KnysnaKnysna author launches children’s adventure novel – Knysna https://showme.co.za/knysna Knysna, South Africa for all your local and tourism information; from accommodation to events, entertainment, attractions and news - ShowMe Knysna | T Feed Wed, 06 Mar 2024 08:20:00 +0000 hourly 1 https://showme.co.za/knysna/?p=62238 Knysna author launches children’s adventure novel https://showme.co.za/knysna/news/knysna-author-launches-childrens-adventure-novel/ Mon, 11 Oct 2021 06:53:27 +0000 Local author Martin Hatchuel launched his children's novel, It's a Pity I didn't Bring any Swords, at an unusual event at Tapas...]]>
Hatchuel said in his interview that he recommends the book for “kids from nine to ninety-nine”, and that the history of the area is rich with opportunities for works of fiction.
Knysna author launches children's adventure novel

Author of the book, Martin Hatchuel.

Local author Martin Hatchuel launched his children’s novel, It’s a Pity I didn’t Bring any Swords, at an unusual event at Tapas & Oysters last Wednesday, 29 September.

Originally planned for the playground at the Thesen Harbour Town venue, the party had to be moved indoors due to heavy rain – but, as most of the guests remarked, the weather was appropriate to the story.

Billed as “a ghoulishly lekker local adventure on the Garden Route coast”, the story revolves around a water-crazy kid, his loyal dogs and his friend Blueberry – the ghost of a sailor boy – who set out to find Blueberry’s lost grandfather, last seen 150 years ago.

Historic shipwrecks

The action takes place in Knysna and all along the coast between Noetzie and Mossel Bay. During their adventures, our heroes meet up with the ghosts of four ships that really did go down in or near The Heads – the Fredheim, the Seier, the Paquita, and the Phoenix (the mysterious, abandoned cargo vessel that was found washed up at Noetzie in the 1880s).

The captain of the most famous ghost ship of all, the Flying Dutchman, features too, and actual figures from history include the infamous magistrate Maxwell Jackson, and harbour master and Heads pilot John Benn, who appears both as himself at the time of the Phoenix’s discovery, and as a ghost in the modern-day.

TV coverage

The launch attracted the attention of the reporter Sagree Chetty of SABC-TV, who filmed interviews with the author, his editor, Mike Kantey, and his grandson, Nathan van de Griendt, who inspired the tale.

With inserts on Morning Live on Saturday 2 October and SAUK Nuus on Sunday, the reports concentrated on the fact that the story highlights the coastal towns of the Garden Route.

Knysna author launches children's adventure novel

The cover of the new book.

Hatchuel said in his interview that he recommends the book for “kids from nine to ninety-nine”, and that the history of the area is rich with opportunities for works of fiction.

In his summation, editor Mike Kantey said what he finds interesting about this book is “that it’s like the Pirates of the Caribbean and Treasure Island, and all the ghost stories you’ve ever read or movies you’ve seen… What he does very cleverly is he melds the history of shipping in Knysna with the genre of ghost stories”.

It’s a Pity I didn’t Bring any Swords is available at various bookshops and gift shops locally, or at bit.ly/SwordsNovel.

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