinking. What would be involved in being in a clinical trial and in finding one? What would be the pros and cons? With subsequent research, which we would not have had time to do on our own, given the speed of Carl's demise, I learned some interesting things. On the positive side, clinical trials may provide access to treatments and drugs not yet in (wide) use and will almost certainly provide personalized attention. On the negative side, there is no guarantee that

  Spunky Grandmas and Other AmusingCharacters is a collection of over 100 entertaining, fictional mini stories about comical human behavior. Written in sonnet form, each of 22 chapters starts with a cartoonish illustration by Joella Goyette that introduces the theme of the stories that follow. Humorist, Ken Mogren, features grandmothers who are anything but stereotypical, as well as other folks whose behavior is best described as unconventional. For more posts on Ken Mogren, click  HERE . For more posts on Joella Goyette, click  HERE . For more posts about Spunky Grandmas and Other Amusing Characters, click  HERE . For other humor books by MSI Press, click  HERE .

  Sula, Parish Cat at Old Mission San Juan Bautista, cancer survivor x5, and prolific author of spiritual books, retired from her duties as full-time Mission cat when covid struck and moved in with her godparents. Since the Mission has reopened, they bring Sula in on Sundays. Some days she walks around the grounds and attends Mass like in the old days. Mostly, though, she "holds court" at the Mission gift shop and welcomes visitors. Last Sunday, one of her visitors brought her a belated Easter present. Everyone loves Sula! Unfortunately, Sula is struggling a bit now, as is probably evident in the picture. As she reaches the special age of 15, she is experiencing arthritis. Most unfortunately, however, the tumors on her leg have returned, and she has trouble walking. Her oncologist says that she is "very worried" about Sula. So, we are asking for prayers for the little cat that has been the answer to prayers for many people. Read posts about Sula and her books HERE .