Donald Miller's Blog, page 156

Another Great Story out of Rwanda

If you follow cycling, you know that the Tour of Ireland wrapped up this weekend. And you might have also noticed Adrien Niyonshuti in the peloton. Hard to miss, Adrien is one of the few people of color in professional cycling, and he's the only African. Top ranked out of Rwanda, Adrien has been training with Tom Ritchey's team, and has recently signed a pro deal with a team out of South Africa.

Pictured above is Adrien with fellow Tour of Ireland rider Lance Armstrong. Lance's story is incredibl

Self Pity, How to be Downwardly Mobile

Everybody feels sorry for themselves once in a while. It's hard not to. It's a great coping mechanism for whatever hard thing we are having to deal with. But at some point we have to put down the crutch and walk. Here's an essay I'm working on for the new version of To Own a Dragon. The book might be called Rogue Elephants, or it might be called Father Fiction. We are still deciding. But the essay is a different tone for me. It's more direct, advice-like even. I like writing in this tone, becaus

Gone for a Week, but Manuscripts will be Hidden

I'll be off the grid until Thursday, but we will be hiding manuscripts all week, starting Monday, August 17th. (My publisher will be tweeting locations through my twitter account) Actually, there's a good chance one will be hidden before then, too. So make sure to sign up on the Facebook Fanpage and follow me on Twitter. My phone number will be with the book when you find it, but I won't be able to call you back till Friday. But I will, I promise.

You can get your tickets to the Million Miles Tou

Hey Josh!

I confess I love watching this guys web show. His name is Josh Shipp, and he's an advice columnist for the digital age. His advice is for teens, and yet I find I learn something nearly every time I watch one of his little videos. If you're a youth group leader, he's completely clean, in fact, he often speaks to church groups. That between appearing on MTV and so forth. And when you get to know his personal story, you will be floored. I'm featuring one of his very basic videos, but this is in no

A Million Miles Tour. We Now Have Widgets, and Tickets

A long time ago I put a message in a bottle and threw it into the ocean. Not unlike that Police song, I woke up and there were a hundred-thousand bottles washed upon my shore. That message was Blue Like Jazz, and I honestly didn't expect anybody to actually read it. Since then, those of us who think the way we do haven't had much of a chance to get together. I think that is one of the things I'm most excited about in regards to the Million Miles Tour.

I do hope to see you on the road. Tickets are

Publisher's Weekly Reviews A Million Miles in a Thousand Years

I don't think I've ever gotten a truly positive review of a book from Publisher's Weekly. They can be a bit snobby about books. And even their review of Million Miles is fairly safe. But I'll take "funny as hell." Here is their review. It will print in next week's issue:

A Million Miles in a Thousand Years: What I Learned While Editing My Own Life Donald Miller. Thomas Nelson, $19.99 (288p) ISBN 978-0-7852-1306-2

Miller, the accidental memoirist who struck gold with the likable ramble  Blue Like Ja

Get a Free Chapter From the Audiobook of Million Miles

You can place this widget on your blog easily. Just click Get and Share, and copy and paste the code like you would a YoutTube clip. You can also get a free audio download of the audio book. Or pre-order the book here. Thanks!

Twestions Answered

I get great questions via twitter nearly every day, and I'd love to be able to answer all of them. But that's hard to do in 140 characters, and even harder walking through an airport or bagging dog poo at the park. So every so often I'll just fire off an answer on the blog. Here's the first, and it's especially applicable today, since I'm writing:

Twestion: christopherbmac@donmilleris How smooth is the transition from writing one book to another? Do U ever find yourself wanting to write for the p

My Plumber's Name is Judas

Recently I purchased a new garbage disposal for my kitchen sink as the old one sounded like I'd dropped a watch in it. I got a referral from a friend for a good plumber, a man who happened to be a Christian, and I called him for an estimate. I called around and his price seemed fair so I made an appointment. The plumber, I will call him Judas, came over with the new disposal and installed it in under an hour. As far as plumbing goes, he was a master craftsman. I was very pleased with his work. A

How the Stories you believe are Screwing with Your Mind

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In Nashville they've built a giant replica of the Parthenon, the temple in Greece that was built for Athena. I don't know why they built a replica of the Parthenon in Nashville. I suppose there is a placard that explains it but I don't like to get that close. It sits in a field just off downtown, just off the country-music recording studios and boot stores, and when I'm driving through town I swear I hear Carmina Burana bellowing from the building's ribs. At night they light the thing so it make