Alison Morton | Alison Morton Author

A Party, but was it Summer?

I went along to the RNA Summer Party held at the library of the Institute of Mechanical Engineers, Birdcage Walk, in London. The weather has been dreadful; thankfully it was a sunny, but still blooming chilly, evening.

As at the lunch in March, the atmosphere was genial, friendly and lively; the sound of chinking glasses, […]

A blog vacuum

Confession time.

I wrote my last two blog posts on 26 April, posted one straight away and scheduled the last one (with chocolate!) for three days later. Many bloggers do this so that when they put fingers to keyboard and inspiration flows from brain down arms and into fingertips, they don’t end up flooding […]

Must-have writer's aids...

Yes, essential to the writing environment are:

a working computer with appropriate software a supportive chair warmth light peace

But the most important adjunct is CHOCOLATE. So what does chocolate do for the writer?

1. Flavonoids Chocolate is chock-full(!) of flavonoids—naturally-occurring compounds found in the cacao plant, as well as in red wine, tea, fruits, […]

When is a hero myth manufactured?

At the RNA SE meeting on 24 April, Nicola Cornick gave us valuable insights on constructing heroes. Taking Robin Hood as an example, she showed how universal the hero values attached to him were: anti-authoritarian, good versus evil, romantic, skilled in fighting and weaponry. The mythic Robin Hood was a construct, an icon, created mainly […]

My London Book Fair…

Wrecked for many publishing professionals this year by volcanic ash, the LBF was for me an exciting first.

I followed the distress of others on Twitter as flights from every conceivable part of the world were stopped, particularly those from South Africa, the 2010 Fair’s market focus. But despite myriad appointments with Australians, Finns, Germans, […]