15 December: 15

It's the 15th day of the month, so here are ten things you might not know about the number 15:

1. 15 is the atomic number of phosphorus.
2. The Hebrew numbering system writes 15 as 9+6 rather than 10 and 5, the way most teen numbers would be written, because the letters for 10 and five are yodh and heh, which together spell out one of the names of God.
3. 15 is the number used to call the emergency services in Pakistan.
4. In rugby union, Gaelic football, hurling and camogie, each team has 15 players on the field at any given time. In rugby union, the starting fullback wears the number 15 jersey.
5. In tennis, 15 is the first point gained in a game.
6. In some cultures, the age of 15 marks the transition from childhood to adulthood. For example, in Latin America, a girl’s fifteenth birthday is a special celebration. In Ethiopia, it’s the age at which people can drink alcohol and in Indonesia, Yemen and Myanmar, it’s the age of majority.
7. There are 15 minutes in a quarter of an hour.
8. There is a song entitled Fifteen on Taylor Swift’s album Fearless.
9. The A15 is a road in England which stretches 95 miles from Peterborough to Kingston Upon Hull. It includes the longest stretch of straight road in the UK.
10. In numerology the number 15 represents idealism, family, harmony and exploration. If 15 features in a person’s birth numbers, they will have a drive to explore and innovate in order to create a better world. Home and family are important to them, and they are people, perhaps, who will embark on DIY projects to improve their home space. They may not seek out leadership, but they make excellent leaders and may find it thrust upon them. On the down side, they can be short-tempered.

NEW!

Who's That Girl?

Matt Webster lives in a tower block and attends a failing school. He dreams of being a spy like James Bond. Little does he know that he is being watched by someone who can make him into even more than that – a superhero.

His first solo mission is to attend a ball at the Decembrian Embassy and discover who is planning to steal a priceless diamond. While there, he meets the mysterious Lady Antonia du Cane, and is powerfully drawn to her. It soon becomes clear, however, that Lady du Cane is not what she seems. Matt’s quest to discover who she really is almost costs him his career.

A modern day Guy Fawkes gathers a coterie around him with the aim of blowing up Parliament with a nuclear bomb. To achieve this, they need money. Lots of it. Selling the Heart of Decembria Diamond will provide more than enough. All that stands in their way is the Freedom League – but the League is beset by internal disagreements. Can the heroes put their differences aside in time to save the day?

Prime Minister Richard Miller and his wife Fiona grieve for their daughter, Yasmin, who has been missing for three years, and is presumed to be dead. Viper agent Violet Parker could hold the key to what happened to Yasmin, but Violet is accused of giving away the organisation’s secrets. She is to be executed without trial. Will she take her knowledge of what happened to Yasmin with her to her grave?

Available on Amazon:

Paperback

E-Book