Swords and Knives - Cover Art

I have the privilege to have a friend that owns, designs and manufactures swords and knives that grace the covers of some of my books and short stories (and hopefully more to come). This is an interview that he kindly consented to - after some persuasion on my part ;-)

Hi Dennis, thank you for letting me tap your brains on knife and sword making.

Linzé: What kinds of knives and swords do you design and manufacture? Any particular reason why?

Dennis: Knives: I like to design and manufacture folding knives and fixed blades leaning towards classical designs. I use antique knife designs of European and Mediterranean origin as inspiration for my designs. I am fascinated by history; especially ancient civilizations. Nevertheless, I also do designs conforming to more hunting knife requirements; but without compromising that old-world look. I prefer to work in Damascus steel; not only because of the ancient origins of this steel, but also because of its pure beauty.

Swords: I prefer to design and manufacture swords that can be considered historically accurate. I am especially fascinated by European, Ancient Grecian and Roman swords designs. Some of my swords are interpretations or amalgamations of various design aspects in ancient swords that fascinate me. I am for instance quite drawn to short leave-shaped blade designs. So whether it be a hoplite, gladius, broadsword or something suited to ‘Lord of the Rings’, I am sure I must have held and handled all of them in previous lives.

Linzé: I have noticed that they are particularly sharp, so they are real blades, not only for decoration?

Dennis: All my blades are made to use, whether it be for hunting, food preparation or war. There is no sense in making a blade only for decorative purposes.

Linzé: Please tell me about the skills you need to make knives and swords. Did you need special training to learn these skills?

Dennis: I didn’t and there are certainly knife makers more experienced than I am. I have been making knives and tools since an early age. I am essentially self taught.

Linzé: Would you consider it to be an art? Why?

Dennis: Any skill able to transform materials in raw form into something of beauty can be considered art. Knife and sword making therefore can be nothing else but art.

Linzé: Do you need complex or special tools for the manufacturing of the blades?

Dennis: It depends on the methods that you use. There are essentially two methods of knife making: stock removal or forging. I prefer the last mentioned. A small amount of stock removal is still required. The basic tools required are a forge to heat the steel, steel tongs to handle the hot steel billets, a large anvil, some hammers and basic forging tools, belt sander, sandpaper, files and polishing buff.

Linzé: You use Damascus steel for your blades. Why this kind of steel?

Dennis: Damascus steel is ancient. Damascus steel has character and unique beauty. Each Damascus steel knife and sword is unique; fingerprinted through a forging process that cannot ultimately control the material flow. Damascus steel exemplifies the pinnacle of ancient metallurgy. Damascus steel was rare in ancient times and remains rare today. I am enthralled by it, and so are my customers.

 

Linzé: I have noticed that the handles of the blades are also made of different materials. How do you decide which material is best for the type of blade?

Dennis: Blades: Swords able to withstand the rigours of battle must be made in carbon or Damascus steel. I use both. Stainless steel is not ideal for this application.

Handles: I prefer to use natural materials with character: bone, hardwoods, horn…..I like brass, red copper and again, Damascus steel.

Linzé: You have also made rings from this steel. Is it a difficult material to make jewellery with? How do you deal with the problem that this is not a precious metal and could corrode when in constant contact with skin and the environment? (Note from Linzé: the rings can be seen on the cover of HUNGER)

Dennis: The steel (in annealed form) can only be worked on lathe. The pattern is brought forth via etching with diluted Ferric Chloride.

Some people have oilier skins that preclude rusting from taking place. My own Damascus ring has been worn constantly for two years without rust damage. Generally a smear of Vaseline also helps. It is a lifestyle decision and I prefer the beauty of the basic beauty of Damascus over that of gold or platinum. It is not made to last forever; but neither are we.

Linzé: If someone would like to order a knife or sword, how can they can do that?

Dennis: They can contact me via my website. I don’t make any custom knives. I make what I want and sell these. My business has grown so much, that I subcontract work to other knife makers on many of my more popular designs.

Thank you, Dennis, for the information and allowing Francois Venter to take the photographs of the blades. PS: I love my Damascus ring, too!

 

Those Pesky Interview Questions

I am sure you have seen the interviews that I, and many other authors, have posted on our blogs and websites. The questions we ask each other are much the same: what inspired your writing? Do you like to read? Why that specific genre, story, age group, etc. Although we all try to be more creative and add at least one or two questions that will make the interviewee think for a moment or tickle their funny bone. And to be honest these questions are relatively easy to ask and answer. The difficulty, that I at least, now have to face is the questions that I want to ask a non-writer. For research.

With the almost unlimited amount of information available on the internet, we all use that to do most of our research. What is the currency of Burundi? Which cars are manufactured in South Africa? You know, facts and figures. But where do you find out about the inspirations and creativity that people employ in their daily lives, hobbies and experiences? You ask a human being, of course.

The need to talk to someone as a means of gaining information, needs a more sensitive and well-thought through approach. The more sensitive the subject, the more preparation work you need to do. Even if you are acquainted with the person, determine the boundaries of your questions to respect their feelings and privacy. Offer to show the final product to them before you publish it, in whatever form it might be – article, blog post, book chapter. Aside from any possible legal difficulties, you could stand to loose a friend, and in my book that will the absolute worst thing that could happen.

NOTE: This article is based on preparation work that I am currently busy doing for two interviews that I hope will eventually be posted here. In both cases the information is intended for use in short stories that will be published on Smashwords. Both interviewees have indicated the need for privacy and even anonymity, for various reasons.

BOOK LAUNCH - 7 September 2012

Carlyle Labuschagne's

The Broken Destiny

Prologue

All my life, I had searched for something, something I thought I ought to be. I felt like I was living someone else’s life, waiting for the awakening of my own. I felt like an empty shell burning for life. That was, until the day I lay dying in the prince’s chambers. I could no longer feel the pain from the tear in my gut. The only sensation left was a hollowed-out feeling that I had made a huge mistake in assuming that taking my own life, would have stopped the ancestors’ spirit from raging out. I had given up. I didn’t want to see myself killing the ones I loved. I was the Chosen one, but I threw it all away for what I thought would save a life. Could you end a life to save a life? I did, and I have regretted it ever since. I realized then that things like me are not meant to exist. What had been missing my whole life? It was I. To find myself, I had to lose myself in the worst possible way. The consequences of my actions became the legend of The Broken.

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An amazing new sci-fi series begins with The Broken Destiny: Book One of The Broken Series.

Ava's People have been exiled to Planet Poseidon, where through a series of horrific events, Ava discovers that their existence has been fabricated by The Council, And She has a Destiny that could save them. Her Soul is a secret weapon that has been lost to an ancient race. To fulfill her destiny Ava needs to go through a series of "chances" that will reveal her true purpose. Throughout her journey she will become what she hates in order to save the ones she loves. And through it all she will find herself - for that is her Destiny, to rise above the fall.

The story continues in the next riveting book Evanescent  - due to release late 2013.

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More about the book and the author:

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Today's lesson: Reading with a Dictionary

 Yesterday, I had to smile at a newsletter that I subscribe to. It listed 10 things David Ogilvy wrote as writing advice in 1942. 

My favourite was number 4 - Never use jargon words like reconceptualize, demassification, attitudinally, judgmentally. They are hallmarks of a pretentious ass.

While it might be true, it also highlighted something when I am reading a non-fiction book - my lack of English vocabulary. That might sound odd for a writer, but I didn’t grow up speaking English at home. And until I left high school, my oratory skills in my second language were laughable at best.

Now I am fluent, so it is no longer a problem, except when I read non-fiction books, and upon occasion a novel. I read it with a dictionary next to me. I have always had the philosophy that I have to learn at least one new thing each day, and oftentimes that would be a new word. I look it up and write it down, along with its meaning, not necessarily with the intention of using it in my next story, but it helps to remember it.

Using big words, is not part of my style of writing, but when a story calls for more formal language, or is set in a different time period, it helps to have a broader vocabulary. Or perhaps it is just knowing where to go and find the right word for the context - whether it is my trusty little Oxford, or the online Merriam-Webster dictionary.

The last word I added to my list? Turpitude. Now that could lead to some wickedness down the line - and I am not letting that rabbit out of the hat right now!

Keeping a Journal: Fun or Fad?

Yesterday I got a newsletter from a website that I subscribe to, one of the not-so-many that I still actually do read. The subject of the newsletter was about keeping a journal, and it was sent from a website where you can keep an online journal.

Although I have started a journal online, I seemed to like my fountain pen and Moleskine notebooks that much better.

As a writer, people would not be frown upon my writing in my journal at my favourite coffee shop, in fact people would assume that is what writers do. And to some extent they would be right, of course. I keep a little notebook in every bag that I would carry with me, to jot down ideas or observations that I feel could lead to a story, or could improve a project that I was busy with at the time.

My journal is more than just ideas for my books, although it does involve a lot of whining about plots and characters, and editing - where I never seem to be keeping to my own deadlines.

I have to confess, that even though I had no specific interest in writing as a youngster, I have kept a journal from a very young age. Oh, I don't have those very first ones any more, in fact I tend to destroy them as the years go by, but I still enjoy the practice today.

The photographs you see here are from my journals of 2011 and 2012, with some of the text blurred out - I cannot go around giving away all my secrets now, can I?

I like to decorate my journal entries, and sometimes with a theme as you can see from the NaNoWriMo entries of last year. But that is just my oddness coming through, and yet I still smile when I look at those pages.

But keeping a journal can be so much more, and it will be different for everyone. If you have been thinking about keeping a journal or wondered if it would really worth your while, take a look at a blog where you might find the inspiration and guidance to note down events in your life that may be the inspiration of generations to come.

Interview with Woman of the Year: Marisa van der Merwe

Marisa and Willem van der Merwe

My interview this week is with Marisa van der Merwe - who won Woman of the Year 2012 (Education Category)

Thank you for the opportunity to interview you for my blog.



Follow MiniChess on FB
MiniChess website

 
Please tell us a bit about yourself. Where were you born? Do you have brothers and sisters? Did you learn to play chess as a child? Do any of your siblings play? Where did you meet Willem? Did you know straight away that he was the guy for you? How long have you been married? How many children do you have and what do they do?
I was born in Germiston, Johannesburg, 57 years ago as the first child of two top SA chess players: Piet and Wynie Robbertse – in fact, both have well-known chess tournaments named after them. My dad Piet Robbertse was an actuary and well-known businessman, who taught my mom to play chess after they got married…she eventually became the SA Women’s Chess Champion for 11 years. 
I have a brother and two sisters – of which my brother Piet and baby sister Wyna were both very good provincial chess players.
I am married to my high school sweetheart, Willem van der Merwe, for 37 years now, and although the thrill was there from the first moment we met, I think a life-long relationship is based on more than thrills… I count myself very lucky to have a life-partner with whom I do share all the thrills, but also the same values, dreams and passions in life (note: not necessarily the same taste in movies, art and music!). We have 5½ children…let me explain: Vanessa (a passionate language teacher), Jan-Hendrik (an electronic engineer, like-father-like-son) and Pieter (a medical doctor), plus Elzanne (a ballet dancer, married to Pieter) and the ½ is Annerie Scheepers (pharmacist, engaged to Jan-Hendrik) … and then there is also the son-to-be: Piet Ludick (Vanessa’s life-partner, who is much-loved in our family).
Willem’s father, Jan, turned 90 this year, and we are very honoured that he is also part of our BIG family. AND there are the 3 dogs, 1 cat and 2 fishes that’s part of this family as well. Although the children are now already out of the house, they live close-by and we often eat & spend time together - quite a house-full!
 
How did you get involved in teaching chess?
When my children were small, I was a stay-at-home mom. Their school asked parents to get involved in the chess club, and I offered my help. I immediately LOVED chess training with the young-ones … I enjoyed every moment….and it fired-up a lifelong passion!! Although I don’t consider myself a strong chess player, the age-old game intrigued me because of its many facets: creativity, competitiveness, tactics & strategy, science, history, logic and fun – all combined with the human factor. It is fascinating!
 
What made you decide to use chess as a tool to help children learn better?
It wasn’t really a decision that I made on a day – it was a process that evolved over time and revealed it to me as a wonderful opportunity for all:
I ran a chess-school for 5 -13 year-olds in our home’s garage for more than 20 years. It was a lot of fun & sports, AND amazingly successful: it produced 27 junior national players and 100’s of provincial players! Although I was teaching the children a lot about chess, they were teaching me a lot about children. It came as a surprise to me when parents, teachers and youngsters reported much-improved academic results as well as improvement in self-confidence and maturity: many of my chess students became top-academic performers, captains of different sport teams and leaders in their schools.
Throughout my chess-coaching career, I have always been very analytical, critical and innovative in developing my students, and also my methods of training….you know: thinking about it a lot, reading, sound-boarding and rolling-around/pondering it in the wee hours of the night. As every child’s thinking patterns were unique, my approach to every child also had to be specific. It’s quite technical, but this experience proved to be the basis of chess-as-educational-tool, developing specific mental skills through specific techniques, chessboard-games, “minichess”-games etc. The idea developed and refined over the years through experimentation and on-going learning, to grow into a full program.
Then about 10 years ago I was invited by a top primary school in Pretoria to run a chess-in-school program for their foundation phase , gr.R to gr.3 learners (5 to 9 year-olds) – which gave me the opportunity to test my program in the SA classroom situation. I had to formalise the program – with projects and learner workbooks (4 levels), Teacher Manuals with structured age-specific lesson plans, assessment standards, teacher aids, etc.  It was a challenge and a wonderful learning curve for me: all the children in the foundation phase had to be included in the program and I knew that all children would not find chess easy, so I developed a program that started with the pre-learning concepts of chess – developing mental capacity though fun & games – and had remarkable success to take the benefits of chess to all learners in the classroom! Soon other schools got interested in the program… The non-profit PBO Moves for Life was established in 2010 and they also took the MiniChess program to disadvantaged communities by means of sponsorships. By July 2012 16,000+ children in all provinces of SA were doing the MiniChess program on a weekly basis, with positive feedback from schools, teachers, learner and communities on a regular basis. 
Grandmaster Garry Kasparov visited SA in November 2011, when he witnessed the MiniChess program in action. He was very impressed, and called it the “most scientific program in the world, linking chess with education”. He is interested to take it international by means of the Kasparov Chess Foundations in Europe, N-America, S-America, the Middle-East and Africa. Universities in SA are doing studies on the impact of the MiniChess program on school readiness, development of math-understanding, etc. 
It is my dream to develop the mental capacity of our youth, enabling them to thrive in a fast changing world - and what better way for youngsters to learn than to play games and have fun? We are now in the process of developing the first MiniChess Computer game. I am thrilled and honoured to be part of this fantastic journey!

Please explain to my readers what the Minichess program is about and how it works.
The MiniChess program is a practical-based “chess-in-school-time program” for gr.R to gr.3-learners (5 to 9 year-olds), linking chess with education in fun playful ways. Chess is the game of ideas, and are therefore an excellent teaching tool – rising above all barriers of language, culture, age, gender and even physical disability.
MiniChess is the pre-learning part of chess as a sport: breaking down complex abstract ideas into small simple steps. BUT, more importantly, at the same time it uses fun & games to develop the young mind - to think, reason, plan, solve problems, compete, master spatial concepts and number skills, shape- and pattern recognition, enhance life skills (like inhibiting impulsivity) and self-confidence, creativity, concentration, discipline, and much more …all aspects of school readiness and important early childhood development. The young child’s brain offers a window of opportunity to learn specific skills/concepts which are critical for later learning. The MiniChess program is designed to develop those critical areas by means of play.
The program is well structured, with tried & tested, progressive and age-appropriate Learner Workbooks (4 levels) AND Teacher Manuals with extensive lesson plans, assessment standards, and educational outcomes (including training and support for the teachers). The content and method of learning links-up with school curriculum in the foundation phase. Youngsters that would not normally be interested in chess as a sport, nevertheless enjoys the MiniChess program  a lot! Even teachers who don’t know anything about chess will be able to use this educational tool – and will eventually  also be (entry level) chess teachers! Learners and teachers get much benefit from this in-class program, and are accredited after completing each level. Please visit our website for sample materials, educational studies, photos, etc.

I know you have a large local interest in the program. Can it be used to benefit children in other countries as well? How do people contact you if they want to learn more about MiniChess? I understand that you have plans to take the program online. Can you give us a little sneak preview of what your plans are?
The MiniChess program can be used very effectively by children from different countries and cultures, as it is aligned to the generic educational outcomes for children aged 5 to 9 years old. The Learner Workbooks as well as the Teacher Manuals (with the lesson plans) are available in English at the moment, although translation into different languages are being investigated. Interested persons are welcome to contact us through the MiniChess website.  The MiniChess Software program 1 is under construction, with interest form international chess guru Garry Kasparov, who also wants to get involved. It is an adventure game which takes the player all over the world (and even into space!), linking to the educational outcomes of the MiniChess Level 1-program, with STUNNING artwork, and a wonderful surprise at the end!     

Congratulations again on winning Woman of the Year in the Education category. Your prize included a R100 000 for your program that I know will be well spent. But what plans do you have for the personal prize that you have won as part of the award?
I want to thank Shoprite Checkers again for honouring the work that SA women are doing in their communities, and for the generous contribution of R100,000 towards the MiniChess/Moves for Life programs countrywide.
The additional cash prize is such a WONDERFUL gift – it is not often that a “mother and teacher” gets money to spend on whatever she wants! I shared the prize with my fellow MiniChess workers and my family by treating them to special “celebration dinners” and I bought something special for my garden. The rest is in the bank, for now….

Excerpt: A Praise of Motherhood

MORE DETAILS on the author and book - see post 6 August 2012 below

It was Veterans Day; the Pope spoke into a microphone so the thousands around him could hear his weary voice. And in the airport lounge my sister and I waited for our flight to take off, trying not to listen to the televised broadcast of the Pope’s solemn speech. I held my sister’s hand and heard her say fuck for the first time.
“fuck, do you think she’s going to be okay”
and I said “I don’t know”
and she said “but why aren’t they telling us what’s going on”
“I don’t know”
“I don’t want mom to die”
“I know”
“I’m so scared”
“I know”
and the Pope went on, speaking of the dead, the men whose lives had been lost in a terrible war, and he praised them, their families, for the courage they’d shown. He spoke of Christ, but not much. Sometimes he closed his eyes and paused. From the airport lounge, sitting in front of the television screens, I had to rely on the cameras for a sense of what being there was like. Safe and comfortable and mourning out of patriotic or humanistic duty, in a spirit of contemplation. The Pope did not know that my mother was dying in a little hospital in Portugal. Neither did the lady who announced, on the intercom at the airport, that out of respect for the men who had lost their lives during the war however many decades ago now, we were all invited to stand for two minutes of silence. Everyone else in the lounge stood up, but my sister and I remained in our seats and hugged each other.
As far as I knew, my mother was dying or dead, a small, tanned Portuguese woman with curly dark hair and two dogs, two kids, a lovely loving wonderful lady, all of that sob-story stuff. It turned out that when we were waiting for our flight, she was still alive. She would only die in the evening, after the Pope was done speaking and everyone was having dinner and no longer thinking about the veterans. But nobody had warned me. Nobody had warned anyone. Everybody was on the way to Portugal, my uncle, my grandfather, me and my sister, all of us trying to protect someone. They didn’t tell me what had happened until I arrived in Portugal. I didn’t tell my sister everything I knew, which was next to nothing, because I wanted to think I could protect her. I spoke to my father on the phone and he was in tears: “I will be there when you land,” he said,
and I said:
“but why, what’s going on”
“I’m not sure, I’m not sure, but if I were you… oh, Jesus, if I were you I would brace myself for the worst”
And he broke into tears and hung up. They had been separated fifteen years.
On the plane my sister and I spoke little. I told her it’d be okay. I told her even if the worst happened, I’d be around for her. You’re my little sister. Tell me about Denver. How are classes going? She gave short, bored answers, and she asked me about my life. I told her I’d been about to take the train to Paris from London with a friend when I found out something was wrong with our mom.
“but what’s wrong with her” my sister said
“I don’t know”
“why don’t they just tell us”
“because they’re trying to keep us sane”
“how can I be sane when my mom is dying all of a sudden”
“I really don’t know”
When we arrived in Portugal, and I saw my family standing together waiting for us — my grandparents, my father, my aunt — I knew at once there was no hope.