13th December: Sellotape

On this date in 1937 Sellotape was first marketed in Britain. Ten facts about that stuff you're going to be using to wrap your Christmas presents.

1. The name Sellotape was derived from cellophane, at that time a trademarked name, with the "C" changed to "S" so that the new name could be trademarked.
2. Sellotape was first made in Acton, West London by Colin Kinninmonth and George Gray.
3. Sellotape is a product name but as the leading brand in the UK, the name has become a generic word for sticky tape, and has an entry in the Oxford English dictionary.
4. Sticky tape was invented by Richard Drew, a banjo playing engineer. He came up with the idea of sticky tape as masking tape for painters in a car bodyshop.
5. The adhesive on sticky tape was invented by a surgeon called Horace Day in 1845.
6. The first tape dispenser with a built-in cutting edge was invented in 1932 by John A. Borden.
7. I've never tried this, but apparently if you unpeel a roll of Sellotape in the dark it generates flashes of Blue light in a chemical breakdown process called Triboluminescence.
8. Not only that, but scientists have found that unpeeling a roll of Sellotape also emits enough X Rays to scan a human finger.
9. In the run up to Christmas, people in Britain will buy 6 million rolls of Sellotape, which amounts to 55 times the length of the River Nile.
10. Taking selfies with one's face wrapped in Sellotape is a thing. This activity even has its own Facebook page.

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.

Available from Createspace, Amazon and Amazon Kindle