Amazons: Myth, Fear, Long Memory The Amazons stride through ancient myth with spears, bows, and a reputation that unsettled the ancient world. These warrior women, said to live beyond the edges of the known Greek world near the Black Sea, were described as superb horse-archers, fiercely…

For #WomensHistoryMonth, a few thoughts to set the discussion going... #herstory www.alison-morton.com/2026/03/16/w...

Via Flaminia – crossing the spine of Roman Italy www.alison-morton.com/2022/02/23/t... And where *did* the saying “All roads lead to Rome” come from? #viaflaminia #RomanEmpire #roads

#OTD 29 March 1194 The Lionheart visits Sherwood Forest charlenenewcomb.com/2017/03/otd-... #history #historicalfiction

💫🌹📖KINDLE UNLIMITED🌹📖💫 The enduring mystery of the Princes in the Tower. "A gripping account filled with treachery, intrigue, and family drama." Historical Fiction Company Book of the Year #Medieval #HistoricalFiction #KindleUnlimited geni.us/GodmothersSe...

Ancient Roman gemstone with grasshopper chariot - Boing Boing boingboing.net/2026/03/27/a...

Spring has sprung! From the cherry tree in my garden.

Today, author Alison Morton introduces Aurelia & Carina Mitela – feisty heroines from Roma Nova. Meet two remarkable characters whose loyalty and integrity leads them into danger! thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2026/03/awar... #AlternateFiction #WomensHistoryMonth @alisonmorton.bsky.social

May I offer a thriller with a Roman twist? In an alternative 20th century, Praetorian Aurelia is hunting a silver smuggler who threatens to ruin Roma Nova. But Aurelia is caught between saving her country, her lover or her child. books2read.com/AURELIARomaN... #alternativehistory #thriller

Rosemary Hayes – Code of Honour I'm delighted to welcome Rosemary Hayes back to the writing blog. She has written many books for children in a variety of genre, from edgy teenage fiction, historical fiction and middle grade fantasy to chapter books for early readers and texts for picture books. …

To DRM or not to DRM? *The* question for #authors who publish with Amazon. We spend months researching, writing and honing a 1000,000 word story, so should we open our work up for free download or at least *try* to protect it? You decide! alisonmortonauthor.com/2025/12/20/t... #writinglife

Via Flaminia – crossing the spine of Roman Italy www.alison-morton.com/2022/02/23/t... And where *did* the saying “All roads lead to Rome” come from? #viaflaminia #RomanEmpire #roads

"Thrillers" is such a wide category. Stories can be psychological, crime, espionage, historical, domestic, international, speculative and even mine which are alternative Roman historical thrillers. That's not even straying into mystery or suspense! #thrillerbooks #readingthrillers

For #WomensHistoryMonth, a few thoughts to set the discussion going... #herstory www.alison-morton.com/2026/03/16/w...

"I truly love the way [the author] brings powerful, character-driven stories to life within the framework of history. In Rogues and Kings, the past never feels like a lecture or a timeline to memorize—it feels lived in." #bookreviews #historicalfiction 💙📚 books2read.com/RoguesKings

Women’s history? Or her story? Wikipedia defines women’s history as follows, ‘Women's history is the study of the role that women have played in history, together with the methods needed to study women. It includes the study of the history of the growth of woman's rights throughout recorded…

I thoroughly enjoyed Char Newcomb's latest novel, beautifully combining myth, fact and historical fiction. #GreatHistoricalFiction #HistoricalFiction #NewReleast #MedievalSky

Double Pursuit ebook in the Mélisende contemporary thriller series is 99pence/99cents until Thursday 13 March. Mel – Ex-French special forces Jeff – A tough London Met cop Gun-running, corruption, murder and a nemesis from the past. books2read.com/DoublePursuit #crimethriller

Writers about writing Writers can't help talking about writing, especially when they meet other writers. When I was invited by Morgen Bailey to take part in the online Self Pub Fest in January, I enthusiastically said yes! Self-Pub Fest is a quarterly in person book festival celebrating…

IWD and the Roma Nova way International Women’s Day is a moment to celebrate women’s achievements, recognise the struggles that shaped them and look ahead to the work still to be done. Across the world, some women have stepped into leadership, challenged expectations and reshaped societies.…

Experts said, "Start on page 1 with a murder." So I did. ;-) Double Identity, the first Mélisende European #thriller is the result. books2read.com/DoubleIdentity Murder, deception, racketeering, an ex-French special forces heroine + a tough London cop with attitude. Yep, there are sparks... #books

Writing tics – The beasties! A writing tic is something you write over and over again without realising it. Perhaps you're in the zone and the words are flowing, especially on your first draft.  You’re bashing the story out and before you know it your favourite writing tic is all over the place.…

Hidden 18th century businesswomen I'm delighted to welcome Jane Davis to the blog today. She is the author of character-driven historical and contemporary fiction that bridges meticulous research with compelling emotionally-rich storytelling.  Her novels explore subjects ranging from the life of a…

What do you do when a friend discovers ancient bones under her kitchen floor in the Languedoc? Write a brilliant historical fiction novel inspired by the find, of course! @cathiedunn.bsky.social #GreatHistoricalFiction @maryanneyarde.bsky.social www.elizabethjstjohn.com/guest-author...

Double Identity – a contemporary thriller in the ‘real world’ – was a departure from my Roma Nova thriller series. The series is still going strong with Double Stakes as the latest. But how did Mel's adventures start? With a body on Page 1, of course! www.alison-morton.com/books-2/doub... #books

A writing friend asked me about using AI to assist in various ancillary tasks including PR/marketing. I had a quick chat with ChatGPT about what it could do for me. (I needed a lie-down afterwards.) www.alison-morton.com/2025/04/03/c...

Writing tics – The beasties! A writing tic is something you write over and over again without realising it. Perhaps you're in the zone and the words are flowing, especially on your first draft.  You’re bashing the story out and before you know it your favourite writing tic is all over the place.…

Dresden – a fascinating city, especially when you set some scenes from you book there. super place to visit and not just to eat Eierschecke cake and drink hot chocolate! www.alison-morton.com/2025/11/01/a... With @abelfrageauthor.bsky.social

Visiting with Luciana Cavallaro today with this excerpt from Rogues & Kings #historicalfiction #booksky lucianacavallaro.me/rogues-kings...

Thank you for the awesome #bookreview, @abelfrageauthor.bsky.social #historicalfiction 💙📚

An amoral populist takes power The morning after the power grab by Caius Tellus on the night of fires in INSURRECTIO, people woke to find the proclamation below.  The new regime had pinned it on noticeboards, on the doors of public buildings and in the forum in Roma Nova city. By order of First…

Crime, romance, adventure, thriller, historical are all umbrella genres for fiction. Many books cross two or even three at a time. How to do this successfully? Read on... #writingtips #readingtips #fiction alisonmortonauthor.com/2019/04/08/c...

Starting a series by a new-to-you author can be daunting. When you sign up to my newsletter which gives you news, info, offers and photos, you can download two short stories entirely *free* – one for each of my thriller series. landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/lan... #shortstories #thrillers

By the 1970s, 99% of secretaries & clerical workers were women, but originally secretarial work was a man’s profession. In this post, I explore the lives and work of the first Lady Secretaries. lucienneboyce.com/the-lady-sec...

So how can I put this? Books can be bought online from *many* retailers: Apple, Kobo, B&N for Nook and many others, including your local bookshop. You do not need to visit Am*zon to enjoy a good read. Apple: books.apple.com/gb/book-seri... Kobo: www.kobo.com/fr/en/series... #books #buybooks

J.P. ReedmanHistfic @stonehenge2500 mybook.to/Dangereuse Dangereuse, a novel of Eleanor of Aquitaine's infamous grandmother. She left her husband to live 'in sin' in a tower built for her by William, troubadour lord of Aquitaine. Her daughter married William's son to calm family tensions.

A question for writers that never goes away: are you a plotter or pantser? (or 'panther' as AutoCorrupt insists on typing 🙄) Can readers spot the difference between a meticulously outlined story and a freely written narrative? #amwriting #readers alisonmortonauthor.com/2025/05/29/a...

It’s back to normal price now, but if I may be a little immodest, it’s still a good way to give you many hours of reading pleasure.

I forgot to change two of my books back to their regular price on Amazon! INCEPTIO is still at 99 pence/99cents instead of £2.99/$3.99 mybook.to/INCEPTIO Roma Nova – A place where honour and integrity count A heroine who must face a killer A historical thriller with a time twist... #Deal ends today

Delighted to announce that I'll be speaking on the crime panel at the online Self-Pub Fest this Sunday 25 January. Book here: self-pub-fest.co.uk/online.../25... The festival runs from 10 am-6pm UK time and is organised by the indefatigable Morgen Bailey.

I know it’s an ad, but it might give you relief from the real world news - a few hours' escape to a country where honour and integrity still count. INCEPTIO, the door to this world – Roma Nova – is open… Plus, it’s still only *99p/99c*! Kindle: mybook.to/INCEPTIO #alternativehistory #thrillers

When I woke up in the morning, I used to enjoy looking round the various news websites for world news. Now I click thinking, “What have the fools done while I’ve been asleep?”

⚔️ Rogues & Kings 🏹 Cover reveal & pre-order! books2read.com/u/bplgDJ #historicalfiction 💙📚

Damn looks like they found my old gaff from a past life. #romanbritain #britannia #romans #romanhistory

A charismatic, amoral manipulator seizes power and hollows out civil society through his nationalist movement. But is it already too late for Aurelia Mitela to save her country? www.alison-morton.com/books-2/insu... #political #thrillers #bookstoread

Chapters – Entitled or just a number? Is it better to put a title at the beginning of each chapter in your book or should you merely put a simple number? I’ve never used chapter titles when writing my own books although I’ve absorbed them when reading other books. What do chapter titles do? They…

Books enjoyed in 2025 As in previous years, reading books has given me enormous pleasure. Let's be honest, I've been a voracious reader since I was five. This year, I published a new thriller, Double Stakes, the sequel to Double Identity and Double Pursuit  plus participated in a number of events…

As I said in a review of this: "Get ready for a rollercoaster ride and hold on to your hat!" Get it!

Serious about series – Great fun to write and read! @helenhollick.bsky.social asks a few authors to give their thoughts: ofhistoryandkings.blogspot.com/2026/01/doin... @abelfrageauthor.bsky.social @susangrosseyauthor.bsky.social @marianlthorpe.bsky.social @elizabethstjohn.bsky.social