3 December: Olivia Name Day

Today is the name day for people called Olivia.

Olivia is a feminine given name in the English language. It is derived from Latin oliva "olive". The name occurs in England as early as the thirteenth century. Olivia has been the most popular given name to girls in the United Kingdom for four consecutive years.

Olivia de Havilland

1. Olivia: fictional character from William Shakespeare's play Twelfth Night. She is at the centre of the various plots, and has various suitors. This character first made the name popular in the 1600s.
2. Olivia Longott: American singer, known for being the first lady of hip-hop group G-Unit. She also appears on the VH1 reality television series Love & Hip Hop: New York.
3. Olivia de Havilland: British-American actress. She appeared in 49 feature films including The Adventures of Robin Hood and Gone With the Wind. She was the oldest living and earliest surviving Academy Award winner until her death in 2020. Her younger sister was Oscar-winning actress Joan Fontaine.
4. Olivia: fictional Pig character in a series of children's books written and illustrated by Ian Falconer, inspired by Ian Falconer's niece, Olivia.
5. Olivia Colman: award winning English actress who has played various members of the Royal family including Queen Anne, the Queen Mother and the current Queen. She has appeared in numerous TV shows including Broadchurch and Fleabag. Though her name isn't actually Olivia. Her real name is Sarah Sinclair.
6. Olivia of Palermo: Christian virgin-martyr who was venerated in Sicily in the Middle Ages. After being tortured, she was beheaded and her soul "flew to the sky in the form of a dove".
7. Olivia: West Highland White Terrier dog actress best known for her roles in films like Widows and Game Night.
8. Olivia Newton-John: British-Australian singer, and actress. She has sold an estimated 100 million records worldwide, making her one of the best-selling music artists of all time. She appeared the in the movie Grease with John Travolta.
9. Olivia Dunham: fictional character in the science fiction television series Fringe, created by J. J. Abrams, and portrayed by actress Anna Torv. Olivia is the series' protagonist, and was introduced as an FBI Special Agent, working for a multi-agency task force of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security called the Fringe Division, dealing with supernatural events that are linked to experimental occurrences.
10. Olivia Langdon Clemens: wife of Samuel Langhorne Clemens, better known as Mark Twain.

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