1st December: Advent Calendars

Today is the first day we open a door on our Advent Calendar. Here are a few things you probably didn't know about Advent Calendars.

1. What is Advent anyway? The word Advent comes from the Latin adventus, meaning “arrival”. It was a season of fasting and contemplation, in preparation for the feast of Christmas.
2. Although December 1 is the day we start opening the doors on Advent calendars, Advent actually begins on Advent Sunday, the fourth Sunday before Christmas. There’s only a one-in-seven chance of this falling on December 1.
3. The concept of the Advent calendar was first thought of by German Lutherans in the 19th and 20th centuries. It was an extension of their custom of marking the days leading up to Christmas with chalk on a blackboard and lighting a candle.
4. The first advent calendars were hand made. The first printed one to go up for sale was created by Gerhard Lang in 1908. These were known as "Munich Calendars".
5. There were no Advent calendars produced during World War II because of shortages of Paper.
6. Traditionally, the windows would open to reveal a picture, a poem or a Bible verse for Christians to use as part of their meditation and prayer in the run up to Christmas. Small gifts were soon included for children.
7. Cadbury first started producing Advent calendars with chocolate in them in 1958.
8. In Scandinavia, they have a radio show which is essentially an Advent calendar. The programmes are typically short, about five minutes long and are broadcast daily during Advent. They feature Christmas songs, brief interviews about Christmas and a description of the image revealed by that day's Advent Calendar window.
9. The largest Advent calendar in the world is in Gengenbach, a town on the edge of the Black Forest in Germany. Its 18th century town hall conveniently has 24 Windows facing the main square, so each year it is turned into an Advent calendar.
10. The magazine Country Life includes an Advent calendar in its last issue in November each year.

What happens when superheroes get together for Christmas! My latest novel. Perfect if you want to lose yourself in a book after Christmas lunch!

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.

Available from Createspace, Amazon and Amazon Kindle