Hey! I'm baaaaack. And, on account of some healthy prodding from a friend (*grins at Gaby*) I'm testing my persistence and adding a new resolution to my already rather full list of late new years' resolutions. I will blog at least once a week. I have a lot to say, you see, but I'll try to summarize it all in this 4AM insanely-late-but-determined blog post.

First off, before I begin recounting the year so far, I have an announcement to make. Frankly, I am tired of this purple background and am in the mood for something more cheerful and new year-ish. In other words, I'd like a new blog template, please. Now, I'm busier than you'd think I am... I mean, you have to be me to understand in what sense my days are busy. I'm dead serious. So I'm not going to be going aroung HSB, advertising that I want a new blog template. So if anyone stumbles upon this blog post and would like to make me a new template (all credit goes to them) they will be greatly appreciated. *gazes at purple background with distaste* I'm afraid I have neither the patience nor the time to make my own. I used to do HTML fairly well, but not now. My interests have moved more towards writing and apologetics.

Oh, that's right. To anyone, my interest in apologetics will be fairly new. For those who don't know what it is, here's the definition:

Apologetics

–noun (used with a singular verb)

the branch of theology concerned with the defense or proof of Christianity.

         I know, I know, if you already know what this is you're probably wondering why I put up a definition on here. Simply said, some people won't know what it is. A good example is me, early this month. Yeah.

So in my case I'm studying Catholic apologetics. I'm sorry, but I don't like seeing people attack my faith beneath my very nose and being unable to do anything about it. I'm determined to study and defend Catholicism, but do so in a way that gives other denominations the respect and credit they deserve. Like I said in my last post, all Christians are a family, but it isn't nice to watch people attack my own faith and treat us as the worse.

I'm not saying, of course, that apologetics applies only to Catholicism. But in my case, my goal is to be able to defend the church I was baptized in, because it seems to get constant jabs and I hate being unable to do anything about it.

Moving on.

Writing! Yes, this is still one of my favorite things to do, and I promise I am doing it. In fact, today/tomorrow I'm planning to get a solid 10,000 for my 30k challenge 'cause I can. But, in addition to this, my characters have been AWFUL and DISOBEDIENT. I finally got Beth in a direction I want (thanks to Squid and my imagination, which wove her idea into place) so my word count is beginning its regular habit of... ahem... skyrocketing. :D I seriously need to update my word counts up there. ^ However, my current writing status as of February fourth-going-on-fifth-since-it's-now-5AM:

The Hunter, sequel to The Shadow: 11,767. This doesn't count for the 30k challenge. You see, I began to write a few days before that challenge actually began.
The Shadow: It's undergoing editing, but the word count is still around 110,000 words. =)
The Hunter, for the 30k challenge: 5,090. Hey, I'm 1/6 of the way there.

I'm also editing my beloved novel The Last Descendant, which I finished last fall. Sigh, I do wish that it'll be worthy of being read by the public eye soon. It won't be too soon, I'm afraid, since I'm going through which will be hopefully my last editing/rewriting stage. Alex wants a new plot, and half of Anna's plot has to be redone to fit her depression. Then at the end I need to decide how much of her memory she really loses, and then add bits of Cade into the story every now and then. So if any of you get to read it, it won't be until at least the end of the year.

That's where I am. ^^ Any questions? Please do comment.

Other random insignificant news:

• Aha. I have revealed to a friend (Gaby :D) that Stephenie Meyer's books aren't as horrible as the ignorant public assumptions make them out to be. Of course they're not a literary miracle that someone might want to base their own novel off of (by saying this I'm referring to the Twilight series. I know, I know, a third of the world loves them, a third of the world hates them, and the rest of the world are just following the examples of others who have never actually read them but think that they're going to be awful just because of... well, I don't know what their reasons are, really. But they weren't that horribly bad, and if they were, why are they currently a worldwide bestseller?! I have to say that I liked them. I said liked, not loved, but I'm not out flaming them. If you don't like them, keep your opinion to yourself, and don't brainwash a friend against reading them by simply telling them that they're horrible. You need evidence, my friends, and facts, to back it -- but not the kind of evidence that is called by most people 'spoilers.') *takes deep breaths* In other words, a new pet peeve of mine is literary ignorance about certain books (*cough*Twilight*/cough*) and just assuming that they're bad because you saw a review by some bonehead (please read my definition of bonehead below, in the bold-faced letters, before you think of starting a grudge) on a public forum who is out to brainwash you, and apparently you're letting them. My bottom line: READ THE BOOKS AND GET YOUR OWN OPINION. Don't decide that you despise them until you've actually made it from cover-to-cover. Sheesh. (I know that this paragraph of run-ons and outbursts will try and offend some people. Please, don't let it. But if I don't like something, I'm not going to keep quiet about it... and no, not all reviewers are boneheads. Just the unauthorized ones whose 'reviews' are a blend of spoilers and personal opinion, with a dab of ignorance and jealousy and, in most cases, brain-soap. Hey, that's a new word. Brilliant, Mariella, absolutely brilliant.)
  The Host, another novel by Mrs. Meyer, is a completely different story in many senses. That's more of the kind of book that can possibly be compared with a literary miracle (although I'm not going to say that it IS one because of all the people out there that I know will disagree with me.) To find out why, go read a review by someone authorized to review -- a review that isn't, like I said above, merely personal opinion and ignorance. For the good of yourself and the friends you'll be discussing these books with, I ask you that you find a nice review that doesn't only state reasons why the reviewer dislikes the books, but please find one where they show the positive aspects of the novel, too. In other words, an honest review by an honest person who is polite and has actually read the book cover-to-cover and knows what they're talking about. Don't judge a book by its cover or by a corrupted review. This goes for all books, not just Twilight, but Twilight is the one that people flame the most.
  THERE. I've finally spoken my mind. I CAN BREATHE. *gasps the FREEZING winter air* Okay. Sorry for that little outburst. It's one of those things that you can't hold back, especially if they're words that have been stuck in your throat for years.
  Feel free to listen to me if you want to. But I think an honest, fair review is the way to go.
• I've been ranting so much that I lost the point of this whole entry. Ahem.
• ANOTHER THING I've been doing lately. CATALYST. Church youth group. They rock. I think I'll be going to a retreat on May with them. I turned in the forms and everything, but May is still three months away.
• Taylor Swift is coming to Salt Lake City, Utah!! I know I don't live in Utah. But Utah is sooooo close. Probably 45 minutes away on a plane. And if somehow I can weasel my way down there to see Tay perform live, I will. Yes, this is a fangirl moment. I'm sorry, but she's my favorite artist.
• My bunny, Cookie, died on February 4. Pray for him. Maybe I'll put up pictures in the future.

And now my fingers hurt. I've just written a long blog entry, possibly the longest one I've ever written. I hope I get comments. No, actually, it isn't, but it certainly felt like it was.

-Mariella
(Future New York Times Bestseller, Nobel Prize Winner, and sole achiever of total world domination. Really.
And the Voice of Doom.
And the Empress. That's what everyone calls me anyways. Bwaha.)