1 January: J Edgar Hoover Quotes

J Edgar Hoover was born on this date in 1895. Here are 10 things that he said:

1. When morals decline and good men do nothing, evil flourishes.

2. The most effective weapon against crime is cooperation... The efforts of all law enforcement agencies with the support and understanding of the American people.

3. A society unwilling to learn from past is doomed. We must never forget our history.

4. No amount of law enforcement can solve a problem that goes back to the family.

5. Truth-telling, I have found, is the key to responsible citizenship. The thousands of criminals I have seen in 40 years of law enforcement have had one thing in common: Every single one was a liar.

6. There is something addictive about secrets.

7. We (the FBI) are a fact-gathering organisation only. We don't clear anybody. We don't condemn anybody.

8. I don't need to tell you that, what determines a man's legacy is often what isn't seen.

9. Even great men can be corrupted.

10. Experts say that children are not born criminals, nor pampered parasites. They are made that way by the environment in which they live.

Beta

(Combat Team Series #2)

Steff was abducted by an evil alien race, the Orbs, at fourteen. Used as a weapon for years, he eventually escapes, but his problems are just beginning. How does a man support himself when his only work experience is a paper round and using an Orb bio-integrated gun?

Warlord is an alien soldier who knows little but war. When the centuries-old conflict which ravaged his planet ends, he seeks out another world where his skills are still relevant. There are always wars on Earth, it seems. However, none of Earth's powerful armies want him.

Natalie has always wanted to visit England and sees a chance to do so while using her martial arts skills, but there are sacrifices she must make in order to fulfil her dream. 

Maggie resorted to crime to fund her sister's medical care. She uses her genetic variant abilities to gain access to the rooms of wealthy hotel guests. The Ballards look like rich pickings, but they are not what they seem. When Maggie targets them, little does she know that she is walking into a trap.

Hotel owner Hamilton Lonsdale puts together a combat team to pit against those of other multi-millionaires. He recruits Warlord, Natalie, Maggie and Steff along with a trained gorilla, a probability-altering alien, a stockbroker whose work of art proved to be much more than he'd bargained for, a marketing officer who can create psionic forcefields, a teleporting member of the landed gentry, and a socially awkward fixer. This is Combat Team Beta.

Steff never talks about his time with the Orbs, until he finds a woman who lived through it, too. Steff believes he has finally found happiness, but it is destined to be short-lived. He is left with an unusual legacy which he and Team Beta struggle to comprehend; including why something out there seems determined to destroy it.

Paperback

E book

31 December: 366

As 2024 is a leap year, it has 366 days and today is day 366. 10 facts abut the number 366:

1. The Roman numeral for 366 is CCCLXVI.

2. In Binary, it’s 101101110.

3. The year 366 was a common year starting on Sunday. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Gratianus and Dagalaifus. In this year, the Battle of Thyatira occurred when Emperor Valens defeated the troops of Procopius; A Buddhist monk called Lè Zūn had a vision of "golden rays of light shining down on 1,000 Buddhas", resulting in the creation of the Mogao Caves; and Pope Liberius died after a 14-year reign and was succeeded by Damasus I.

4. 366 Vincentina is a main belt Asteroid, discovered on 21 March 1893 by Auguste Charlois, and named after Vincenzo Cerulli, an Italian astronomer.

5. Aeroflot Flight 366 was also known as the Miracle on the Neva. The plane was a Tupolev Tu-124 which took off from Tallinn on 21 August 1963 with 45 passengers and 7 crew on board including 27-year-old captain, Victor Mostovoy, bound for Moscow. After take-off the nose gear did not retract and ground control diverted the flight to Leningrad, but the plane ended up making a water landing, narrowly missing a bridge under construction. A tugboat saw the plane in distress, and proceeded to tow the craft to the river bank, where passengers and crew were safely evacuated.

6. 366 is the number of days in a Leap year.

7. London bus route 366 runs between Falmouth Gardens, Redbridge and Beckton Bus Station.

8. 366 is a sphenic number, that is, a positive integer which is the product of three distinct prime numbers.

9. The A366 is a road in Trowbridge, Wiltshire.

10. 366 Concept is a company dedicated to handcrafted furniture that embodies the spirit of mid-century modern design.

Beta

(Combat Team Series #2)

Steff was abducted by an evil alien race, the Orbs, at fourteen. Used as a weapon for years, he eventually escapes, but his problems are just beginning. How does a man support himself when his only work experience is a paper round and using an Orb bio-integrated gun?

Warlord is an alien soldier who knows little but war. When the centuries-old conflict which ravaged his planet ends, he seeks out another world where his skills are still relevant. There are always wars on Earth, it seems. However, none of Earth's powerful armies want him.

Natalie has always wanted to visit England and sees a chance to do so while using her martial arts skills, but there are sacrifices she must make in order to fulfil her dream. 

Maggie resorted to crime to fund her sister's medical care. She uses her genetic variant abilities to gain access to the rooms of wealthy hotel guests. The Ballards look like rich pickings, but they are not what they seem. When Maggie targets them, little does she know that she is walking into a trap.

Hotel owner Hamilton Lonsdale puts together a combat team to pit against those of other multi-millionaires. He recruits Warlord, Natalie, Maggie and Steff along with a trained gorilla, a probability-altering alien, a stockbroker whose work of art proved to be much more than he'd bargained for, a marketing officer who can create psionic forcefields, a teleporting member of the landed gentry, and a socially awkward fixer. This is Combat Team Beta.

Steff never talks about his time with the Orbs, until he finds a woman who lived through it, too. Steff believes he has finally found happiness, but it is destined to be short-lived. He is left with an unusual legacy which he and Team Beta struggle to comprehend; including why something out there seems determined to destroy it.

Paperback

E book

30 December: David Name Day

If your name is David, today is your name day. David is a common masculine given name of Hebrew origin which means 'beloved'.

1. Saint David: patron saint of Wales.

2. David Bowie: British singer-songwriter.

3. David Attenborough: English broadcaster and naturalist.

4. David Cameron: British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2010 to 2016.

5. David Duchovny: American actor famous for playing Fox Mulder in The X Files.

6. David Beckham: English footballer.

7. David Jason: British actor famous for Only Fools and Horses.

8. David Cassidy: American singer-songwriter, member of the Partridge Family.

9. David Walliams: English comedian known for Little Britain, also a panellist on Britain’s Got Talent and author of children’s books.

10. David Icke: English conspiracy theorist.

Beta

(Combat Team Series #2)

Steff was abducted by an evil alien race, the Orbs, at fourteen. Used as a weapon for years, he eventually escapes, but his problems are just beginning. How does a man support himself when his only work experience is a paper round and using an Orb bio-integrated gun?

Warlord is an alien soldier who knows little but war. When the centuries-old conflict which ravaged his planet ends, he seeks out another world where his skills are still relevant. There are always wars on Earth, it seems. However, none of Earth's powerful armies want him.

Natalie has always wanted to visit England and sees a chance to do so while using her martial arts skills, but there are sacrifices she must make in order to fulfil her dream. 

Maggie resorted to crime to fund her sister's medical care. She uses her genetic variant abilities to gain access to the rooms of wealthy hotel guests. The Ballards look like rich pickings, but they are not what they seem. When Maggie targets them, little does she know that she is walking into a trap.

Hotel owner Hamilton Lonsdale puts together a combat team to pit against those of other multi-millionaires. He recruits Warlord, Natalie, Maggie and Steff along with a trained gorilla, a probability-altering alien, a stockbroker whose work of art proved to be much more than he'd bargained for, a marketing officer who can create psionic forcefields, a teleporting member of the landed gentry, and a socially awkward fixer. This is Combat Team Beta.

Steff never talks about his time with the Orbs, until he finds a woman who lived through it, too. Steff believes he has finally found happiness, but it is destined to be short-lived. He is left with an unusual legacy which he and Team Beta struggle to comprehend; including why something out there seems determined to destroy it.

Paperback

E book

29 December: Scales

Today is National Get on the Scales Day, so here are ten things you might not know about scales.

1. The word “scale” comes from skal, scala and schaal, meaning “bowl” or “drinking cup”.

2. Scales were used in ancient Egypt and Ancient Rome. The oldest scale ever found dates from about 2000 BC and was found in Indo River Valley, in Asia.

3. They were back then used for commercial transactions. Carved stones bearing marks denoting mass and the Egyptian hieroglyphic symbol for Gold have been discovered in Egypt, suggesting that there was an established measurement system.

4. The traditional scale consists of two plates or bowls suspended at equal distances from a fulcrum. One plate holds the item to be weighed while objects of known mass or weight are added to the other plate until mechanical equilibrium is achieved and the plates level off.

5. The self indicating scale didn’t need weights. Rather, the scale itself showed the measurement. Leonardo da Vinci is credited with inventing the self-indicting scale in the 15th century.

6. Richard Salter invented the spring scale in 1770. By 1840, spring scales were a common household item.

7. Traditional scales are a symbol of Justice, as they are wielded by statues of Lady Justice.

8. Scales are also the symbol for the astrological sign Libra, the only zodiac sign represented by an inanimate object.

9. The heaviest object ever weighed was the Revolving Service Structure (RSS) of launch pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The mass of the RSS was about 5.34 million pounds (about 2200 metric tonnes).

10. The accuracy of eight measurements can be affected by many things, including gravity (which varies depending on the distance to the centre of the Earth, which can change with the altitude and latitude of the place you’re in. Scales should be calibrated under the geographic zone where they’re going to be used), temperature (load cells are often made from metal which can expand or contract when the temperature changes), air currents (even an air conditioner or a fan in a lab can have an effect), or vibration.

Beta

(Combat Team Series #2)

Steff was abducted by an evil alien race, the Orbs, at fourteen. Used as a weapon for years, he eventually escapes, but his problems are just beginning. How does a man support himself when his only work experience is a paper round and using an Orb bio-integrated gun?

Warlord is an alien soldier who knows little but war. When the centuries-old conflict which ravaged his planet ends, he seeks out another world where his skills are still relevant. There are always wars on Earth, it seems. However, none of Earth's powerful armies want him.

Natalie has always wanted to visit England and sees a chance to do so while using her martial arts skills, but there are sacrifices she must make in order to fulfil her dream. 

Maggie resorted to crime to fund her sister's medical care. She uses her genetic variant abilities to gain access to the rooms of wealthy hotel guests. The Ballards look like rich pickings, but they are not what they seem. When Maggie targets them, little does she know that she is walking into a trap.

Hotel owner Hamilton Lonsdale puts together a combat team to pit against those of other multi-millionaires. He recruits Warlord, Natalie, Maggie and Steff along with a trained gorilla, a probability-altering alien, a stockbroker whose work of art proved to be much more than he'd bargained for, a marketing officer who can create psionic forcefields, a teleporting member of the landed gentry, and a socially awkward fixer. This is Combat Team Beta.

Steff never talks about his time with the Orbs, until he finds a woman who lived through it, too. Steff believes he has finally found happiness, but it is destined to be short-lived. He is left with an unusual legacy which he and Team Beta struggle to comprehend; including why something out there seems determined to destroy it.

Paperback

E book

28 December: Doctor Zhivago

On this date in 1964 Principal filming of the movie classic, Dr. Zhivago, began. 10 things you might not know about this movie.

1. Dr. Zhivago is a 1965 epic historical romance film directed by David Lean with a screenplay by Robert Bolt, based on the 1957 novel by Boris Pasternak.

2. The film stars Omar Sharif as Yuri Zhivago, a married physician and poet whose life is altered by the Russian Revolution and subsequent civil war, and Julie Christie as his love interest Lara Antipova.

3. Although filming began in December, much of it was shot in the summer months, including some of the winter scenes. It was over 30 degrees when the charge of the Partisans across the frozen lake was filmed. They were charging across a cast iron sheet covered in fake snow. Also, spare a thought for the extras, bundled up in winter furs. Costume designer Phyllis Dalton had to keep strict watch over them to make sure none of them took off layers of clothing to cool off.

4. Jane Fonda was the first choice to play Lara, but she turned it down because she didn’t want to film in Spain for nine months. She did change her mind, but by then, Julie Christie had been signed. In 2014, Fonda said that of all the movies she turned down, this one is the one she regrets the most.

5. The soundtrack, composed by Maurice Jarre (Jean-Michel’s dad), sold more than 600,000 copies during the film's initial release.

6. Recording the score required a 110-piece orchestra, including 22 balalaika players. The balalaika players were members of a Russian Orthodox church in Los Angeles. None of them could read music and they’d never worked with a conductor before. Maurice Jarre needed to teach them the 16 bars of Lara's Theme by example, then mime and hum their cues as they played with the orchestra.

7. The book the film was based on was banned in Russia at the time, because it “rejected socialist realism”. Mikhail Gorbachev allowed the source novel to be published in Russia in 1988, as part of his "glasnost" policy. The film wasn't shown in Russia until 1994.

8. Omar Sharif's son Tarek Sharif played the eight-year-old Zhivago.

9. Julie Christie hated having to wear the infamous red dress. David Lean told her that was fine – her character was supposed to hate wearing it. Lara's older lover had bought the dress for her and expected her to wear it.

10. As of 2010, adjusted for inflation, this is the eighth-highest grossing movie of all time. It won Academy Awards for Best Score, Costume design, Cinematography, Art direction and Best Screenplay.

Beta

(Combat Team Series #2)

Steff was abducted by an evil alien race, the Orbs, at fourteen. Used as a weapon for years, he eventually escapes, but his problems are just beginning. How does a man support himself when his only work experience is a paper round and using an Orb bio-integrated gun?

Warlord is an alien soldier who knows little but war. When the centuries-old conflict which ravaged his planet ends, he seeks out another world where his skills are still relevant. There are always wars on Earth, it seems. However, none of Earth's powerful armies want him.

Natalie has always wanted to visit England and sees a chance to do so while using her martial arts skills, but there are sacrifices she must make in order to fulfil her dream. 

Maggie resorted to crime to fund her sister's medical care. She uses her genetic variant abilities to gain access to the rooms of wealthy hotel guests. The Ballards look like rich pickings, but they are not what they seem. When Maggie targets them, little does she know that she is walking into a trap.

Hotel owner Hamilton Lonsdale puts together a combat team to pit against those of other multi-millionaires. He recruits Warlord, Natalie, Maggie and Steff along with a trained gorilla, a probability-altering alien, a stockbroker whose work of art proved to be much more than he'd bargained for, a marketing officer who can create psionic forcefields, a teleporting member of the landed gentry, and a socially awkward fixer. This is Combat Team Beta.

Steff never talks about his time with the Orbs, until he finds a woman who lived through it, too. Steff believes he has finally found happiness, but it is destined to be short-lived. He is left with an unusual legacy which he and Team Beta struggle to comprehend; including why something out there seems determined to destroy it.

Paperback

E book

27 December: French hens

On the third day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: Three French hens:

1. In some versions of the song, it’s ‘Three Fat Hens’ rather than French ones.

2. Why French hens, though? Possibly because the Latin name for the domestic Chicken is Gallus gallus, and the Roman na
   me for France was Gaul, and the rooster has long been a symbol of France.

3. A rooster was often a decorative ornament on church bell towers in France during the Middle Ages, and the Gallic Rooster was an important symbol during the French Revolution.

4. There are about 40 breed of chicken that originated in France and were prized as dinner birds.

5. One of these is called the Bresse, This breed has Blue legs, a White body and a Red comb, ie the colours of the French flag, and was known as 'queen of poultry.'

6. La Fleche is another ancient French breed from the Loire region of western France, renowned for its delicate flesh.

7. Another is The Faverolles, a breed developed in the 1860s in north-central France, in the vicinity of the villages of Houdan and Faverolles.

8. Finally, the Houdan breed is one the oldest French breeds, and was named after the town of Houdan to the west of Paris.

9. Another possible explanation is a story about King Henri IV and the poule au pot, whose declared aim when he brought peace to France was that the peasants would be able to cook a chicken every Sunday.

10. Another theory about the 12 Days of Christmas is that each gift has a religious meaning, and the 3 French hens represent the three gifts of the Spirit that abide: Faith, Hope and Love.

26 December: Tsunamis

The deadliest tsunami in documented history took place on 26 December 2004, and is known as the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami. Over 215,000 people, mainly in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, India, Somalia, and on the shores of the Indian Ocean, died in this disaster. 10 things you might not know about tsunamis:

1. Tsunami is a Japanese word which means 'Harbour Wave'.

2. What causes them? Often, as with the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami, it’s an Earthquake, but they can also be caused by Volcanic eruptions, landslides, Meteorites, glacier calving, nuclear tests or disasters or even drastic changes in atmospheric pressure.

3. About 80% of tsunamis occur within the Ring Of Fire, a zone in the Pacific Ocean where earthquakes and volcanic eruptions frequently take place.

4. Tsunamis can travel across the ocean as fast as 500 miles (805 kilometres an hour), nearly the same speed as a jet plane.

5. Out in the open ocean, tsunami waves are only about a metre high because the water is deep. However, as the water gets shallower, the waves grow and can reach 35m or more – about the same height as a 10 storey block of flats. The biggest tsunami wave ever recorded measured 1,720 feet (524 meters) on July 9, 1958, in Lituya Bay, Alaska.

6. Sometimes, before a tsunami hits, there is a huge vacuum effect, sucking water from harbours and beaches. This is called "drawback".

7. The first known reference to a tsunami dates back to 426 BC when the Greek historian Thucydides referred to one in his book "History of the Peloponnesian War".

8. The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami uncovered ancient sculptures of the lost city of Mahabalipuram in India.

9. Japan spends around $20 million maintaining its tsunami warning system, and all Japanese schoolchildren are taught what to do in the event of a tsunami warning.

10. Can animals detect that a tsunami is coming? Could animals behaving oddly act as an extra early warning system? The jury is still out on that one. It is possible that certain animals like Elephants could hear the sounds of a tsunami approaching and would move away from the sound. However, while there are claims that some animals flee the scene, other animals don’t. Humans are pretty dumb in this regard, being more likely to go towards the shore to find out what’s going on.

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

25 December: The Nativity

Happy Christmas! Here are 10 facts about the Nativity:

1. The word Nativity comes from the Latin verb nasci, which means “to be born.”

2. Chances are the nativity didn’t actually happen on December 25^th. The Bible doesn't indicate the time of the year that Jesus was born, and the date was decided upon by the church in the 4^th century. In all probability Jesus was either born in the spring during lambing time or on June 17, when modern astrologers pinpointed a likely candidate for the Star of Bethlehem.

3. Our concept of Christ’s birth comes from two of the gospels – Matthew and Luke’s Gospel. The Gospels of Mark and John start with Jesus as an adult.

4. Jesus probably wasn't born in a stable. It was just as likely to have happened in a cave or the lower room of a relative’s house, albeit one where they kept their animals at night.

5. Talking of animals, The Bible never mentions any animals being there at the birth, so the cattle, Donkeys and Sheep that feature in a nativity scene aren’t exactly Biblical.

6. Neither is it Biblical for the shepherds and the wise men to all be there at the same time. In fact, the wise men probably didn’t visit Jesus until he was a toddler.

7. Nor is it mentioned anywhere in the Bible that there were three of them. It is merely assumed there were three because of the three gifts.

8. Neither is it mentioned that the herald Angels sing. Rather, Luke says they were “praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest’”.

9. Nativity scenes were first popularised by St Francis of Assisi in 1223. He got permission from the Pope at the time, Honorious III, to set up a scene to bring the Christmas story to life for people who couldn’t read.

10. St. Bonaventure, St. Francis’ biographer, claimed that the hay used by St. Francis in the first nativity scene could miraculously cure cattle of diseases.

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

24 December

Today is the name day for people called Adam.

Adam is a common masculine given name in the English language, of Hebrew origin and means "man" or "humanity". 10 famous Adams:

1. Adam: the first human-being in various belief systems (including Judaism, Christianity, Gnosticism and Islam)

2. Adam Ant: English singer and actor, lead singer of Adam and the Ants.

3. Adam Driver: American actor known for playing Kylo Ren in the Star Wars sequel trilogy.

4. Prince Adam: the Beast's true human form in Disney's 1991 animated and 2017 live-action films.

5. Adam Kay: British author, comedian, and doctor. He wrote the book This is Going to Hurt.

6. Adam Nimoy: American TV director, son of actor Leonard Nimoy.

7. Adam Smith: economist, philosopher, and author of The Wealth of Nations.

8. Adam West: American television actor best known for playing Batman.

9. Adam Sandler: American film actor whose films include The Wedding Singer and 50 First Dates.

10. Adam Bede: title character of George Eliot's 1859 novel, Adam Bede.

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

23 December: Joseph Smith

Joseph Smith, founder and leader of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, better known as the Mormons, was born on this date in 1805. 10 facts about him:

1. He was born in Sharon, Vermont and was one of eleven children.

2. Through his mother’s line, he is related to George W. Bush, Winston Churchill, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Mitt Romney and Richard Nixon.

3. At seven, he had to have major surgery on his leg to save it after an attack of typhoid fever.

4. When he was 14, there was a lot of religious activity and many dominations to choose from in his home town and the young Joseph couldn’t decide which of them was for him. So he took himself off into the woods to pray about it in private. While in prayer, he would claim, he was visited by God the Father and Jesus Christ, who advised him not to join any of them.

5. While praying one night in 1823, he claimed he was visited by an Angel named Moroni. Moroni told him where to find some golden plates and other artefacts buried in a hill. He found them, but the angel prevented him from removing them. Over the next four years, he tried once a year, but wasn’t successful until the fourth time, when he took his wife with him.

6. His wife’s name was Emma Hale, and he met her while boarding at her family’s home. Her father didn’t approve of the match as he didn’t think Joseph had the means to support Emma and thought he was "careless" and "not very well educated." So the couple eloped and married on January 18, 1827. They had eleven children, two of which were adopted, and only five of which lived past infancy.

7. Emma, it seems, had a lot to put up with. Not only was there the polygamy (which Joseph claimed he didn’t want to embrace at first but eventually gave in because an angel appeared to him and told him if he didn’t get on with marrying more wives, the angel would kill him) which to Emma was an ‘excruciating ordeal’, but she also had to ban him from her garden, because so many of his followers would crowd in just to be near him that they would trample all the plants; and when he held meetings with other men, they’d all smoke and spit Tobacco on the floor, which poor Emma would have to clean up. One day she emphatically said to Joseph, “It would be a good thing if a revelation could be had declaring the use of tobacco a sin.” In the end, he had about 40 wives ranging in age from Fanny Young at 56 to Helen Kimball, who was 14. Emma is said to have approved of about four of them in later years, but many of them she never even knew about.

8. He liked Dogs and owned two. Their names were Major and Baker.

9. He was tarred and feathered in Hiram, Ohio, and during the ordeal, he chipped a tooth causing him to speak with a slight whistle for the rest of his life.

10. The persecution didn’t end there. He was eventually assassinated by a mob in Carthage, Illinois, at the age of 38.

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