Blog

Posted in On Writing

NO DOGS PLEASE (says the dog lover)

Posted on by iefaber

Earlier this month I went to the Rutgers Writing Conference. It was a fantastic experience and I came home with plenty of inspiration and advice. One thing that came up during a conversation about author bios and what to put in there, I was told that including my day jobs was ok because they are “interesting”. I was also told that I should be writing about dogs because I am a dog groomer and dog trainer. They said I “must have tons of stories about dogs”. When I mentioned that I feel the children’s book market is already saturated with dog stories and no one wants another, everyone seemed to disagree. The real problem, however, is that I write to escape dogs. Continue reading “NO DOGS PLEASE (says the dog lover)” →

Posted in Book Reviews, YA Book Reviews

A Million Shades of Gray

Posted on by iefaber

By Cynthia Kadohata.

A book review and commentary.

This young adult story takes place in 1975 in the Central Highlands of South Vietnam. I wanted to read it because I have a fascination with history and untold truths and because I highly admire elephants. While I did enjoy the story, I couldn’t help wonder about it being categorized as young adult. The tale is told from a 13-year-old’s perspective, but it is in wartime with unsettling truths and hardships. This book not only tells an interesting story of a young Vietnamese dealing with war in his village but also stirs up other questions about how we educate and broaden the minds of our children. Continue reading “A Million Shades of Gray” →

Posted in My Work, short story

Memorial Day – True Story

Posted on by iefaber

Memorial Day is a federal holiday in the United States for remembering and honoring people who have died while serving in the Armed Forces. Unfortunately for the human race, most of us are related to someone who died in a war. This is a story of one of my family members as best I remember. It may not be entirely correct, but this is how it has been told to me over the years. Continue reading “Memorial Day – True Story” →

Posted in Book Reviews, Middle Grade Book Reviews

The Adventures of a South Pole Pig

Posted on by iefaber

By Chris Kurtz.

At my last library visit, I found a gem of a book that was the one I thought I’d like least of all. The library only had one of the six books I was searching for so I had to browse for good stories instead. I picked up this book because it was small and I liked the illustrations. I read a few pages from the middle and decided I liked the tone. I read the book flap and thought, “This will be a typical cute story. Maybe boring but good for research.” (I write middle grade so I like to read middle grade) I was surprisingly incorrect. Continue reading “The Adventures of a South Pole Pig” →

Posted in Movie Reviews

Get Out

Posted on by iefaber

MOVIE REVIEW- NO SPOILERS

I am not a fan of horror and I despise alternate endings. Yet I thought this movie was fantastic and cannot recommend it enough. I know I’m late to the party, but the film is too good not to mention.

First of all, is it really even horror? I honestly don’t know. As a one-time film minor, I know that this genre has an interesting history and certain formulas to follow that make them what they are. I’m certainly no expert, but I’d guess this film breaks the basic “horror code” so to speak. It could be listed as a drama, Continue reading “Get Out” →