About to be terminated by a Berlin gangster working for her lifelong nemesis, ex-Praetorian Aurelia Mitela must draw on every ounce of courage, wit and resourcefulness inherited from her Roman ancestors to survive. books2read.com/AURELIARomaN... #althist #thrillers #histfic

The base of a 2,000 year old, Late Iron Age Durotrigian style Black Burnished Ware bowl from Winterborne Kingston #Dorset A series of squiggles were scored into the fabric prior to firing - decoration, doodle or pot-makers mark? 📷 during cleaning in June 2013 #FindsFriday

Are "what if" stories historical fiction? Some thoughts in this post. www.alison-morton.com/2015/09/16/a... #alternatehistory #historicalfiction

Looking for an escape from the news? Or for a country where honour and integrity count, sacrifice is valued and putting the country first is automatic? Roma Nova is imaginary, but oh, we'd love it to be real! alison-morton.com/2018/10/11/s... #bookstoread #RomaNovaSeries #althist #whatif

A trip to Mel’s Dresden Earlier in June, I waxed lyrical about Dresden in southeast Germany which was the scene for several chapters in my latest thriller Double Stakes. Never having been there, I had written heroine Mel and hero Jeff's scenes using Google Maps. What a shocking admission! Moving a…

On Active Service. Somewhere in Britannia. “Dear mum, send socks.” #HadriansWall #PlaymobilInfestation

This cause is close to my heart - please sign: you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/sa...

60,000 miles more Roman roads! Scientific journal Nature has just published a high-resolution dataset of roads of the Roman Empire by an international group of academics that suggests a much more extensive Road network than we could have imagined. The new map – an online database called Itiner-e –…

A trip to Mel’s Dresden Earlier in June, I waxed lyrical about Dresden in southeast Germany which was the scene for several chapters in my latest thriller Double Stakes. Never having been there, I had written heroine Mel and hero Jeff's scenes using Google Maps. What a shocking admission! Moving a…

First visit outdoors two weeks after breaking ankle in Berlin Airport on my way home from a fab trip to #Dresden

Aurelia Mitela struggles against a charismatic, amoral manipulator seizing power and destroying civil society through his nationalist movement. But is it already too late to save her country? www.alison-morton.com/books-2/insu... #bookstoread #politicalthriller #insurrection

Looking for an escape from the news? Or for a country where honour and integrity count, sacrifice is valued and putting the country first is automatic? Roma Nova is imaginary, but oh, we'd love it to be real! alison-morton.com/2018/10/11/s... #bookstoread #RomaNovaSeries #althist #whatif

A café in Dresden - the cake was amazing #DoubleStakes

The Le Guin Prize and the lost continent of imaginative fiction The 2025 Ursula K Le Guin Prize for Fiction is about to be awarded. It’s for works that are categorised as ‘imaginative fiction’ - they have elements of science fiction and fantasy, but also of literary. What does this look like?…

Making stuff up but based on real life – the challenge for novel writers, especially for your #characters www.fictionfire.co.uk/blog/2025/6/... #writinglife #books

Boycott Amazon? Not really an option for #authors or #readers. Many beautifully written, evocative, thrilling, meaningful, heart wrenching and soul-searching #books fell into oblivion and readers’ choices were limited. Amazon opened doors previously locked. alisonmortonauthor.com/2025/05/05/b...

From October 10-12, join popular crime writers John Dean and Ian Robinson, and editor Dea Parkin at the Selkirk Arms Hotel for a residential weekend of writing and learning. Information and booking at: buff.ly/TRmm7TY

“Spies, intrigue and wicked women at the Tudor court. "Evocative and moving, the period is wonderfully and brutally drawn." - #Review http://mybook.to/thewinchestergoose##Review ##Booksky 💙📚 ##HistoricalFiction ##Tudors ##TudorLondon

Poitou, Mel's homeland – Celts, Romans, wars of religion and la Révolution française. How Poitou survived them all. www.alison-morton.com/2021/01/04/p... #Poitou #DoubleStakes

This was such a stunning sunset last night that I want to share it. Such beauty confirms we are mere ants.

Making stuff up but based on real life – the challenge for novel writers, especially for your #characters www.fictionfire.co.uk/blog/2025/6/... #writinglife #books

Looking for some historical fiction? Check out books.bookfunnel.com/historicalfi... #bookpromo #histfic

Travel later in the late Roman Empire wasn’t quite as easy as in the 2nd century, and nothing like today, even discounting hold-up on trains and planes now. Read on... alison-morton.com/2018/10/16/h... #RomanEmpire #research #transport

#WEEKEND #WANDERING on my new weblog site: my guest @alisonmorton.bsky.social talks about #JULIAPRIMA one of her excellent #AwardWinning #RomaNova #series - do join us! #AltHist #Rome #BookProm #HistFic helenhollickauthor.blogspot.com/2025/09/week...

What does exile mean? And how significant was it for the Romans? www.alison-morton.com/2024/02/01/e... #exsilium

Well, you know I'm on my launch blog tour for EXSILIUM, so there'll be at least one piece a day on that theme! But this from #HelenHollick is a cracker. Do scroll down to the Q&A at the end afterwards. Oh, and she's added a terrific review. ofhistoryandkings.blogspot.com/2024/03/expl... #newrelease

An old-but-gold post that I've republished in the wake of writing and EXSILIUM. Yes creating a story is, er, creative, but it's also a process. Read on... alisonmortonauthor.com/2024/02/19/i... #writingtips

In the late #RomanEmpire Julia, Maelia, Lucius and Galla fight their fate. Seeking happiness is one thing, escaping death threats is quite another. JULIA PRIMA: books2read.com/JULIAPRIMA EXSILIUM: books2read.com/EXSILIUM #ThursThruTime #HistoricalFiction #AncientRome

Welcome to Day 3 of our blog tour for ༻*·EXSILIUM·*༺ by Alison Morton! Check out today's stops, sharing a fabulous review, fascinating guest post, spotlight & enticing excerpt! thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2024/02/blog... #HistoricalFiction#RomanFiction #BlogTour 🥰📚@alisonmorton.bsky.social

I confess a passion for #maps, so naturally, I mapped out 4th century Julia’s journey in JULIA PRIMA. Here’s how (plus I discovered the origins of Prosecco!) www.alison-morton.com/2022/11/18/a... #historicalfiction #RomanEmpire

Short reads are very popular at present. The Roma Nova thriller series has two: CARINA, on her first mission abroad (What could go wrong?), and NEXUS, where Aurelia does a favour which has unforeseen lethal consequences. CARINA: books2read.com/CARINA NEXUS: books2read.com/NEXUSRomaNova #thrillers

Conundrum: some of my readers say my Roma Nova series are thrillers. Others say speculative fiction. A third group say they're historical fiction. I've been trying to make my mind up for 12 years. Do we need fixed genres? Are mixed genres normal? Who says so?

Check out The Coffee Pot Book Club #BookOfTheWeek: 💫Julia Prima by Alison Morton💫 Discover an enthralling, well-researched tale of persecution, vengeance – and love! thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2025/09/book... #HistoricalFiction #AncientRome #BooksWorthReading @alisonmorton.bsky.social

September brings in more reading fun. Here's a small selection of the goodies available – Romans to WWII: books.bookfunnel.com/historicalfi... #historicalfiction @mjporterauthor.bsky.social @bookfunnel.bsky.social

Conundrum: some of my readers say my Roma Nova series are thrillers. Others say speculative fiction. A third group say they're historical fiction. I've been trying to make my mind up for 12 years. Do we need fixed genres? Are mixed genres normal? Who says so?

Beautiful cars - Citroën DS and a gorgeous colour!

Today is UK publication day for my new book, The Traitors Circle: The Rebels Against the Nazis and the Spy Who Betrayed Them. In the Telegraph, the critic Boris Starling called the book 'magnificent'. Here's a thread of his review

Short reads are very popular at present. The Roma Nova thriller series has two: CARINA, on her first mission abroad (What could go wrong?), and NEXUS, where Aurelia does a favour which has unforeseen lethal consequences. CARINA: books2read.com/CARINA NEXUS: books2read.com/NEXUSRomaNova #thrillers

Are 'what if' stories coming into fashion? www.alison-morton.com/2024/11/18/a...

What *is* it about writing about the Romans? Whether historians or #historicalfiction writers, we can't seem to stop! www.alison-morton.com/2025/03/17/w... #romanhistory

'an excellent novel, pyschologically astute and well-researched, and I can’t wait to read the next in the series. Review http://mybook.to/amoc http://mybook.to/amofaith http://mybook.to/amot ##HistoricalFiction

A mortar & pestle crushes plants while a blade cuts them. If you want to expel all the essential oils, full-bodied flavors, and unique body of a hunk of garlic or leaf of basil, crushing is the way to go. #herbs

#Ebook #readers : Last day at 99p! #Bargain READ NOW➡️ mybook.to/SOABeb ⬅️

We love the idea of a “what if” in history – #counterfactuals and #alternativehistory. Writing these stories stretches the imagination and is fun. But how to write in this framework? Robert Harris does it, JD Robb does it. Here are a few #writingtips www.alison-morton.com/2016/06/28/h...

Discover the real story of adventurer, courtier, explorer and poet, Sir Walter Raleigh, who has been called the last true Elizabethan. mybook.to/Raleigh #Elizabethan #Tudors #HistoricalFiction

45. Kindred, Octavia Butler Really powerful, moving, complex writing. Unafraid of morally grey character relationships (the central dynamic between Dana and Rufus is absolutely fascinating), and able to write about very hard subject matter without feeling gratuitous or exploitative. Amazing.

It's a beetle mosaic and you should thank us for it. #MosaicMonday

Marguerite of Anjou, queen to Henry VI and leader of the Lancastrians during the war of the roses. A woman who fought hard for her son's right to wear the crown of England. http://mybook.to/mhhnf ##newrelease ##histfic ##WOTR

What *is* it about writing about the Romans? Whether historians or #historicalfiction writers, we can't seem to stop! www.alison-morton.com/2025/03/17/w... #romanhistory

Roma Nova, a country where honour and integrity count, sacrifice is valued and putting the country first is automatic. Pity it's fiction, but at least we can escape there in our minds... alison-morton.com/2018/10/11/s... #escapist #fiction #RomaNovaSeries #althist #imagine #histfic