December 7th: Delaware

On this date in1787 Delaware, the First State, was the first colony to ratify the proposed US Constitution and was admitted, first, to the Union. Here are ten things you may not know about Delaware.

1. Delaware was named for Lord de la Warr, the first governor of Virginia.
2. It is the second smallest state (Rhode Island is the smallest) with a land area of 1,948 sq. miles. It is the lowest state, with an average elevation of 60ft above sea level, and the least populated and has the fewest counties - just three.
3. Any lack of numbers in the population is made up for in the intelligence of the people - Delaware has the largest percentage of any state of people with PhD's in science and engineering and the highest percentage of people with patent awards.
4. The capital, Dover, is home to the Dover International Speedway, also known as the “Monster Mile,” which hosts two NASCAR races each year. The largest city is Wilmington.
5. The state symbols are as follows: State Bird: The Blue Hen chicken (which gives rise to one of Delaware's nicknames, the Blue Hen State. Soldiers in the Revolutionary War used these birds for cock fighting and they were legendary); State insect: the lady bug; Tree: American holly; Flower: peach blossom; Fossil: Belemnite (a type of squid with a conical shell); Fish: Weakfish; Marine animal: horseshoe crab; and animal, the gray fox, a species indigenous to the state, believed to be between 7 and 10 million years old, able to run at 28mph and is the only member of the canid family which can climb trees.
6. Delaware is the only state which doesn't have any national parks, seashores, historic sites, battlefields, memorials, or monuments. It does however, have a National Wildlife Refuge, Bombay Hook.
7. When in Delaware, do not pawn your wooden leg or wear Trousers that are tight around the waist, as it is against the law.
8. The first American beauty pageant took place in Delaware in 1880. The inventor Thomas Edison was one of the judges.
9. Delaware holds the record for the longest poker game (36 hours, 34 minutes and 11 seconds) and the largest LEGO tower (11 stories, 112 feet, using well over 500,000 bricks).
10. Heinrich Heimlich, the man responsible for inventing the procedure for alleviating choking, was born in Wilmington. Other famous people from Delaware include Joe Biden, 47th Vice President of the United States and actors Judge Reinhold and Elisabeth Shue.

What happens when superheroes get together for Christmas! My latest novel. Perfect if you want to lose yourself in a book after Christmas lunch!

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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