2 December: 336

Today is the 336th day of the year. 10 things you might not know about the number 336:

1. There are 336 dimples on an American golf ball.
2. 336 Lacadiera is a large Main belt Asteroid. It was discovered by Auguste Charlois in 1892.
3. The Year 336 was a leap year starting on a Thursday, known at the time as the Year of the Consulship of Nepotianus and Facundus. This year saw the first recorded customs tariff in Palmyra. Pope Mark started building the basilica of San Marco in Rome, but died this year after an 11-month reign.
4. London bus route 336 runs between Thomas Lane and Locksbottom / Pallant Way.
5. 336 is one of the area codes for north-central and northwestern North Carolina.
6. 336 Brixton Road is a large building in London which currently houses four registered charities including We are 336 (affordable office space and opportunities for disabled people) and Block 336 (an art charity providing studio space). It is a brutalist style building dating from 1967, built as a warehouse but never used as such. It has been a bank computer centre and a conference centre before the charities moved in in 1985.
7. The A336 is a road in Hampshire which runs between the towns of Cadnam and Totton in the New Forest.
8. The Gibson CS-336 is a semi-hollow electric Guitar introduced in 2001. The back, centre block, and sides are carved from a single piece of mahogany.
9. In transport, it's a Russian Navy Submarine, K-336 Pskov, named after the city of the same name; an American sailboat the Hunter 336; and a small plane, the Cessna Model 336 Skymaster which first flew in 1961.
10. The Angel Number 336 is a message from the angels that all your material needs will be taken care of as you pursue your soul's purpose. There's no need to worry about money. The wealth and abundance you have worked for is on its way.

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.

Themes 

Christmas; superheroes; reunions; parties; life choices; shocking surprises; mistaken identity; kidnap and rescue.

Reasons not to read it

• It's a bit short. You could probably read it in one sitting.
• Most of the action takes place at a Christmas party. In a palace.
• It's all about Christmas but there doesn't seem to be a schmaltzy moral message.
• There are a couple of babies and some small children in it - and one nearly gets eaten.
• Santa appears in it, but he isn't really Santa.
• Superheroes. Again.
• Not to mention a whole bunch of super-villains. Again all new ones and not the ones we know from Marvel or DC.

Available from Amazon and Amazon Kindle