historical | Alison Morton Author

Harrogate History Festival (2) - Romans, shopgirls and Vikings

After my awayday in London, I arrived back on Saturday evening at The Old Swan in Harrogate in perfect time for a glass of red with Conn Iggulden, Simon Turney, Angus Donald, Harry Sidebottom, Derek Birks and Giles Christian. And what a sparky group that was; Viking axes, Roman ball-bearings and medieval sex!

A historically festive weekend in Harrogate - Part One

Conferences can be stimulating, fun or exhausting, or possibly all three. It’s wise to prepare beforehand, not just your travel tickets and hotel bookings, but which sessions you want to go to. Then you find out you want to go to all of them. Then you discover the conference clashes with a promised speaking engagement.

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Meet Ruth Downie - historical truth and donkey poo

Ruth Downie read too much Jane Austen at university, emerged with an English degree and a plan to get married and live happily ever after. As a backup she learned typing and shorthand, in the mistaken beliefs that people would always need secretaries and that she might be quite good at it. Finally escaping into […]

Writing people or writing stuff?

Talking online with some colleagues about historical and alternative historical writing, the conversation inevitably turned to research and how it was woven in or dripped into the story. We all declaimed against the dreaded info dump when the poor reader gets a JCB bucket size load of history book content poured on them. But how […]

Trust, betrayal and the Roman way

Tarpeian Rock, site of execution of traitors in Ancient Rome

Betrayal, treachery, treason, deceit, perfidy – all names for the calculated violation of trust.

Trust is something we build up gradually, firstly, in our parents and carers, then teachers, friends, mentors, colleagues, in lovers and partners, in a organisation, an ideal, a country. […]