Author Blog Tour ~ Alison Morton

I am delighted to welcome Alison Morton

and to be part of her PERFIDITAS

Blog Tour 2013

 Author of PERFIDITAS

Silverwood Books

October 2013

www.alison-morton.com @alison_morton

Author of INCEPTIO, an alternate history thriller published by SilverWood Books in March 2013

Shortlisted for the 2013 International Rubery Book Award B.R.A.G. MedallionTM honoree

*~ Alison - welcome to Jaffareadstoo~*

Where did the idea for the Roma Nova series come from?

I was eleven and on holiday in north-east Spain. Fascinated by the Roman mosaics in Ampurias, I wanted to know who had made them, whose houses they were in, who had walked on them.

After my father explained about traders, senators, power and families, I tilted my head to one side and asked him, “What would it be like if Roman women were in charge, instead of the men?” Maybe it was the fierce sun boiling my brain, maybe early feminism surfacing or maybe it was just a precocious kid asking a smartass question. But clever man and senior ‘Roman nut’, my father replied, “What do you think it would be like?”

Real life intervened (school, university, career, military, marriage, parenthood, business ownership, move to France), but the idea bubbled away in my mind. My mind was morphing the setting of ancient Rome into a new type of Rome, a state that survived the dissolution of the Western Roman Empire into the 21st century, but retaining its Roman identity. And one where the social structure changed; women were going to be leading society.

What is it about PERFIDITAS that will pique the reader's interest?

Readers of the first book in the series, INCEPTIO, said they loved the mix of history, mystery, action adventure and romance of Roma Nova; all those elements are in PERFIDITAS, but in different ways.

PERFIDITAS, although the second in the series, can be read as a stand-alone story or as a sequel. As it’s set in an imaginary Roman country where women rule, there’s a feminist streak running through. The heroine, Carina, is an officer in the 21st century Praetorian Guard. Yes, she’s tough and sassy but vulnerable; she’s almost overwhelmed by the betrayals surrounding her. And apart from trying to stop conspirators determined to overthrow the government, she’s torn by personal dilemmas which I think will resonate with readers.

PERFIDITAS has as many plot twists and turns as INCEPTIO so I hope readers will be surprised and intrigued.

PERFIDITAS is the second book in the Roma Nova series – did you feel more of an obligation to make this book even better than the first?

I think all writers strive to make their following book better than the previous one! Keeping the story lively without losing the plot – literally – is crucial as is attention to detail. And in a series, it’s important to develop the characters in their personal stories as well as drive the action forward.

How much research did you do for the book, and did anything surprise you?

I built on the research I had accumulated for INCEPTIO. Authenticity and plausibility are crucial for an imagined setting; you can’t Google it or load the Wikipedia page! But inventing a country doesn’t mean you can throw any old facts into your book; they have to hang together in a logic way. I wanted to give readers connections between ancient Rome and the 21st century. For instance, I’ve used the 4th century Roman coinage name, solidus, for the Roma Nova currency, but today they have notes, debit cards and internet banking.

Can you tell us if there are more Roma Nova books planned?

Haha! Yes, indeed there are. I’m working on SUCCESSIO which is a slight play on words which in Latin can mean “what happens next” as well as “the next generation”.

After that, we go back a little in Roma Nova history for the following three books.

For a glimpse of what Roma Nova may look like, click here…

 

http://alison-morton.com/roma-nova/roma-nova-what-it-could-look-like/

And finally:

Who, or what are your main literary influences?

I read a lot and across different genres, so that’s a really hard question to answer. Rosemary Sutcliff’s Eagle of the Ninth must be the first Roman novel I ever read. It terrified and thrilled me at the same time - I wanted more! Then followed a steady diet of spy and adventure stories from the Simon Templar “Saint” series right up to William Boyd’s Restless and Ian Rankin’s Rebus, plus historical fiction from Jean Plaidy to Elizabeth Chadwick and Lindsey Davis via Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer.

I’ve just finished Simon Scarrow’s Blood Crows, the latest of his Macro and Cato Roman Army novels. Simon very kindly gave me a lovely endorsement for PERFIDITAS and I had the pleasure of meeting him at the Harrogate History Festival last month.

Read about Alison's meeting with Simon Scarrow here

Alison is very kindly offering a signed copy of PERFIDITAS to one lucky winner

a Rafflecopter giveaway

My review of Perfiditas

As good, if not better, than the first...

Perfiditas is the clever continuation of the story which began in Inceptio, and follows the story of Captain Carina Mitela of the Praetorian Guard Special Forces as she continues her life with her family in Roma Nova. As always, the momentum of the narrative never falters and the pace continues with a fast and furious story of conspiracy, treachery and betrayal at the highest level.

What I like best about this series is the author’s fine attention to detail and her uncanny ability of, not just creating an altogether alternate history, but also of maintaining the status quo in a story which abounds with excitement and enthusiasm. The characters become quite real in your mind, and even though deep down you know that Roma Nova doesn’t exist beyond the author’s imagination, there is a real temptation to hop on a plane and go find the place for yourself.

There is always the danger that the second book in a series will be a bit of a letdown, either the plot doesn’t feel as strong, or the development of the characters can seem a little insipid, however, there is no such fear with Perfiditas, if anything the plot this time is stronger and more succinct and you can sense that the author has a real emotional commitment to the characters and their lives.

I am sure that in the hands of this very capable author, the alternate world of Roma Nova will continue to go from strength to strength, and I look forward to being an enthusiastic traveller on the Roma Nova journey for quite some time.

*~ Thank you so much Alison for spending time with us ~*

Jaffa and I have really enjoyed hosting this interview and look forward to many more trips to Roma Nova.

***

Safkhet Soul Tour 4th – 8th November 2013

Safkhet Soul Tour 4th – 8th November 2013 

Come and join the fun! 

Blog tour dates 

4th November – Suzie Tullet joins Donna at http://donnasroomforreading.blogspot.co.uk/ 

4th November - Carol E Wyer joins JB at http://brookcottagebooks.blogspot.co.uk/ 

5th November – Suzie Tullett joins Josie at http://jaffareadstoo.blogspot.co.uk/ 

5th November – Carol E Wyer joins Sharon at http://jerasjamboree.com/ 

5th November – Carol E Wyer joins Jane at http://booketta.blogspot.co.uk/ 

6th November – Sheryl Browne joins Lisa at http://bookaddictedhousewife.blogspot.co.uk/ 

7th November – Lin Treadgold joins Lisa at http://bookalicious-traveladdict.blogspot.co.uk/ 

7th November Suzie Tullett joins Laura at http://lauraslittlebookblog.blogspot.co.uk/

Jaffareadstoo and Safkhet Publishing present

Suzie Tullett, Author of Little White Lies and Butterflies

What was your best ever job

I’ve had some pretty interesting jobs over the years but aside of being a writer, my best ever job has been being a mum. Of course, if you met my two sons you’d understand why. I couldn’t have asked for two nicer boys and naturally, I’m taking full credit.

If you could invite anybody for dinner, who would it be and what would you cook?

You’re probably going to think I’m really boring here, but I’d invite my friends and family. We’re dotted all over the place so it would be great for us to get together. Not that I’d be doing any of the cooking, I’d leave that to my youngest son. His roast beef in red wine gravy is to die for.

If you could spend the rest of your life with a fictional character, who would it be and why?

Any character played by Johnny Depp. As for why, does it really need an explanation?

Your desert island 5 books

Anything by Marion Keyes

Anything by Agatha Christie

Dead Run by Erica Spindler
The Last Anniversary by Liane Moriarty

The Ivy Chronicles by Karen Quinn

My Review of Little White Lies and Butterflies

Lydia Livingston is soon to turn thirty and whilst taking stock of her life she realises that she needs to get a grip on what she really wants for herself. She is always searching for a ‘Mr Right’ who never seems to come along and even though her family think she is over choosy, Lydia knows that there is someone worth waiting for. When she decides to travel to Greece, her life is about to take on a whole new meaning.

There was plenty about this romantic comedy which made me smile. Not just the beautiful Greek setting, which was glorious, but also in the story, which sees Lydia embarking on a whole new career as a chef in a Greek restaurant, the fact that she can’t cook, never dampens her enthusiasm, but it does bring a whole new set of problems, mainly with the mysterious Sam, who seems determined to turn Lydia’s world upside down.

This is a lovely light story which is perfectly readable either lounging on a sun bed by the side of a swimming pool, or as an escape from a dull and grey Autumnal afternoon.

Little White Lies and Butterflies is available now

Find out more about Suzie Tullett

 http://www.safkhetpublishing.com/authors/Suzie_Tullett.htm

 https://twitter.com/SuzieTullett

 http://suzietullett.com/

Safkhet Publishing are kindly offering readers the chance to win one of the following titles

Please complete the form below to be entered in the UK giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

To The Fair Land Blog Tour - Guest Post - Lucienne Boyce - Giveaway

Wanderers and Writers: The Inspiration for To The Fair Land

I am delighted to welcome Lucienne Boyce

as she talks about who inspired her to write To The Fair Land

The question is not so much what inspired me to write To The Fair Land, as who. It was my literary heroine, novelist and diarist Frances Burney (1752–1840).


To The Fair Land grew out of my fascination with the secrecy surrounding the publication of Burney’s first novel, Evelina. Burney’s motives for keeping her authorship secret are not entirely clear. Perhaps she feared hostile criticism, or losing respectability, or was anxious not to draw attention to family scandals (her brother had just been sent down from Cambridge University for theft). Whatever her reasons, she wrote in secret and published anonymously (although the truth came out eventually).

I began to wonder what would happen if a book was published anonymously with more at stake than a reputation. I imagined the possibility of a publication that meant real danger to people connected with it. But what could be so important? Again, I found the clues in Burney’s novels and diaries. Her brother James served in the Resolution on Captain Cook’s second voyage in search of the Great Southern Continent, a landmass which many believed existed in the southern hemisphere.

What could be more exciting than the quest for new lands? At stake are lives, fortunes, even the fate of a nation…so Ben Dearlove, the hero of To The Fair Land, is in peril because of his obsession with an anonymous book about a voyage to the Great Southern Continent. The heroine, Sarah Edgcumbe, is a homeless wanderer who has to conceal the truth about her past – like the heroine of Burney’s novel The Wanderer. She’s also named, incidentally, after Frances’s step-sister Sarah, and like her namesake is a writer.

It was Frances Burney’s writing that first interested me in the eighteenth century. Now I’m so hooked I’m writing my own novels set in the period. She truly is my inspiration!

***

My thanks to Lucienne Boyce and to Joanna Zefron at Silverwood Books for the generous giveaway and for allowing Jaffa and I to be part of To The Fair Land Blog Tour 2013

a Rafflecopter giveaway



To The Fair Land Book Blurb

A thrilling eighteenth-century mystery about a map, an author, and a vicious killer.

In 1789 struggling writer Ben Dearlove rescues a woman from a furious Covent Garden mob. The woman is ill and in her delirium cries out the name "Miranda”. Weeks later an anonymous novel about the voyage of the Miranda to the fabled Great Southern Continent causes a sensation. Ben decides to find the author everyone is talking about. He is sure the woman can help him – but she has disappeared.

It is soon clear that Ben is involved in something more dangerous than the search for a reclusive writer. Who is the woman and what is she running from? Who is following Ben? And what is the Admiralty trying to hide? Before he can discover the shocking truth Ben has to get out of prison, catch a thief, and bring a murderer to justice.

Good Luck in the giveaway !!