Alison Morton | Alison Morton Author

Site-splitting

So, split the atom time. Well, as I’ve created two blogs out of one, it’s more a case of splitting the byte.

Being an author today means developing entrepreneurial skills, especially marketing ones. I’m not talking about selling – although that’s ultra important – but about making people aware of your book’s, or books’, existence. […]

Using your reader report

This is one for the writers, but readers might be interested in a vital part of the process that goes to producing a story. I say producing, because like a piece of pottery, a story starts as a heap of dull, wet mud. Writing the first draft is like throwing that heap on to the […]

Writing about recognition - Writing News

It’s a funny time to be pursuing a writing career, but an exciting one. All authors, apart from the biggest names, need to publicise their own books whether they’re self-published, small press or even big house published.

Writing Magazine commissioned me to write a piece about how to seek and find recognition in today’s fiercely […]

Roman cops

Thinking about police, gendarmes and emergency services in the past few days brought me to the law enforcers of Ancient Rome. Faced with terrorist attack (or riot, revolt and rebellion), they would have been robust in their attitude and actions. So who policed Rome?

Portable Roman fire engine nozzle, Madrid Museum (Creative Commons)

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Stopped by the forces of law and order

Driving along the main road, I’m happy there are only 11 kilometres to home. I slow down to pass through a village of older cream stone grey-slated houses, interspersed with Roman tile roofed single-storey homes. Halfway through, I reach the open area to the side, not even a proper village square. A blue-uniformed armed figure […]