7 February: Wear Red Day

The first Friday in February is Wear Red Day in the USA, to promote 

awareness of heart disease. Red what we see when light of a wavelength

 of approximately 625-740nm hits our eyes. Here are 10 facts about 

the colour red.

1. The phrase, "like a red rag to a bull" should really read, "like a moving rag to a bull." Bulls can't actually see the colour red. It's the motion, not the colour, that they charge. Dogs cannot see the colour red, either, but primates are able to perceive it. It's thought that the ability to see the colour red evolved in primates because it enabled them to tell the difference between ripe and unripe fruit.
2. What makes things red? Mars is called the Red Planet because of Iron oxide on its surface; it's the same stuff that makes the Grand Canyon appear red. Blood is red because of haemoglobin, the protein which carries Oxygen through the body, which also contains iron. Red Apples and Strawberries get their red colour from anthocyanins.
3. The first red dyes for fabrics were made from insects. Kermes was a dye made from female insects called Kermes vermilio that live in the Mediterranean area, while cochineal was made from insects that live off cacti in South America - hence this dye was used by the Aztecs and Mayans.
4. The Romans were fond of red in the murals in their villas. They used a pigment called vermillion, which came from cinnabar, an ore of Mercury. Although the colours lasted well - many are still vibrant today - the mineral was highly toxic. Being sent to the cinnabar mines was as good as a death sentence.
5. The term "red herring" comes from the salting and smoking process used to cure the fish, which would not only turn it reddish brown but result in a strong scent, so if a smoked herring was dragged across a trail it destroyed the original scent and led hunters astray.
6. Red hair in humans is caused by a pigment called pheomelanin, and is most common among the Celtic peoples of northern Europe. In Ireland, 10% of people have red hair and in Scotland, 6%. In Italy, just 0.57% of people have red hair. Today there is a stereotype of red haired people, that they have fiery tempers to match their hair. In medieval times, red hair was a sign of at best moral degeneration and at worst, a sign that a person was a Witch or a Vampire.
7. Because it is the colour of blood, red is associated with courage and sacrifice. It's also one of the most common colours to appear on national Flags, often representing the blood and sacrifice of those who defended a country.
8. Red is associated with love - think hearts and red roses on Valentine's Day. It is considered a lucky colour in China, where it is traditionally the colour of wedding dresses. Yet, at the same time, red is associated with the opposite - hatred, anger and war. "Seeing red" is an expression meaning to be angry, and the Red Planet, Mars, was so named because red was the colour of the Roman god of war.
9. Red certainly causes a reaction in people, which is why it has been internationally adopted as the colour of warning signs and flags. A red alert is the highest level of warning. Not only that, but it is the colour that stands out most in daylight.
10. Red is one of the most popular colours for sports teams. In fact, this has been the case since Roman times, when chariot races would be between two drivers, one in white and the other in red.

NEW!

Settling the Score

Another collection of short stories, even more murder and mayhem with carol singers, an orchestra out for revenge, a sinister magic stone and a haunted mansion.

Available on Amazon:
Paperback            E-book


A Tale of Two Sisters

During a battle with supervillains, a horrific accident leaves the Warner family with no option but to believe their youngest daughter, Jessica, is dead. It doesn't occur to them that the bad guys could, or would, save her.

Jessica wakes up with no memory of who she is or how she came to be on a space station with two bionic legs, a bionic arm and a bionic eye. She is told her family abandoned her and is sent back to Earth with a mission - to kill them. While Jessica wants to kill her family, along with the twin boys who once rejected her, she knows what the Alliance of Supervillains are asking her to do is a suicide mission. She decides to get her revenge in her own way.

As Jessica puts the first part of her revenge plan in motion, she finds herself with an agonising decision to make. Before she can decide, the Alliance come for her, determined to make her do their bidding. This time, it's the Alliance who leave her, crippled and at the mercy of the Warner family, who have no idea who the Alliance's Black Rose really is.

Jessica finds herself having to re-think her decisions in light of what she now learns about her family, the Alliance, the twins, and herself. It would appear the Alliance have left her with an unwanted and permanent reminder of her time with them. Or have they?

Jessica's older sister, Jill, knows her destiny is to be a doctor and specialise in bionics and genetic variant medicine. She is also hopelessly in love with Christopher, Crown Prince of Galorvia. Can their romance survive the lies Christopher told her when they were both at school, an unplanned pregnancy and Sophie, the wannabe princess who comes between them?

Available on Amazon
Paperback

E-book