Research | Alison Morton Author

Places and spaces

Former site of Judge Jeffreys assize

Last month I was in Dorchester for a few days’ writing retreat. The theory is that you concentrate on writing without distraction. But you also talk about writing and compare notes with other writers over meals, and even visit a few writing related places. The sitting muscles […]

Annelise Freisenbruch and the Rivals of the Republic

Today I’m delighted to welcome to my blog somebody whose writing I deeply admire. I bought ‘The First Ladies of Rome’, which explored the hidden history of women in Ancient Rome, as soon as I saw it in 2010. The author and today’s honoured guest, Annelise Freisenbruch, was born in Bermuda and studied Classics at […]

What the OU did for me and history

David Puttnam congratulating me at the degree ceremony

Study can broaden, widen and enrich your mind – that was a good enough reason for me when I signed up to do an MA in history with the Open University. I’d had to leave studying history at school because it clashed with Latin. (Who […]

World-building - not just for alternative history stories!

Today, I am delighted to welcome historical novelist Jean Fullerton to the writing blog. Born into a large East End family, Jean was brought up in the overcrowded streets clustered around the Tower of London. Her Victorian stories shining with authenticity have delighted both readers and critics. Jean’s latest book, Fetch Nurse Connie, set in […]

Meet Kathryn Gauci - The Embroiderer

Kathryn Gauci was born in England. After studying textile design at Loughborough College of Art, she worked in Athens as a carpet designer for six years and after much travelling settled down to run her own textile design studio in Melbourne for fifteen years. She now lives in Australia with her husband. The Embroiderer is […]