Interview with Alison Morton
Ever wondered what might have been if a small part of the Roman Empire still existed in the 21st century? Well, Alison Morton has explored this in acclaimed Roma Nova thriller series featuring modern Praetorian heroines. She blends her deep love of history with six years’ military service in a special communications regiment and a life of reading crime, historical and thriller fiction.
A ‘Roman nut’ since age 11, Alison says she has misspent decades clambering over Roman sites throughout Europe and admits to an obsession with gazing at Roman concrete. On a more serious note, she holds a masters’ in history and blogs about Romans, alternate history, writing and publishing.
When not writing, she speaks at conferences in the UK, France, Ireland and the US, runs workshops on writing and publishing and contributes a monthly column to her local English language magazine.
But mostly she continues to write thrillers with tough heroines, cultivates a Roman herb garden and drinks wine in France with her husband.
Social Media Links
Works
All six Roma Nova full-length novels have been awarded the BRAG Medallion for independent fiction.
INCEPTIO (2013) and PERFIDITAS (2013) were finalists in 2014 Writing Magazine Self-Published Book of the Year award.
SUCCESSIO (2014), AURELIA (2015) and INSURRECTIO (2016) were selected as Historical Novel Society’s Indie Editor’s Choices.
AURELIA was a finalist in the 2016 HNS Indie Award.
SUCCESSIO was selected as an Editor’s Choice in The Bookseller’s inaugural review of independent fiction, December 2014.
RETALIO (2017) has been reviewed by the Historical Novel Society
CARINA (2017) is a novella set between INCEPTIO and PERFIDITAS (and was a bit of fun!).
Audio rights for the first four Roma Nova novels were acquired by Audible UK via Blake Friedman Literary Agency.
Short stories
‘A Roman Intervenes’ in the 1066 Turned Upside Down alternative history collection (2016)
‘Booked’ shortlisted in Writing Magazine 2013 New Subscribers’ Short Story Competition
‘Three Thousand Years to Saturnalia’ in Diamond Tales (December 2017)
Non-fiction
Military or civilians? The curious anomaly of the German Women’s Auxiliary Services during the Second World War (2012)
The 500 Word Writing Buddy: 35 Inner Secrets for the New Writer (2014, 2nd edition 2016)
Historical Writing Prompts
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A delight to talk to you, Richard. The hour flew by. If anything I said has helped anybody in any way, then I’m very happy. Good luck with the rest of this series!
The interview was delightful, Alison. I haven’t looked into the alternate history novel genre and now I’m itching to read your books. Thank you for being so genuine.
Thank you, Bonnie. I tend to ‘tell it as it is’! And, yes, alternate history is a fascinating area. I hadn’t even realised it had a name when I wrote the first book, INCEPTIO. Now I give talks about it.
Alison, thank you for sharing your “writer’s journey” with such authenticity and transparency. This interview is chock full of wisdom and a lovely dash of humor. I appreciate Richard introducing you to his audience.
Thank you, Sheila. We know so much more now about writing, self-publishing, the need for research and editing; it’s a joy to share my experience in the hope it may help somebody else. My best tip? Persist and go on learning as well as writing.