The Spirit of the Marathon

Great trailer of the film that premiered Thursday and that's a glimpse into why some people love to do such strange crazy things as run 26.2 miles!

Al and Monkey attempt a military operation

click here to watch this short clip that illustrates the crucialness of tea in all circumstances, all walks of life, at any given moment of the day.

John Hendrix Billboard!

the ultra cool children's book writer/illustrator, New Yorker cartoonist and New York Times Editorial illustrator and pal, John, has reached the Zenith.

yes, he's now illlustrating buildings.
(above, 7th and 34th St, near Penn Station)

check out his supreme blog here

what happens next?

"As I sit at my computer... I think of myself as sitting around the campfire after a day on the trail, telling stories that I hope will have the members of the audience, or the readers, leaning forward just a bit, wanting to know what happens next."
Stephen E. Ambrose (1936-2002)

What a great reminder to writers. It's about the Story. Period.

Perhaps it's really the only question to ask as you write: what happens next? It's maybe even more crucial when you're writing for children since the moment they're bored, they'll stop reading. There's no wiggle room. You have to keep their attention.

What happens next? What if you don't know and you're the one telling the story?

A wise editor once told me, "put your characters in a room and listen to them." The job of storyteller, then, is to just turn up at the computer every day (or campfire) and wait to see what your characters do. And then follow them.

So in that sense, the writer is also one who listens to the story. And is the scribe who writes it down so others can hear it, too.

In the end, it's really not about being an "Author", I don't think. It's about being someone who tells a good story. The writer should always be the servant of the story. Not the other way round.

The act of writing, then, can be a generosity, not an ego trip.

Al and Sock Monkey Dark and Stormy Night

Continuing our Al and Monkey series here's some background. Johnny Vegas and his knitted sidekick Monkey were catapulted to fame thanks to the commercials they did to launch ITV Digital in the UK. (I'll post one of those later.) Now they're doing PG Tips ads. (You saw them interviewed in an earlier post.)

PG Tips first introduced teabags in 1930. Its advertising was traditionally featuring real chimpanzees engaging in human activities. Today, it's a stuffed sock that's being the refined human. click here to watch one of Al and Monkey's fabulous adverts. I think it's living proof that the Brits really are the best at adverts (and silliness).

The Reason For God

The End of Faith. The God Delusion. God Is Not Great. Letter to a Christian Nation. Bestseller lists are filled with doubters. But what happens when you actually doubt your doubts?

Dr Tim Keller (pastor of my church here in NYC) has a great new book coming out (February 14). The book not only received an early review in Publisher's Weekly (no mean feat in itself) but it's a good one:

The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism
Timothy Keller. Dutton, ISBN 978-0-525-95049-3

"In this apologia for Christian faith, Keller mines material from literary classics, philosophy, anthropology and a multitude of other disciplines to make an intellectually compelling case for God. Written for skeptics and the believers who love them, the book draws on the author's encounters as founding pastor of New York's booming Redeemer Presbyterian Church. One of Keller's most provocative arguments is that 'all doubts, however skeptical and cynical they may seem, are really a set of alternate beliefs.' Drawing on sources as diverse as 19th-century author Robert Louis Stevenson and contemporary New Testament theologian N.T. Wright, Keller attempts to deconstruct everyone he finds in his way, from the evolutionary psychologist Richard Dawkins to popular author Dan Brown. The first, shorter part of the book looks at popular arguments against God's existence, while the second builds on general arguments for God to culminate in a sharp focus on the redemptive work of God in Christ. Keller's condensed summaries of arguments for and against theism make the scope of the book overwhelming at times. Nonetheless, it should serve both as testimony to the author's encyclopedic learning and as a compelling overview of the current debate on faith for those who doubt and for those who want to reevaluate what they believe, and why." PW

Very cool. I highly recommend him to you. I'm constantly challenged and inspired by his teaching... and best of all, if I'm lucky, left doubting my doubts...

For more information here.

Old MacNoah

Announcing the arrival of, sailing right into shops near you this very week, the one, the only ...
With a rumble of quacks, moos, and oinks, Old MacNoah has to get his boisterous group of farmyard animals on board his ark before the quickly rising water gets too high, in an amusing--and biblical--twist to a classic children's song.

It's my latest picture book just out this week from HarperCollins! It's beautifully illustrated by Jill Newton (her Dog, Starboard Bob, can be seen rounding up the ducks). And, you'll be glad to know, it's very very silly.

Here's what the publisher says:
"The flood (how could they resist?) of funny sound effects gives this favorite Bible story a twist that’s perfect for sing-along fun."

Here's what I say:
Everyone knows Old MacDonald’s Song but not everyone knows Noah’s version... which I should think must be the original version, don’t you?

Here's what The Critics say
(Well, actually my mum really):
(Actually no sorry she can't speak because she's laughing too hard)

So, you see, there was really only one person I could dedicate the book to: My Old MacMother.

(ARK DISCLAIMER: Sally Lloyd-Jones has never sailed in an actual Ark herself but she’s pretty sure–with all those days at sea–the animals must have sung songs to pass the time and probably if this song had been invented back then, it would have been their favorite.)

You can join in the song and the dance (or even just find out more) here.

Johnny Vegas - Al and Monkey talk about tea

well sorry about the infrequent blogging there but I've been away in The Land of Tea (and Maltesers and Christmas Puddings and Chocolate Digestives and all scrumdiddley umptious things like that)... but I thought now would be the time to share this funny duo. Comedian Johnny Vegas as Al and his woollen sidekick Monkey talk about tea in this exclusive behind the scenes footage from their PG Tips campaign... This fascinating clip explains what Al and Monkey have been up to and how they like their tea ... It's a very important question to establish. (I like mine strong, in a pot, inside a tea cosy, and definitely, definitely milk in first) How about you?