Blog | Alison Morton Author

A beautiful blog...

Today, I’m on author Jessica Bell’s blog as an “Artist Unleashed” with a guest post “Write What You Really Really Want”.

I hope you’ll visit and read a little more about my writing motivation. 😉

But the treasure of Jessica’s blog is the gorgeous bubble girl…

Alison Morton is the author of Roma Nova thrillers, INCEPTIO, and PERFIDITAS. Third in series, SUCCESSIO, is out early summer 2014.

Roma Nova world building (1)

Over the past 8 months, readers have become very interested in Roma Nova and its people; some have wanted to sign up to live there! I thought I’d share some of the questions they’ve asked…

Why does the heroine change name?
Carina is Karen’s real name. Her mother, who ran off to marry William Brown and live in the Eastern United States, registered Carina’s birth at the Roma Nova legation in Washington. But as their child was being raised in the Eastern United States, her parents decided to anglicize her name to Karen.

What does our heroine do on her day off?
Swims and sleeps!

What do Roma Novans eat?
Anything! Well, standard European food, but with a bias to a Mediterranean diet, not forgetting the Roman staples of beans, olives, fish and honey. But I don’t think Carina’s diet includes garum, the traditional Roman fermented fish sauce which sounds pretty yucky.

Why do the characters swear so much, and by so many gods?
Many of my characters are in the police service or the military and they swear a lot between themselves – sorry! I have reduced the amount you would normally expect by about 70%.

And who else would they swear by if not Juno, Mars, Jupiter or Mercury?

What’s Roma Nova’s history?
Read this!

How does the heroine learn Latin so quickly?
Her mother spoke Latin to her as a baby and toddler, and she went to Latin classes when younger. A little like the heroine in My Big Fat Greek Wedding who went to Greek class every Saturday. Karen’s Latin’s rusty, but it comes back… If a language is learned in the early years, it does tend to stick in the back of the brain and the ability resurfaces when it’s triggered by the person being immersed again in that language environment.

Of course, she has two invaluable aids: a smart mouthed teenager (Aelia in the Washington Legation), and the fascinating Conrad…

Alison Morton is the author of Roma Nova thrillers, INCEPTIO, and PERFIDITAS. Third in series, SUCCESSIO, is out early summer 2014.

PERFIDITAS UK launch!

Friends, bubbly, books – what could be better?

Arriving at Waterstones Tunbridge Wells on a chilly, damp November night with boxes of bubbly, large photos, banner stand, a bag of nibbles from Waitrose and a fair bit of nervous energy, we soon set up.

One or two guests arrived early and were roped in to setting up the drinks table and putting postcards on seats. Photos on easel, glasses on table and notes found – we were ready to go. Shortly before seven, guests flowed in, including the Mayor and Mayoress of Tunbridge Wells and one of PERFIDITAS’s endorsers, the historic novelist Jean Fullerton.

After half an hour’s greeting, kissing cheeks and mingling, we settled down and I let the audience into the world of Roma Nova and talked about how I’d build that world and its history and landscape and importantly, how I’d developed the main characters.

They were a wonderful audience and grilled me about Roma Nova with some sharp questions. I love the audience being so engaged with my alternate world!

We mingled a little more then I signed books and was able to chat to everybody for a few minutes. When I wrote my name for the last time, it seemed as if only half an hour had passed, but it was two and half hours since we’d entered the shop!

A second launch isn’t like the first – then you are a novelty, especially to your friends who are astounded you actually wrote a book! The second is a meeting of enthusiasts, some of whom came to the first launch and some who discovered the first book in a different way, and of others who are discovering Roma Nova for the first time. A magical evening.

If you missed the launch evening, but would like an author signed paperback copy of PERFIDITAS, you can order your copy here.

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

Find out about Roma Nova news, writing tips and info by signing up for my free monthly email newsletter.

BBC Radio Kent welcomes PERFIDITAS.

Going on local radio is something all writers hope to do. Not only does it reinforce local roots, or reconnect to them, but it’s a chance for them to chat about their latest book.

Radio stations, especially the BBC, have a remit to ‘inform, educate and entertain’ and need a continuing supply of interesting content, especially about people who live and work in their areas. Different shows have different slants, so it’s essential to know the programmes the station broadcasts. You also learn some interesting stuff!

But for me, a Tunbridge Wells girl, it’s the approachability and warm welcome I’ve found from BBC Radio Kent and in particular Pat Marsh who plays the greatest music from the 1960s/70s (Ronettes – yeah!). So when Pat invited me back after our first on air chat about INCEPTIO, I was delighted to accept.

But it wasn’t just to talk about PERFIDITAS, my new book, although I did mention it! In his gentle voice and genial manner, he asked me about the writing process itself, how I’d started writing the Roma Nova series and started my fourth career – writing! He referred to the reviews INCEPTIO had garnered and was intrigued by how much readers loved this alternate world. And just before I went into the studio, Pat’s friendly, efficient colleague Laura Earl told me he had read PERFIDITAS from cover to cover.

Pat guided me through our conversation and it was like a friendly chat over a cup of tea – certainly not nerve-wracking! he let me get in a little plug for the PERFIDITAS book launch in Tunbridge Wells at Waterstones on 6 November. 😉

If you have the opportunity to take to the airwaves, you’ll be safe in the hands of these broadcast professionals.

And here is the interview itself!

Updated 2022; 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, a new Roma Nova story set in the late 4th century, is now out.

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.

Harrogate History Festival - Part Deux

Well, I can’t hope to be as eloquent as Sally Zigmond in her lovely post ‘Being a historical pioneer‘ She described the sense of delicious enjoyment from the high calibre talks, the friendliness of everybody attending, the temptation of book-buying and the happy chats around bar tables. Yes, of course wine was drunk…

The clocks going back gifted us an extra hour on Sunday morning – perfect for enjoying a full English breakfast (minus black pudding in my case) in The Old Swan dining room whose walls were decorated with intricate plasterwork topped by a small-paned glass ceiling.

Plenty of coffee later, delegates reconvened in the ballroom to hear a panel discussion on ‘Before Sherlock – The Novel Art of Detection’ with Andrew Taylor gently grilling Lloyd Shepherd, Joan Lock, Nick Rennison and Robert Ryan. They led us through law and order procedures based on guesswork and prejudice, the emergence of organised police forces and a more scientific, stuctured approach to solving crime as well as touching on fiction v. fact and the early historical mystery writers.

Kate Mosse, wearing her signature platdorm shoes, concluded the featival on an appropriate high. Famous as the creative force behind the Women’s Prize for Fiction, originally named the Orange Prize, she was Interviewed by festival chair, Manda Scott, and didn’t disappoint.

Smiling, obviously enthused about the Languedoc and Sussex countrysides, she talked about the motivation behind the Labyrinth, Sepulchre and Citadel trilogy and introduced her collection odf short stories, The Mistletoe Bride & Other WinterTales.

Manda Scott finished the festival by thanking speakers, organisers and delegates for making the weekend such a success. Nobody ever sees the hard work behind such events when it goes so smoothly. Hats off to Manda and her team for giving us a magical few days.

Read the first part of my report here.

Alison Morton is the author of Roma Nova thrillers, INCEPTIO, and PERFIDITAS. Third in series, SUCCESSIO, is out early summer 2014.