Pray (For the World's Years) TM By: Wendy R. Berry

I look up at the sky wonderin' what could've been
Today's trends gettin' old
Wearin' out so thin
A Generation of love and hate
What would you do
If you were a teen in '68?

Would you be a hawk, or a dove?
Wavin' the flag, or shoutin' L-O-V-E
Bein' patriotic
Or protesting, winding up on tv?

Civil liberties, civil rights
MLK's dream
Causing chaos and fights
Ending in the loss of his wonderful life

*Chorus*
If I could, I would go back in time
Change the world
One day at a time
But all that I can do
I can do without delay
I can close my eyes, and pray
(End Chorus)

Now, what about 1887
Following Brigham Young
Building a temple
House of the Lord
The closest thing to the celestial heaven

Working together
Finding a solution
Our Faith causing persecution
Could you handle that?
What do you think about that?

(Repeat Chorus 1x)

What if you were a teen in '94
Witnessing nothing seen before
Soakin' up the sun outside
While others die
In Rwanda's genocide

What would you do then?
Oh, what would you do and when?

(Repeat Chorus)

I cannot change the past
Born in 1991
My life's passing by so fast
Livin' now in 2012
I can change views, I can change myself

All I can do is pray everyday
Hoping Heavenly Father will find a way
There are others out there less fortunate than me
Home of the brave, but not always the free.
Let's start a positive love revolutionary!

(Repeat chorus final time)













Your love
Your Eyes
Your Grace

They keep me in place
Oooooh

Interview with "Autumn of Secrets" Author, Mariella Hunt!

Hey everyone! Tonight I had the awesome opportunity to chat with "Autumn of Secrets" author, Mariella Hunt! She's made the extraordinary journey through inkpop, a site ran by editors from Harper Collins Publishing group!
She's made it into the top 15, which is no easy task.

Hello, Mariella, how are you this evening?

Mariella:
I'm relaxed this evening, just finished watching a movie with my brother, and listening to music. I've probably heard this album 15 times by now. Urban Angel by Natalie Walker, good inspiration for writing! And I'm also trying to get into the mood for some editing tonight.

WRB:
Oh, how fun! So, you've made the Inkpop top 15... how does it feel to have worked so hard? Do you have advice for anyone wanting to be successful like you have been?

Mariella:
Yeah, top fifteen! It's not easy to get there. Not only is there the thought in the back of my mind that the pink arrow could appear any moment and knock me off. I remember when I got knocked off the top 25...it's not fun at all! But I feel great, I'm finally doing something with my work. It's really getting somewhere! My advice would be to steel yourself for lots of work, and never give up. Not for anything.

WRB:
That's so impressive, Mariella! It must feel amazing to be so successful! Can you give us a glimpse into Autumn of Secrets, giving us an idea of what it's about?

Mariella:
Hmm. Well, it's about a wishing well. :D But that's not all. It sort of became a more complex story than I originally intended. The magic got a mind of its own and it's causing all sorts of trouble--in the story and out!
This wishing well grants wishes three ways--perfectly, strangely, and tragically. They're waiting to get the tragic wish out of the way in order to resume the cycle, but for that, someone has to make the tragic wish. Nobody wants to. The main character is a newbie, so naturally she's a target. They won't tell her anything about that cycle, so in other words, Olivia is in a LOT of trouble. I won't say anything else! ;)

WRB:
Oh my goodness, that sounds like quite a wonderful read!
How long have you been a writer for? Has anyone ever inspired you, or given you the support to keep on going?

Mariella:
I've been a writer for a long time. When I was six I remember hiding under the table with a notebook. For some reason I thought I would get more inspiration down there. *Laughs* Anyway, I've always had family that supported me with my writing, and bragged about me. My parents and brother, especially, have been by my side the whole time. Also I have so many friends that help out, even friends that aren't writers. I always have someone to ask for ideas, or listen to my rants when I get inspired for a new story. They don't seem to get annoyed with me either, when I get into those rants, for which I am grateful!

WRB:
That must be beyond amazing, having so much tremendous support! As a fellow writer, I admire you for what you have done.
Now, enough about your series! Let's go over some fun questions! Are you ready for it?

Mariella:
Yup I am!

WRB:
What is your favorite genre to read whenever you have the free time?

Mariella:
Actually, my favorite genre to read is about religion. I have more books I need to read on religion than anything. There's usually not many YA books that catch my interest, so until one comes along, I dedicate myself to theology. You should see my bookcase--one would think I'm a know it all, but really I haven't read half of them yet!!
Right now my obsession is the Mortal Instruments books, though. I think it would be really awesome to live in that world.

WRB:
Religion? I must admit, that's a first! Do you ever apply it to your writing? There's not that many teenagers out there who mention or even talk about religion anymore!

Mariella:
Actually, I do. Most of my books--especially the ones not on inkpop yet--have characters that, if they aren't already religious, become religious towards the end of the book. I try to use my book in order to show how faith can brighten your life. When I come up with a story, the first thing I wonder is whether I could include faith in there without sounding too preachy (I don't like shoving things at people, either.) There are, of course, some books that just wouldn't do well with religion; AUTUMN is one of them, and the book I'm going to put a sample of soon, THE SHADOW, is another. I tried but could not find a place to explicitly mention faith without sounding cheesy.
The book I'm planning on writing right now does have a lot of religion in it. I don't know much about it yet, but it's a project involving a sort of school where teenagers spend a year together dedicating their lives to prayer and sacrifice for a cause. It's based heavily on spiritual warfare, and I'm excited to get started on it.

WRB:
That's beautiful, and so touching, Mariella! It's wonderful how faithful you seem! Not that many people are open about their faith or their beliefs about God, but you differ from those individuals, don't you?

It's what I pick up, at least.

Mariella:

Yes, I believe strongly that writing, and everything I do, is a gift that God has blessed me with. The least I can do is acknowledge Him, because He gave it to me in order to glorify Him. I've been a devoted Catholic since 2005, and I believe faith is one of my strengths--no matter what, I always feel that God is watching over me. I feel drawn to write about that, and tell people about how great He is whenever I can.

WRB:
Wow! Catholic? Yet again, that's a first for me! I myself am Catholic, and plan on adding a bit of faith into some of my stories, eventually. Do you have any advice for me, and any other writers that want to discuss religion, for that matter?

Mariella:
Hmm. If you want to write about GOD, the most useful thing I can think of is, show- don't tell. It applies not only to the writers' craft, but to writing about God. You have to be respectful that not everyone who reads it will want to have your personal beliefs shoved in their face; make it a part of the plot but don't make it THE plot. Show through the story and characters how faith affects and transforms you without weighing down the story. If you want to write about God, it has to be done correctly, very gently and respectful of your readers.


WRB:
You're such an awesome guest to be interviewing! Thank you for taking the time to talk with me, and have me interview you! Do you have any final thoughts/words/suggestions?

Mariella:
Well, my final suggestion to writers, or anyone with a hobby is this... If you want to get somewhere with it, if you want to live your dreams with it, you have to keep working! I want to become published someday, and I'm working towards that. You'll be tempted to get impatient sometimes, maybe even go through periods of discouragement, but it'll be worth the wait in the end. You'll see!

(End, Interview)

Check out Mariella's story here:

http://inkpop.com/projects/69119/autumn-of-secrets/

I hope to be blogging again soon! :)

Until then, take care,

-Wendy R. Berry