Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m Alison Morton and my first novel, INCEPTIO, an alternative history “what if” thriller, was published in March 2013 by SilverWood Books. It’s the story of a 25-year-old who crosses cultures, battles with an entangled emotional life and faces a relentless, vindictive pursuer. On the way she finds out quite a lot about herself.
And, of course, like the best of novels there’s a twist in the tale…
So what made my first book gripping, page turning, a ‘good read’?
– The ordinary person baffled and menaced by an unknown outside threat. Who is this guy who wants to destroy her?
– An alternate timeline of history. How would a small colony surviving from antiquity change the world?
– Universal human needs and goals – survival, security, love, self-knowledge, a place in the world and the urge to make things right
– A personal quest
Simple stuff, then 😉
Read more about INCEPTIO: http://alison-morton.com/books-2/inceptio/
The second in series, PERFIDITAS, came out in October 2013 ( http://alison-morton.com/books-2/perfiditas/). The third, SUCCESSIO, was published in June 2014 (http://alison-morton.com/books-2/successio/).
INCEPTIO was shortlisted for the 2013 International Rubery Book Award and along with PERFIDITAS was awarded the B.R.A.G. Medallion. Both books were shortlisted in the Writing Magazine 2014 Self-Published Book of the Year Award.
SUCCESSIO is the Historical Novel Society indie Editor’s Choice Autumn 2014.
Not a natural short story writer, I do try! Delighted to have been shortlisted in the Writing Magazine 2013 New Subscribers’ Short Story Competition for ‘Booked‘.
I’ve always been a ‘wordsmith’. Translating professionally for much of my career has made me pretty nit-picky about words, grammar, punctuation, document cohesion, theme and structure.
Oh, the qualification stuff: BA in Modern Languages Studies (French, German and Economics), post-graduate Diploma in Translation (Business & Legal options), MA in History (with a distinction!)
Annette Crossland of A for Authors literary agency represents me for the subsidiary and foreign rights for my books.
I’m a contributor to the Alternate History Weekly Update a site I thoroughly recommend – it’s friendly and knowledgeable.
I joined the Romantic Novelists’ Association (RNA) under the New Writers’ Scheme in 2010 and have found it supportive, collegiate and brimming with knowledge and experience. My other memberships include the Historical Novel Society (HNS), the Society of Authors and International Thriller Writers.
I give talks on writing, self-publishing and historical fiction at writers’ conferences, tutorial groups and associations.
Hobbies? Reading, wine, gardening (weeding is excellent inspiration for solving plot holes!) and, of course, anything Roman.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
SUCCESSIO – it’s the third in the Roma Nova series and is both a standalone thriller as well as taking the story of the first two books forward.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not particularly, just procrastination, a chaotic approach, but determination to achieve 500-1,000 words a day
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Fatherland – a masterly alternate history thriller by Robert Harris. He also wrote Pompeii, Imperium and Lustrum set in Ancient Rome
Anything by Anne McCaffrey and J D Robb
What are you working on now?
AURELIA – the fourth in the Roma Nova thriller series.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I think a wide and mixed approach is best: personal appearances at events, my own blog, my monthly newsletter (http://alison-morton.com/contact/newsletter/), traditional social media sites like Facebook and Twitter.
But a very efficient method to reach committed readers is a site like Awesomegang, of course!
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Keep going! Write rubbish other than write nothing – you can always go back and edit it later. And be true to yourself by writing what you are passionate about rather than writing for the market.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Be your own most determined (and if necessary, harsh) critic.
What are you reading now?
Wulfsuna by Elaine Moxon, a story of Britain just after the Romans left.
What’s next for you as a writer?
On writing, more of the same! My agent is seeking markets outside the UK. It would be lovely to be published by a big US house!
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Dreadful question – I’d want to tale 100!
Restless by William Boyd
Cross Stitch by DianaGabaldon
Pompeii by Robert Harris
The Night Watch by Terry Pratchett
Author Websites and Profiles
Alison Morton Website
Alison Morton Amazon Profile
Alison Morton’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
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