18 December

10 weird and wonderful things which happened on 18 December:

1. Born this date in 1947 was Steven Spielberg, US film producer/director, whose films include Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Raiders of the Lost Ark, E.T., The Color Purple, Empire of the Sun, Jurassic Park, Hook, Roger Rabbit, Back to the Future, Gremlins and Schindler's List.
2. Another big name in the film world was also born on this date. In 1963 the actor Brad Pitt was born. His films include 12 Monkeys, Seven, Legends of the Fall, A River Runs Through It and Thelma and Louise.
3. In 1832, the poet Philip Freneau, aged 80, died when he got lost in a snowstorm on his way home from the pub.
4. In 1918, Al Capone married Mae Coughlin. He was 19, she was 21. He was actually rather embarrassed that he was marrying an older woman and so on the wedding certificate they are both recorded as being 20.
5. In 2012, Queen Elizabeth II attended a Cabinet meeting to receive a gift in honour of her Diamond Jubilee. It is believed to be the first time that a British monarch had attended a Cabinet meeting in peace-time since Queen Victoria's reign.
6. Bill and Ben, The Flower Pot Men, were first seen on BBC TV on this date in 1952, along with their friend, "Little Weed".
7. George and Kathleen Lutz bought a house on this date in 1975. The previous year, Ronald DeFeo had murdered his parents, two brothers, and two sisters in the house. What happened to the Lutzes over the next few months were the basis for the film, The Amityville Horror.
8. In 1849, American astronomer William C. Bond took the first known photograph of the Moon through a Telescope.
9. In 1912, The Piltdown Man was discovered in Sussex by Charles Dawson. He claimed it was the remains of the earliest known European human being. In 1953, however, it was proved to be a hoax. The skull was that of an Orangutan.
10. In 2000, the towns of Brighton and Hove, Wolverhampton and Inverness were made cities in honour of the Millennium and the 50th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's accession.

New!!

A Superhero love story.

Sent away to school to get her away from undesirable company, Agnes finds herself homesick and lonely. A brief connection with Jason Warner leads to the teenage crush to end all teenage crushes. Jason is barely aware Agnes exists, but she plans her whole future around him.

It is only when they meet again as adults that the connection becomes mutual; but before it can develop, Jason makes a discovery which rocks his entire world. He needs time alone, away from everyone, including Agnes. When Jason is finally ready to go back to his old life, Agnes has moved on and he cannot find her.

Agnes is now a single parent to the remarkable Seraphina. The Power League want to harness Seraphina's powers for evil before the Freedom League become aware of her. Agnes has no idea her new colleague and friend is a supervillain with his own agenda, and his willingness to babysit is not as innocent as she thinks. As Incendio starts teaching Seraphina to use her powers, the Freedom League intervene. Little do they know that they have found one of their own.

Where to get it:

Paperback

E-book