Author of
INCEPTIO and PERFIDITAS, first two alternate history thrillers in the Roma Nova
series, published by SilverWood Books. B.R.A.G. Medallion® honorees. Both
shortlisted in the 2014 Self-Published Book of the Year Award.
Alison has been kind enough to chat to Jaffareadstoo about SUCCESSIO
Tell us
three interesting things about your novel, SUCCESSIO, which will pique the
reader’s interest.
Firstly, the story
is set in a small 21st century Roman country in central Europe,
founded by dissidents sixteen hundred years ago and now ruled by women. The
tough little country of Roma Nova lives by early Roman virtues, and defends
itself robustly, but is at the forefront of the digital revolution.
Secondly, the
plot springs quite a few surprises as we find out about the complex family
relationships behind the story of revenge. Perhaps the tone in SUCCESSIO is a
little darker than in the first two books in the series, but the danger is
grave.
And the third
thing? My heroine, Carina, whom readers may have met already in INCEPTIO and
PERFIDITAS, has a sense of humour as well as a bad attitude towards those who
are up to no good… She’s going to need both.
What was the
most difficult aspect of the writing SUCCESSIO and how did you overcome it?
The Roman background was familiar and for the thriller and military
aspects I drew on my own experience. However, some of the non-historical
research, especially in the psychological area, took me into new areas. But I
had some expert help from a practising psychiatrist, plus I became fascinated
by how little we know about what goes on in our heads. Now that was a scary
thing to find out!
Whilst you
are writing you must live with your characters. How do you feel about them when
the book is finished? Are they what you expected them to be?
I hate
finishing! Leaving the characters is the worst part of writing. I think that’s
why I’m carrying on the series beyond this third book. But I deliberately moved
Carina’s life a little further on in each book. Realistically, she can’t have
death-defying, ‘save the world’ adventures every year of her life. At the start
of INCEPTIO she’s 24, in PERFIDITAS 32
and here in SUCCESSIO she’s 39/40 with a 14/15 year old daughter. I wanted to
see how her life had developed over a period.
Is she as I
expected? Probably more mature by book 3 than I originally conceived her.
Although she has to face some serious challenges, she does learn by them and
it’s a joy to watch. How strange that sounds! Almost as if she was a very close
friend, sister or colleague.
How do you
manage to balance writing with your everyday life and what do you do to relax?
Well, I have a plan every day when I wake up and by the time I go to bed,
I realise it has never quite worked out. In theory, I write in the morning and
do emails, social media, admin and write blogposts(!) in the afternoon. My aim
is a minimum of 500 sensible words a day, preferably 1,000. Sometimes, I have
to go to the supermarket and wash my hair, though. I like swimming, reading, of
course, and drinking wine.
What's next
for Roma Nova?
I’ve drafted
about 70,000 words of the next adventure when we go back to the late 1960s in
Roma Nova and find out about the early life of Carina’s grandmother, Aurelia. A
grand passion, a pitiless enemy, silver smuggling and plots to wreck Roma
Nova’s economy surround Aurelia who places her love for her daughter and her
country above everything else.
My thanks to Alison for giving so generously of her time and for kindly offering a signed paperback copy of SUCCESSIO to one lucky winner.
My thoughts on SUCCESSIO
The fascinating world of Roma
Nova continues to enthral in this clever alternate history which maintains the
story of Carina Mitela, the leading female protagonist we have followed since the
very early days of INCEPTIO. SUCCESSIO takes up the story some years after the
conclusion of book II.
Threaded throughout the novel, the
ever present threat of danger is the central theme, but in SUCCESSIO, darker
elements are exposed and as old secrets are uncovered, the very real threat to
the Mitalea forces Carina into re-evaluating everything she has ever known
about her life in Roma Nova. The need to protect her family is, as always, paramount,
but Carina is no longer the young idealistic warrior, she is now far more
mature, with greater family responsibilities, and there is no doubt, that at
times, she finds these obligations difficult and fraught with danger.
There is no doubt that the
success of this series is down to the meticulous planning and fine attention to
detail that we have come to expect from this talented author. I am sure that
the series will run as long as Ms. Morton has the imagination to keep Roma Nova
alive.
As always, it’s a real treat return
to the vivid world of Roma Nova. The thrilling nature of the narrative brings time
and place to life in quite a believable way, so that almost without you realising
it, the characters take on a life of their own, and very soon Roma Nova becomes quite real in your imagination.
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