18 December: Inverness

On this date in 2000, Inverness was made a city, one of the ‘Millennium Cities’. 10 things you might not know about Inverness:

1. It is the northernmost city in the United Kingdom and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands.
2. The name comes from Scottish Gaelic and means "Mouth of the River Ness". Ness is a Pictish word relating to the river goddess Nessa, who, according to legend, was turned into a river by Dark Beira, mother of the gods as a punishment. Nearby Loch Ness is where she managed to break free from the tyranny of having to run the course of the river for all eternity.
3. In Shakespeare’s play Macbeth, Inverness Castle was where Macbeth murdered King Duncan and his descent into madness began.
4. An old law dating back to the 1750s entitles residents of Inverness to a free set of bagpipes on their 10th birthday.
5. People who like to visit old battlefields will have a (battle) field day in Inverness. It is close to the sites of the battle at Torvean (1187), the Battle of Blairnacoi (1340), the Battle of Harlaw (1411), the Battle of Clachnaharry (1454) and the Battle of Culloden (1746).
6. Less well known is the battle which took place in the city in 1668 over Cheese. A man named Finlay Dhu accidentally knocked some cheese off a market stall into the River Ness and refused to pay for it. The resulting fracas spread throughout the entire town and several people were violently murdered.
7. In 1921, Inverness was the venue for the only UK Cabinet meeting to be held outside London. David Lloyd George, on holiday in Gairloch, called an emergency meeting to discuss the situation in Ireland. The Inverness Formula composed at this meeting was the basis of the Anglo-Irish Treaty.
8. The area is known for its healing springs, of which there are many, including Fuaran Priseag (The Precious Well) which is said to have been blessed by Saint Kessock, which would cure sore eyes in exchange for a silver coin; Fuaran Dearg (the red spring); Fuaran a' Chladaich (The Spring on the Beach) submerged at high tide and accessed by a causeway, known for treating cholera; and Fuaran Allt an Ionnlaid (Well of the Washing Burn) where the Marquis of Montrose was allowed to drink on his way to his execution in Edinburgh, was known for treating skin conditions.
9. The oldest church is the Old High Church, on St Michael's Mount by the riverside, a site believed to have been used for worship since Celtic times. It was used as a Jacobite Prison after Culloden and many were executed in its grounds.
10. Inverness was the home of James Matheson, one of the biggest opium traders of all time, who, far from being banged up as a drug dealer would be today, had such influence with the government that he persuaded them to declare war on China to enable him to sell drugs to them. His house is is still today affectionately known as the, “drug dealers house”. The company he helped to found (Jardine Matheson) still exists today and has revenues of around £40 billion per year, though needless to say they don't sell drugs any more.

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