Insights | Alison Morton Author

Double memories

Finding something that you know will give somebody else a great deal of pleasure is a smiley moment. Nothing is the same as watching the other person’s eyes widen. Their look of immediate disbelief dissolves as you hand it to them and they receive it with a huge grin on their face.

I decided to […]

Is it wrong to tweet on Christmas Day?

The immediate reaction is hands raised in horror. How crass, how selfish, how insensitive!

But is it?

I remember as a kid having ‘quiet times’ on Christmas day. We had the ecstasy of early morning present-unwrapping – scarf, pencils, jigsaw, books, new jumper – then breakfast, followed by the first ‘quiet time’ when […]

Are some genres more equal than others?

I love bookshops. I love bookstalls at charity dos and the second-hand paperback club. I love the book table at conferences. The second and third are informal; the offer is either serendipity or confined to the books written by speakers (and certainly in the case of the RNA) attendees. Running my hands over the spines […]

Rejection - why it shouldn't be followed by dejection

I wrote this back in 2011 when I was considering going the traditional publishing route, but even in 2019 it’s still very relevant, so please forgive any anachronisms and read on…

I’m busy writing Book 3 but in the meantime, sending Book 1 out into the world. I’ve polished my manuscript, I’ve hand-crafted my cover […]

Christmas cake and childhood memories that make us… and our characters.

The minute I announced on Twitter that today I was going to make The Christmas Cake, memories of cinnamon, oranges, brandy and cake mix poured into my head.

I saw myself aged six or seven standing by my mother at the kitchen table. It was half-term and my mother, a teacher, had that precious week […]