An Interview with Laura Suen, CEO of Fire and Steel

An Interview with Laura Suen, CEO of Fire and Steel

By Dan Watt

  • Laura Suen of FireandSteel.ca and FireandSteel.com

I met Laura Suen, CEO of Fire and Steel, at the 2018 Kitchener Comic Con.  She was extremely busy but gracious enough to let me take a few pictures.  I’ve wanted to interview her ever since…

Where did the creative idea to start Fire and Steel come from?

Well firstly, I always loved geeky things! My family didn’t have that much money growing up, so I remember taking so long to save up to go to Fan Expo – a comic convention — as soon as I could afford it.

My older sister is a huge geek and I really looked up to her as a kid. We would spend so much time gaming, reading fantasy novels, and watching sci fi TV shows. I of course was the generation that was raised on Saturday morning cartoons too, which included a lot of Japanese anime. Personally I also loved martial arts and do kung fu on the side, so Fire and Steel was just the perfect way to combine my love of martial arts with geeky things.

For legal reasons I can only use weapons designed or created by Fire and Steel on covers, such as the one for the weekly blogged story A Motley Sisterhood Of Pirates! However, Fire and Steel has a large assortment of weapons from a variety of styles and sources. Could you tell us about Fire and Steel’s own weapons?

So I use to work as a physicist and from that, I learned how to 3D model. It’s funny how programs that would be used to design laser ion traps can be used to design swords too. Not everything we carry is modelled by myself of course, but there are a few things that we’ve designed in house! I feel so honoured you’ve featured several of them on your book covers.

  • Dragon Claw katana, exclusive FireandSteel.ca
  • Medieval Rapier, exclusive FireandSteel.ca
  • Beginners Ninjato and throwing knives exclusive FireandSteel.ca weapon
  • “Night” katana exclusive FireandSteel.ca (Ship Builder’s weapon)
  • Two-Pronged Dragon Dagger, exclusive FireandSteel.ca weapon (Witch’s dagger)

Fire and Steel has all sorts of weapons including ones we see in cosplay, magna, comics, TV shows, movies, and traditional. Could you talk about the Japanese katana?

We sell Japanese katanas of all types and quality levels, so we hope you will be able to find something that suits your needs! We sell wooden training swords called bokken and bamboo practice swords called shinai. These are traditionally used to train with and you’ll see those items showing up in anime all the time. From there, we have carbon steel katanas, which can take some light impact but are more made for display purposes because it is a softer blade. Beyond that, we also carry high carbon steel katanas, which are typically sharp (battle ready) in several different grades. The higher the number, the harder the blade. These blades can typically take a lot of impact and are what you see in a lot of our “Will It Cut” YouTube videos.

YouTube channel

I was watching some of the video clips on Instagram and Facebook and saw something very intriguing.

You have the exact same weapons in different grades from metal to foam. This would be perfect for making a movie or TV show. Have any of your weapons been used in movies or TV shows?

Yes! Actually I’m so honoured to say you can see some of our stuff in the background of shows like American Vandals, In the Dark, The 100 and Power Rangers just to name a few.

Your foam weapons look like they’re made of metal. Great for cosplay, LARP, or if a young person wants one of the weapons. Could you tell us more about the foam weapons and their uses?

Foam weapons are great as safer alternatives for people who want to train with swords but don’t want to hurt themselves. In addition, they’re great for cosplay since many conventions and festivals, for safety reasons, do not allow steel swords to be carried around as a part of a costume, even if they’re blunted. For this reason, many people see foam as a great alternative and it saves people a lot of time since you don’t have to make your own sword anymore for your outfit!

Foam Replicas

Fire and Steel can also design specific weapons for customers. How would a customer go about ordering one of these weapons?

We do take custom requests normally, but COVID has thrown a bit of wrench in schedules and timelines. Please feel free to send us an email at support@fireandsteel.ca for a quote if you want something made – but who knows? We might already have it made and you don’t even realize it!

Fire and Steel is on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Are there are any other links you want to mention?

Our social media handle is @RealFireNSteel for TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. We also are active on TikTok as @RealFireandSteel too! Find us there. Also of course, check out our website for updates:

www.fireandsteel.ca

Fire and Steel will be at the

Ottawa Comic Con

November 19-21  2021

Home

International Women’s Day

  • Laura Suen of FireandSteel.ca and FireandSteel.com
  • Cover of Bard: Model: Nichameleon; Cloak: Creaturre; Gemstone: Kait McCord; Dress: Armstreet; Background: Alex Watt; Font: Ian Greener
  • Oya portrayed by Gloria Antwi
  • 3rd book of the Children of the Myth Machine
    3rd book in the Children of the Myth Machine series
  • Sandra Dunn of Two Smiths demonstrating blacksmithing
  • Rae portrayed by Nicki Henry photo by Darren Henry nixxxdesigns@gmail.com
  • Aella portrayed by Victoria Givlin https://artals.com/ Makeup and Hair:  Tiffany Meatherall https://www.facebook.com/meatherallmakeup/ Photography:  Shannon Fitzgerald https://www.shannon-fitz.com/
  • Gunnhildur as Rán for Rita Walker November 9 2019 3 by Freyr Holldorsson
  • Airmid portrayed by Brenda Gabet
  • Taylor Norris, RMT as Rita office@unionwellness.ca      Dr. Arla Kasaj as Zsofia akwellness@gmail.com
  • Kating Waring as Ember picture by Kaitlyn Lindemann

Thank You to all the women I have worked. Those on the slideshow and those who are not.

Book Review of King Of Battle And Blood by Scarlett St. Clair

Book Review of King Of Battle And Blood by Scarlett St. Clair

By Dan Watt

Scarlett St. Clair’s
“King Of Battle And Blood”

My brother Andrew gave me The Witcher: The Last Wish by Andrzei Sapkowski book because he wanted to discuss it.  He also gave me King Of Battle And Blood: Adrain & Isolde by Scarlett St. Clair.  When I first saw the cover of King Of Battle And Blood, romance novel came to mind.  I wondered why my brother would give me a romance novel.  Years ago, I was looking for something different to read so one of my clients recommended Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles.  As I was looking through a Chapters Indigo store a girl I knew from the gym I was working at, asked me what I was looking for.  I told her An Interview with a Vampire.  She gave me a quizzical stare and asked, “In the romance section?”  I realized than that the Horror and Romance section flowed into one another. 

King Of Battle And Blood is a Romance novel, it’s also a Horror novel.  St. Clair writes in first person and we see and learn through the main character Isolde a medieval world where vampires and other “monsters” exist.

While I was reading King Of Battle And Blood.  I kept envisioning Renée Elise Goldsberry, who plays Quellcrist Falconer in the series, as Isolde.  But there is a significant age difference.  Isolde is a young woman, while Renée Elise Goldsberry is ageless.  Who would play the mysterious Adrian?  Back to The Witcher, perhaps Henry Cavill could pull it off.  Eric Bana, Chris Hemsworth might also work.  But we’ll leave Adrian as a mystery.

What I really enjoyed about the book is the honesty.  Isolde acts upon her emotions, which reminds me of the main character in Nnedi Okorafor’s Who Fears Death, Onyesonwu.  Both are strong and determined characters who express what they think.  Isolde is a princess and a warrior, and behaves as such.

St. Clair fills the story with exotic scenery and erotic description.  She tells the reader the truth, how Isolde really feels.  She has written a gripping Romance Horror story that will intrigue and scare you one moment while arousing you the next.

To learn more about Scarlett St. Clair:

Scarlettstclair.com

Angels and Demons by Dan Brown

Another great book review by Brooke Nelson. I have read Dan Brown’s Angels and Demons. Although there is definitely a necessary leap of faith for the reader in this book.

Brooke Nelson's avatarBrooke Nelson

Now that I’m thinking about it, I’m pretty sure the first time I read this book, I didn’t read the entire thing. It’s an odd thought, because now, I would absolutely never DNF this, but I guess that just speaks to how tastes change over the years.

As of today,Angels and Demonsis easily one of my favorite books. The constant action and simplistic writing style blend together perfectly into a fascinating story of non-stop questions and clues.

The characters felt real, and I connected with many of them, whether that be through their personality, their work, or some other trait. The story was written in such a way that I never wanted to stop reading. (I think I read it faster than I’ve read a book in a long time.)

The writing style is straightforward. Extra fluff is never used to add to the word count…

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Book Review of Chris Hadfield’s:  The Apollo Murders

Book Review of Chris Hadfield’s:  The Apollo Murders

By Dan Watt

The Apollo Murders is fiction, sort of.  As with writer’s such as Tom Clancy (Red October), Clive Cussler (numerous books with his recurring hero Dirk Pitt) and other writers of non-fiction and fiction, Hadfield’s new book is full of real information. 

As the crew of the Apollo 18 are preparing to visit the moon during the Cold War era, an additional task is added onto their already complex mission. In order to complete their new task the crew must be ready within a given time. Then a terrible accident occurs that creates even more stress. 

Hadfield, a Canadian was a fighter pilot in the United States before becoming an astronaut. He also trained in Russia where he went into space with cosmonauts. So he has real insight into how both space programs work.  He also has an interesting perspective on both countries politics during the late 1960s and early 1970s when Nixon was president and Brezhnev was First Secretary. 

Many of the characters in his book are real people.  Those he created are likely based on people he has known or a conglomeration of their characteristics.  Each character has their own nuances that make them feel real.  Whether the characters are American or Russian we get their personal view of why they behave the way the do.  Who’s right or wrong, good or bad is a matter of perspective.

This is a great read for anyone who likes the turns and twists of a murder mystery while learning about the life of an astronaut and how space ships worked in the Cold War Era.

There are leaps of faith in places but that’s what we expect in fiction.  Most of us want to be engrossed in the story while learning interesting facts.  Hadfield has successfully filled both needs.

Review of Enola Holmes

Review of Enola Holmes

By Dan Watt

Enola Holmes has a great deal to offer: smart writing, excellent cast, and wonderful visuals and presentations of Victorian life.

Enola (Millie Bobby Brown) is the sister of Sherlock (Henry Cavill) and Mycroft Holmes (Sam Claflin).  The story begins with the disappearance of the sibling’s mother Eudoria Holmes (Helena Bonham Carter).

By searching for her mother Enola takes on a journey of understanding.  We, as viewers, will see through her perspective, what Victorian England’s attitude was towards women, and learn about class distinction.  To lighten things up Enola often breaks the fourth wall to talk to us conversely in a tongue-in-cheek, wink-of-the-eye manner.

As the story progresses we see Enola evolve into a female version that is more akin to her older brother Sherlock, and less like her eldest brother Mycroft.

I would say the whole family can watch this movie, though some eye covering might be needed for the really young during one scene of violence.

An interesting side note:  Not only does Millie Bobby Brown demonstrate her acting chops here but she and her sister Paige are also producers. #EnolaHolmes #Moviereview #MillieBobbyBrown #HelenaBonhamCarter #Familyviewing

Gratitude Journal: Mother of the Nation

Truth can be perspective while Realism helps us grow.

Tebo's avatarAn Author's Home

Usually when we talk about children -the conversations I’ve witnessed and experienced, anyway- we tend to focus on all we do for them. But I think what they do for us is a miracle as well. There are two particular children in my life whom I love very much. One of them seems to have gravitated towards me and always looks forward to my visits. In fact, at a very low point in my life, when no adult would have wanted to be me, I remember her saying, “When I grow up, I want to be like Mommy Tebo.” Not because of anything I owned materially or any accolades I had earned but because of the humanity she had seen in me: the good side that can’t be quantified. It remains the best thing anyone has ever done for me and reminded me that it is worth it to someone

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Book Review of BARD by Darren Joy

BARD: Owner Of The Gemstone

REVIEW:
Four stars.
BARD is a dark fantasy tale of a young man’s quest to return a gemstone
to a girl he saved from ghouls. Along the way, as Bran studies to become
a bard, he encounters terrible dangers as he enters the land of the
immortal emperor. With war looming, Bran attempts to return the
gemstone, while trying to become a Bard Master.
Along the way, he both discovers and loses friends, encounters all
manner of odd creatures, dark magics, and is forced to confront both his
own bias and fears. All the while, he never gives up on his search for
the girl who has stolen his heart.
Dan Watt’s novel is a fantasy tale with a raw dark fairy-tale feel to
it, which I very much enjoyed, and it contains some beautiful lyrical
interludes. After all, it is the story of a bard. It is told in the
present tense, which gives the story a sense of imminence, and which I
found captivating. I was reading David Gemmell, but set it aside once
BARD got hold of me. This is a unique world filled with a plethora of
fantastical and wonderful characters from demons to elves, dwarves,
goblins and orcs, warlocks, and dark experiments gone very wrong.
Throughout it all, is the ever-looming presence of an immortal and
insane emperor, and perhaps some secrets, which are best left
undiscovered.
A very enjoyable read, which I highly recommend.

By Darren Joy, author of A Viral Imperium and A Malignant Fetch from his Plagueborn series