- Indiana means, "Land of the Indians", but there are, in fact, fewer than 8,000 Native Americans living there today.
- It's known as the "Hoosier State" and nobody really knows why. The best guess is that it originated in a letter written by a Quaker called Sarah Harvey in 1835 in which she refers to the settlers in Indiana as 'Hooshers.'
- 90% of the world's Popcorn is produced in Indiana.
- It's also famous for its limestone. The state has one of the richest deposits of top-quality limestone found anywhere on earth. It's so good they built the Pentagon, Empire State Building and the Rockefeller Center out of it.
- The capital city is Indianapolis. The state flower is the peony, the state bird is the cardinal, the state tree is the tulip tree, the state fish is the largemouth bass and the state gemstone is Salem Limestone. It doesn't have a state insect at time of writing, but the Say's firefly has been proposed.
- Famous people from Indiana include the poet James Whitcomb Riley, actor James Dean, talk show host David Letterman, cartoonist Jim Davis and Michael Jackson. Abraham Lincoln lived there from age seven.
- Indiana inventions include the rapid fire machine gun, petrol pump, and automatic headlight dipper.
- Cars are a big thing in the state. From 1900 to 1920 more than 200 different makes of cars were produced there. The first long distance motor race was held in 1911 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The winner averaged 75 miles an hour and won $14,000. Today, Indiana is host to the 200 laps/500 mile Indianapolis 500 every Memorial Day weekend. Now, the average speed is over 167 miles an hour and the prize is more than $1.2 million.
- During the US Civil War, Indiana was particularly crucial in helping slaves escape to freedom. The community of Newport (now Fountain City) was considered to be the "grand central station" of the famous Underground Railroad.
- In Indiana it is illegal to: take a bath between October and March; take fishing tackle into a cemetery; overtake a Horse; catch fish with your bare hands; carry a cocktail from a bar to the table yourself (a waiter or waitress must do it); gossip; be sexually aroused in public if you are a man; threaten to cut off a child's ears if you are a barber; grow a mustache if you are addicted to Kissing people. Indiana law used to dictate that the value of Pi is 4 and that hotel bedsheets must measure exactly 99 x 81 inches. There is also a law which says that you do not have to pay for medical care for a dependent if you pray for them.
What happens when superheroes get together for Christmas! My latest novel. There's still time to get it as a stocking filler for the superhero lover in your life! Only £5!
A Very Variant Christmas
Last year, Jade and Gloria were embroiled in a bitter conflict to win back their throne and their ancestral home. This year, Queen Jade and Princess Gloria want to host the biggest and best Christmas party ever in their palace. They invite all their friends to come and bring guests. Not even the birth of Jade's heir just before Christmas will stop them.
The guest list includes most of Britain's complement of super-powered crime-fighters, their families and friends. What could possibly go wrong?
Gatecrashers, unexpected arrivals, exploding Christmas crackers and a kidnapping, for starters.
Far away in space, the Constellations, a cosmic peacekeeping force, have suffered a tragic loss. They need to recruit a new member to replace their dead colleague. The two top candidates are both at Jade and Gloria's party. The arrival of the recruitment delegation on Christmas Eve is a surprise for everyone; but their visit means one guest now faces a life-changing decision.
Meanwhile, an alliance of the enemies of various guests at the party has infiltrated the palace; they hide in the dungeon, plotting how best to get rid of the crime-fighters and the royal family once and for all. Problem is, they all have their own agendas and differences of opinion on how to achieve their aims.
Not to mention that this year, the ghosts who walk the corridors of the palace on Christmas Eve will be as surprised by the living as the living are by them.
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