As this is my first email of the year, I'll start by wishing you a very happy New Year. As James Bond fans we've got lots to look forward to, with Bond 22 in production as we speak. Currently shooting is taking place at Pinewood, but the cast and crew will be off to Panama in the not too distant future, which sounds like good planning at this time of year if you live in the northern hemisphere.

The Ian Fleming Centenary

That's not all though; as it is also the centenary of the birth of Ian Fleming there are a number of events to commemorate the occasion and Ian Fleming Publications will be publishing a new book entitled Devil May care which is available for pre-order from Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com.

What do you think about M?

No, not me; a number of you left a comment on the website after my last email, all of it in the same line. It seems that as much as you love Judi Dench, you want M to be played by a man once more. Although I've got nothing against Judi Dench, I never liked having a female M as I prefer the films when they're closer to the books, but I'd be interested to hear what more of you think - you can email me or leave comments on the website. Click here for our latest articles on Bond 22.

Valentine's Day, 007 Style

As we're a few weeks away from Valentine's Day I thought I'd let you know about the Algerian Love Knot available from Emitations which is inspired by the necklace worn by Vesper in Casino Royale. At $155, it is a fraction of the price of the version that appeared in the movie and would make an ideal Valentine's gift for your very own Bond girl. And if you enter coupon code AFJN12 you'll get a discount too.

Unfortunately for all you Bond girls I don't have such a good recommendation for you to give the James Bond in your life - the fantastic Casino Royale Poker Set is as far as it goes.

One great treat if you decide to go away for the occasion (which inconveniently falls on a Thursday this year, but what about a really long weekend?) would be to visit the Grandhotel Pupp in Karlovy Vary in the Czech Republic.

What has Grandhotel Pupp got to do with James Bond, you ask? Simple; Grandhotel Pupp appears in Casino Royale as Hotel Splendide in Montenegro. British Airways flies to Prague from London Heathrow and Gatwick, and for all you budget Bonds you can also get there on EasyJet or Ryanair from several locations in the UK, Ireland and Continental Europe.

From Prague travel to Karlovy Vary by car, train, or bus, but bear in mind that the train journey is more than 4 hours against a little over 2 by bus. Personally I would make the most of it and spend a couple of days in Prague too if you can. Another option is to stay in Prague and take a day trip to Karlovy Vary - you'll be able to organise that in Prague.

Well, that just about wraps things up for the moment. We'll be publishing news about Bond 22 as it is made available, but if you have any questions or comments I'd love to hear from you. If there is something you'd like me to write about - either in this newsletter or on the website - hit reply and let me know!