Blog | Alison Morton Author

On making a book trailer

(This is an updated version made in November 2016, but everything below is still true!)

As a big fan of the moving image, I wanted to make an animated advert for my forthcoming book, INCEPTIO. Could I do it myself? I’m no Steven Spielberg, but I had the track record of one whole mini-movie about the Great European Freeze in February 2012, so that was fine. 😉

The real answer? Yep, research. I spent hours on YouTube trying to pin down what was suitable to the genre, what had similar elements to those in my book, what I felt induced a ‘zing’ for the viewer.

Then I wrote a specification for myself.
How long? Max 1.30 mins.
Type? Me talking about book with some Roman-themed pictures? No, people wanted to know about the book, so a mini-story.
What tone and pace? Snappy – it’s about a thriller.
Funding? 50 pounds/dollars/euros.
Resources? My time, my picture editing skills(!), SXC picture library, iStockphoto and the iMovie programme on my Mac.

What did I want to achieve?
Visibility (and hopefully not ridicule).
And to increase a skill – no learning is ever wasted.

The practicalities
The first thing was decide the point of view. An omniscient narrator? One of the major secondary characters? No, it was my heroine’s story, so back to her. Bit of a problem – she has an American voice. After more research, I realised I wasn’t confident enough to, and couldn’t find out how to, import pre-recorded voiceover as well as music, so I started tracking down a warm body who could come along and record direct. The English Language Library in Angers found me a very nice American lady who lived in Saumur.

In the meantime, I had to write the script. Yes, I’m a writer, but this had to distilled to the nth degree. The text had to set the story, outline the threat and pose the question ‘What happens next?’ all without giving the plot away and within a minute and a half. Easy, huh?

I wrestled with it, emerging with 100 words, each one glaring at me for the trials I’d subjected it to. Surprisingly, working out visuals to match the text was straightforward. Finding the right images wasn’t. I’d taken several hundred photos in Rome and Pompeii last year which gave me one or two, then it was diving into picture libraries, sometimes free, sometimes paying.

Now the music. Back to iStockphoto. Forty-eight tunes later and I had a great clip – 1.08 minutes. I took iMovie’s tutorials again, loaded all the material into a new project and had the rough outline. Then I got tweaking: timings, transitions, Ken Burns effects (smart name for zooming in and out in a directed way). My delightful American voice turned up with her other half and we had fun recording and re-recording the voice-over. Then it was back to tweaking as I learned about levels, sound profiles, etc. Lastly, I did a still for the last frame showing the book and buying links.

Loading on to YouTube was painless, the bigger decision was choosing the format. Like iMovie, YouTube is cleverly built for amateur or occasional use, but sufficiently techie for the more expert.

What did I learn?
– that past experience of picture editing was a blessing.
– with a bit of thought, $65.50 and hours and hours of fiddling, I could produce a reasonable trailer.
– that my respect for professional film-makers knew no bounds.
My trailer won’t win an Oscar, but it does the job. Potential readers seem to like it and I had enormous fun making it.

Result.

The exotic Christina Courtenay ...

I’m delighted to welcome Christina Courtenay to my blog today. She’s currently Vice Chairman of the Romantic Novelists’ Association and a member of The Historical Novel Society. Her debut novel, Trade Winds, was short-listed for the RNA’s Pure Passion Award for Best Historical Fiction 2011. Her second novel, The Scarlet Kimono won Best Historical Fiction prize for the Big Red Read 2011 and her third novel, Highland Storms, won the RoNA Award for Best Historical Romantic Novel 2012.

Many of your novels are set in far-flung, exotic locations. What attracts you in particular to the Far East?
I lived in Japan for three years when I was a teenager (and continued to visit for the next seven years after that since my parents stayed on when I went to uni) and I just fell in love with the place. It’s fascinating, different, awesome – all the adjectives you can think of! Japan in particular, as they have this amazing ability of combining the modern with tradition in a way we don’t always manage here. Everything they do is aesthetically pleasing – the architecture, clothing, art and everyday items. Even food is displayed in tasteful arrangements!

When did you start writing and was there a trigger?
I started writing when my older daughter was six months because I wanted to stay at home with her and still earn some money. I’d just read a lot of Mills & Boon books while I was pregnant with her and thought ‘how hard can it be to write one?’ I sent for their guidelines and got started. Needless to say, it wasn’t easy at all and they rejected my stories, even though I sent them two to choose from <LOL>! I eventually got published a week after my daughter left home, aged 21.

What draws you to historical fiction?
I’ve always loved history, ever since I was a little girl who adored fairy tales. I loved learning about times gone by and was really pleased to discover that there were novels set in the past too. As soon as I found Georgette Heyer, I was hooked on the genre.

Your characters often cross cultures, leaving behind their roots. Is this an extra layer of conflict for them you deliberately build in or is this something you base on your own background?
I like to challenge my characters and give them difficulties to overcome and it’s fun to see how a hero and heroine from different cultures interact and learn to accept each others’ differences. But yes, I suppose it’s really based on my own experiences. I left behind a secure life in Sweden for the unknown of a huge metropolis in a country where I couldn’t even read the road signs! That was terrifying, but ultimately very rewarding.

I loved The Silent Touch of Shadows which connects 15^th century and present day lives and builds to a very tense pressure point. This is quite different from your previous books when the protagonists embark on long, often dangerous, journeys. How do you flex your writing muscles on such different projects?
I often work on several different stories at the same time – what can I say? I have a low boredom threshold. 🙂 I like reading more than one genre, so it’s the same with writing. Variety is good! I just work on whichever one I feel most inspired about.

To plot or not to plot? Are you a planner or do you just dive in?
I just dive in. I usually have one scene very clear in my mind and I start with that. It can be anywhere in the book so I have to work backwards and forwards from that point to build the story. But I’m definitely a ‘pantser’ – I only plot when I get stuck. Then I try to write an outline for where I want the story to go next.

What is the hardest part of the writing process for you?
The editing/rewrites asked for by the copy editor once a book has been accepted for publication. By that time you know the story is going to go out into the world (as opposed to being something only you have seen) and you want to make it the best you can. It’s scary!

Do you enjoy research, and how do you set about it?
No, I hate research! I’m very impatient and just want to get on with writing, but unfortunately with historicals that’s not possible. I start by reading up on the period and setting in general, then finding out about specific things that might fit into my story. I then learn about clothing, customs of the time, food, etc. and then I sit down to write. As the story unfolds, there will be other things I need to know, but I research those as and when I come across them.

How do you develop your characters? Or does the plot come first?
I start with one scene, which usually has the two main characters in it, so I guess you could say I start with them. Their goals and motivations will dictate what happens to them after that. Often the plot evolves during my research time as I can come across things which just happen to fit perfectly.

Which authors who have influenced you?
Georgette Heyer, of course, as she’s the absolute master (mistress?) of historical romance with wonderfully subtle humour throughout. Barbara Erskine – her Lady of Hay made me want to write time slips. Elizabeth Chadwick for impeccable historical backgrounds and characters. Diana Gabaldon – like her, I adore the Scottish Highlands. I’m sure there are many more (I have the same problem, Christina!).

How do you relax? What interests do you have other than writing?
Read, eat chocolate, go to the movies, gardening (this is a recent addition!), walk my dogs, DIY projects, genealogy … too many really, too little time!

Are you into social networking, and in what way do you feel it helps your career?
I’m on Twitter and Facebook (although I don’t feel I have enough time to keep up properly with either, I do my best!) and I blog, both on my own blog and several different group blogs. I love connecting with other authors and readers and have met some lovely people through all these mediums. It’s so nice to chat to others with the same interests.

What is your latest book?
The Gilded Fan, which is the sequel to The Scarlet Kimono. Set in 1640s Japan and England, it is the story of a half-English girl who has to flee Japan when the ruler decides to evict all foreigners. She manages to persuade the captain of a Dutch trading ship to give her passage to Europe, but that’s just the beginning of her adventures … (More after the interview – see below.)

Can you tell us something of your work in progress?
At the moment I’m working on the third book in the Kinross trilogy. Trade Winds was about Killian Kinross, a Scotsman who went to Sweden to make his fortune. Highland Storms was about his older son, Brice, and now I’m writing about Jamie, the second son. Jamie has always been a bit wild and caused his older brother no end of heartache in Highland Storms, but it wasn’t intentional so I wanted to tell his side of the story too. And perhaps find him a girl who could tame him a little. 😉

And finally, what advice would you give a new writer?
The usual one – persevere (see the second question) and find a writing buddy, someone to swap critiques with, someone who you trust. Mine have kept me sane so they’re worth their weight in gold!

Thank you, Christina, for submitting to such a grilling.

The Gilded Fan sounds so intriguing – you know I love stories in out of the ordinary settings. 😉 So let’s see what it’s about…

How do you start a new life, leaving behind all you love?

It’s 1641, and when Midori Kumashiro, the orphaned daughter of a warlord, is told she has to leave Japan or die, she has no choice but to flee to England. Midori is trained in the arts of war, but is that enough to help her survive a journey, with a lecherous crew and an attractive captain she doesn’t trust?

Having come to Nagasaki to trade, the last thing Captain Nico Noordholt wants is a female passenger, especially a beautiful one. How can he protect her from his crew when he can’t keep his own eyes off her?

During their journey, Nico and Midori form a tentative bond, but they both have secrets that can change everything. When they arrive in England, a civil war is brewing, and only by standing together can they hope to survive …

You can read an extract here, buy the paperback here and the Kindle version here.

Update 2023:
Alison Morton is the author of Roma Nova thrillers – INCEPTIO, CARINA (novella), PERFIDITAS, SUCCESSIO, AURELIA, NEXUS (novella), INSURRECTIO and RETALIO, and ROMA NOVA EXTRA, a collection of short stories. Audiobooks are available for four of the series. Double Identity, a contemporary conspiracy, starts a new series of thrillers. JULIA PRIMA, Roma Nova story set in the late 4th century, starts the Foundation stories. The sequel, EXSILIUM, will be out in February 2024.

Find out more about Roma Nova, its origins, stories and heroines and taste world the latest contemporary thriller Double Identity… Download ‘Welcome to Alison Morton’s Thriller Worlds’, a FREE eBook, as a thank you gift when you sign up to Alison’s monthly email update. You’ll also be among the first to know about news and book progress before everybody else, and take part in giveaways.

Roman dating essentials

Julius Caesar (He’s the one on the plinth.)

Watching the countdown calendar to the publication day of INCEPTIO on 1 March reminded that the first of the month in the Roman system – the Kalends – ended up as our word for measuring the whole thing.

In my Roma Nova thrillers, I use the standard Western system the world has agreed to use, but how did the traditional Roman system work? And were the Roma Novans right to abandon it?

According to legend, Romulus, the founder of Rome, instituted the calendar in about 738 BC. But it probably evolved from the Greek lunar calendar, which in turn was derived from the Babylonian (Nothing new under the sun, or the moon, then).

Originally, the Roman calendar appears to have consisted only of 10 months and of a year of 304 days. The remaining 61¼ days were apparently ignored, resulting in a gap during the winter season. Awkward. The months bore the names Martius, Aprilis, Maius, Junius, Quintilis (renamed later as Iulius), Sextilis (ditto Augustus), September, October, November, and December – the last six original names corresponding to the Latin words for 5 to 10. The early Roman king Numa Pompilius is credited with adding January at the beginning and February at the end of the calendar to create the 12-month year. In 452 BC, February was moved between January and March.

By the 1st century BC, the Roman calendar had become hopelessly confused. The year, based on cycles and phases of the moon, totaled 355 days, about 10¼ days shorter than the solar year. The occasional intercalation of an extra month of 27 or 28 days, called Mercedonius, kept the calendar in step with the seasons.

Of course, there was a political dimension – this was Rome. The Pontifex Maximus and the College of Pontiffs – the religious leaders who exercised strong influence in a society thriving on superstition – had the authority to alter the calendar. If they wanted to reduce or extend the term of a particular magistrate or other public official they just changed the calendar. Brilliant trick. One that today’s leaders would love to have in their frog boxes.

Finally, in 46 BC, Julius Caesar intervened and initiated a thorough reform that resulted in a more consistent dating system, the Julian calendar. It was only superseded by the Gregorian calendar in 1582, although it continued to be used as the civil calendar in some countries into the 20th century.

Knowing what day of the month it was
Roman months were based on a series of markers. The first day of the month was called the Kalends, but the date of the other markers varied according to month length. Roughly, the next marker, the Nones, was around the 5th, sometimes 7th, of the month with the infamous Ides halfway through the month, somewhere around 13th to 15th. To get to the end of the month from the Ides, you counted backwards from the next month’s Kalends (1st). Dont let’s go anywhere leap years and dating of equinoxes!

The principal method that the Romans used to identify a year for dating purposes was to name it after the two consuls who took office in it – hence the consular year. In and after 309 AD there were years when no consuls were appointed and the consular date was given a count of years since the last consul. This threw the dating system out which must have caused havoc for trade, politics and the law, let alone normal people’s lives. The system of consular dating, obsolete since at least 537 AD, was formally abolished in the law code of Byzantine emperor Leo VI, issued in 888, probably to the relief of all concerned.

Now, given the mental acrobatics of working out where you were in the month, then trying to remember the date of who was consul when, remind me why the Roma Novans opted to abandon the traditional dating systems?

Alison Morton is the author of Roma Nova thrillers, INCEPTIO, and PERFIDITAS. Third in series, SUCCESSIO, is now out.

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Official launch - update

I’m delighted to announce that Sue Cook, writer and broadcaster, will be introducing me at my book launch on 12 March in Tunbridge Wells.

Sue is one of the UK’s most experienced broadcasters. TV viewers know her from many BBC shows – such as Crimewatch UK, the annual Children in Need appeal and Holiday. To radio listeners she’s been a familiar voice since the 70s on many series and individual programmes, including You and Yours and, more recently, Making History for Radio 4. Sue is now a successful novelist and is currently working on adapting her first novel, On Dangerous Ground, for a film of the same title.

Sue was kind enough to read INCEPTIO at proof stage.
“Terrific. Brilliantly plotted original story, grippingly told and cleverly combining the historical with the futuristic. It’s a real edge-of-the-seat read, genuinely hard to put down.”

A gallop through my publishing journey

I’ve had one or two requests to tell you about my publishing journey. Okay, more than one or two. Please feel free to go and look at another post on this site if you feel a mild attack of boredom approaching, but for those who are still with me, here’s the story.

So what happened after I signed my publishing agreement with SilverWood Book on 19 October last year?

The next day, SilverWood Books MD, Helen Hart, asked me for my finalized manuscript of INCEPTIO to go to the editor, a short author biography, a 150 word ‘blurb’ for the back of the book jacket, my ideas for the bookjacket to pass on to the designer, thoughts about recommended retail price, social networking links and author photo. And that was Day 1.

The editing was truly collaborative (I’d had my manuscript edited a few weeks before by a very alert and picky (these are compliments) member of the Society for Editors and Proofreaders who worked for some of the leading sci-fi and fantasy publishers. He’d given me some good genre-specific and structural advice.). On 8 November, I had the edited text back from the SilverWood Books editor who’d polished up ready for the final stage; I agreed with 95% of what she suggested.

13 November, and I clicked open another email from SilverWood Books and sat there transfixed. The cover. It was truly stunning – an overused word, but it was. I’d never imagined it would be so perfect. I’d been collecting cover images I liked for several months, mostly to help crystallize in my own mind what I liked and, more importantly, how I thought my book could attract readers. I’d jotted down a few notes about Imperial purple, gold, something modern and had sent it to SilverWood. But I’d never expected anything as impressive. After a few tweaks, we had the perfect cover.

Work continued on the design and on 12 December, I received the first interior proofs. I hadn’t realised just how much there was to designing a book. I was so pleased I hadn’t been tempted to DIY it. I’m reasonably at home with basic graphics and design – that’s what editing a local magazine does for you – but the quality of the work carried out on INCEPTIO was excellent.

I printed the 300 pages off then scrutinised them line by line with the help of my trusty ruler, red pen and Alison Baverstock’s excellent guidelines in The Naked Author – a Guide to Self-Publishing. What else would you do in the run-up to Christmas? I suggested a dramatis personae and a historical note explaining about alternate history, plus a first chapter of the next book, PERFIDITAS should be added.

In the meantime, I approached writing friends and mentors to ask if they would read an advance copy and, if they felt they could, to give me an endorsement. The delightful Adrian Magson provided the terrific cover quote and other lovely friends said some very kind things.
Then everything rushed on – the interior proof was finalised and last wrinkles smoothed away, details were uploaded to Nielsen Bookdata and INCEPTIO appeared on Amazon with a temporary cover. Now it’s the full-blown thing with the ‘Look Inside’ feature activated and available for pre-order. Yikes!

The proof copy from the printer was passed, the first print run ordered and the DHL man almost mugged by me when he brought the boxes of books out of his van.

Parallel to all this, we’ve been ordering posters, postcards, bookmarks, sending out advance copies, I’ve been dropping a few little hints on social media(!) and organising my UK launch with the lovely people at Waterstones Tunbridge Wells (scroll down a little to 12 March 😉 ).

Oh, and I’m having a local French launch here in Thouars, on publication Day itself, 1 March. So I’m not busy…

Throughout the process, SilverWood Books have consulted, advised and supported me at every stage with their experience and professionalism. In cold terms, I’m a client buying in specified professional services to fulfill a project and get it to market. But in human terms, the SilverWood Books team have made the realisation of my emotional investment a life-affirming experience.