Posts

Guest Post from Ken Mogren: What Is a Sonnet?

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  What Is a Sonnet? The simplest answer is a 14 line poem. It can be about any topic. But if it doesn’t have exactly 14 lines, it isn’t a sonnet. Traditionally, sonnets have followed other “rules” besides the 14 line rule. Traditional sonnets must have some type of rhyme pattern. I write mine in the Shakespearian Sonnet form. That means the first line rhymes with the third, the second with the fourth, the fifth with the seventh, the sixth with the eighth, the ninth with the eleventh, the tenth with the twelfth, and the thirteenth with the fourteenth. Some sonneteers might use different rhyme patterns, but a rhyme scheme of some type is one of the defining characteristics of a traditional sonnet. Another characteristic is some type of rhythmic structure, commonly called meter (or metre if you’re British). That means arranging the words so there is a rhythmic alternation of emphasis on the syllables within those words. In the Shakespearian form the meter is called iambic and puts the emp

How to Improve Your Foreign Language Immediately Reviewed on WebHostApp by Nikos

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  Says Nikos:  Boris Shekhtman's book is a surprise for even an experienced language learner. He provides multiple ways to develop skills and overcome communication problems with native speakers. I highly recommend this book if you want to learn to speak fast. Read the review in full here . Read more posts about Boris and his book here .                                         Sign up for the MSI Press LLC newsletter.

Author in the News: Cindy McKinley Alder Contributes to an Article on Tutors in Romper

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  Are you facing the need to get a tutor for a child? Any idea what is a fair price? This article in Romper, to which Cindy Alder contributed, should take care of your questions: " Here's How Much You're Actually Supposed to Pay a Tutor ." Read more posts about Cindy and her books  HERE . Sign up for the MSI Press LLC newsletter.

A Publisher's Conversation with Authors: Self-Publishing (Excerpt from Publishing for Smarties: Finding a Publisher)

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  Excerpt from Publishing for Smarties: Finding a Publisher Why Would You Want To Self-Publish  As an acquisitions editor for a small publisher, I have sometimes received proposals that clearly indicate that an author would be better off self-publishing. Typically, just one or two exchanges with that author will make that preference clear. Such authors will want full control of the book—cover, title, release date, size of the book, and the like. They will often even say something like, “I can take care of the editing; I just need the press to do the marketing.” Well, frankly, the industry does not work that way. Any press that is going to market the book is not going to turn over full control to an author, and any author that thinks he or she can manage full control in a quality fashion is clearly a neophyte. If an author cannot detach himself or herself emotionally from the “baby” (the proposed book), then no kind of functional working relationship will be able to be buil

Cancer Diary: Vitamin Therapy (C and K3)

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  Research is expanding on how to control cancer. That is good because cancer is killing so many people. Nearly everyone I know has lost a friend of relative to cancer. And some people I used to know died of cancer. The CCC tries to stay up to date on the research that is being done and gladly accepts information on new theories and research from others. Just leave on a note on this blog. Among some of the newer therapies is vitamin therapy -- currently being research. In this case, Vitamin C and Vitamin K3 are the subjects of research studies. Here is one such study .  Blog editor's note: As a memorial to Carl, and simply because it is truly needed, MSI Press is now hosting a web page,  Carl's Cancer Compendium , as a one-stop starting point for all things cancer, to make it easier for those with cancer to find answers to questions that can otherwise take hours to track down on the Internet and/or from professionals. The web page is in its infancy but expected to expand into r

San Juan Books Presents Its Special Authors: Meet Liz Bayardelle and Her Books for Mothers Any Day of the Year -- Perfect Gifts If You Missed Mother's Day

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San Juan Books is the hybrid division of MSI Press LLC. It allows first-time writers to become published in a traditional way through the reduction of risk by sharing publication costs. All other publishing features are traditional in nature, and most SJB authors go on to be offered traditional contracts for their subsequent books. SJB publications are available as paperback, hard cover, and e-book versions. SJB authors' books very much hold their own against their contemporaries in the traditional publishing division. Indeed, a number of them have outsold their traditional compatriots. Today, San Juan Books presents author Dr. Liz Bayardelle. Liz published Clean Your Plate! 13 Things Good Parents Say That Ruin Kid's Lives . Her book has earned 5-star reviews and won a gold award from Titan Reviews and a finalist position in the Readers' Favorites competition. Subsequently, Liz was offered a traditional contract for her much-needed book, Parenting in a Pandemic . To see mor

The Buddy Fund: A Heartwarming Story

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The Buddy Fund provides help for wounded animals. The cat behind it has a heartwarming, miraculous story, reported in the Philadelpha Examiner and shared around the world. Read the article HERE . It will make your day! For more MSI Press cat posts, click HERE . Sign up for the MSI Press LLC newsletter.