I’m delighted today to welcome Alison Morton as my guest, on publication day for the latest book in her Roma Nova series, a series prequel, Julia Prima – and it’s a particular honour to be launching the blog tour. I’ll hand over to Alison to tell you more – I’m really sorry that I just couldn’t find the space to fit in the reading – but I must tell you that it’s now available as an ebook and in paperback (those links will give you a choice of all the major platforms and retailers).
First of all, thank you, Anne, for hosting me on your blog on Julia Prima’s publication day. Even after eleven fiction and two non-fiction books, it’s still a day of excitement tinged with anxiety when your newest baby makes its first appearance.
Although part of my Roma Nova series, Julia Prima is different from the other nine books. The story of Julia and Lucius lies at the core, so the romance is central. But as it’s set between AD 369 and 371, before Roma Novan timeline split in AD 395, it means I have written a straight historical novel. Or perhaps I mean historical romance!
Julia’s home valley, Virunum – modern day Zollfeld, Austria
Sources for historical fiction set in the ancient world can be frustrating. Sometimes sporadic, other times very detailed or non-existent, they are usually written by elite men from their own point of view or their patron’s point of view. Often a great deal is omitted as these writers are producing accounts of events that please the hierarchy rather than making a full and accurate report.
However, with the Romans, the modern day historical fiction writer has two big advantages: academics and archaeologists have been studying the culture for a long time and applying meticulous techniques to tease out the truth; and happily for us, the Romans left a monumental amount of ‘stuff’ behind them over the twelve centuries of their civilisation in the West.
A Roman road – the Via Flaminia, Central Italy
Everywhere you look in Britain, Europe and parts of Asia you can stumble over amphitheatres, aqueducts, roads, house and barracks ruins, pots, coins, glass, weapons, messages, paintings, mosaics, instruments, household paraphernalia and jewellery littered all over the place which allow us fascinating insights into their lives. And more is unearthed every year.
Julia Prima is set in the last hundred years of Ancient Rome – not that Romans of that time were aware it was coming to an end. Some knew that things were going to the dogs, but every generation throughout human history says that! The sources from Julia’s time are not plentiful, so it’s a case of filling in the gaps as competently as possible.
Some essential tips for historical fiction writing
However much research you carry out for a historical novel of any kind, you should remember that you are writing fiction, not a historical essay. The personal experiences of your characters living in their natural environment (comfortably or poorly) must be at the forefront. As novelists, our job is to entertain our readers, perhaps convey a message as well as highlighting how people in the past may have lived, loved and dealt with the challenges of their times.
And you thought that working out was something modern? Have a look at this 2000 year old mosaic found in the Roman Villa at Casale, Sicily, Italy. Also – check out the bikinis…
Whatever sources are missing, we should strive to show the historical period as accurately as we can. Grief and joy are the same everywhere and everywhen. But what shocks us today, such as slavery, was seen as normal for the Romans. Conversely, Romans of the Classical period would be shocked at how many 21st century women work in prominent public and leadership roles.
For the vast majority of people living until fairly recently, life was short, grindingly hard and socially restricted, and where hunger and early infant death were normal. But in a complex society like the Roman one, there were thriving professional, artisan and trading classes as well as opportunities offered by service in the military. It’s not always only peasants vs. lords in historical fiction.
The strong romantic streak in Julia Prima is essential as it’s the story of when the founders of Roma Nova met, but it takes account of the legal and economic aspects of marriage which were considered at the time to be much more important than emotional connection. Rules governing families, property and paternal power ebbed and flowed over the 1,229 years of Rome’s existence, sometimes becoming more restrictive, other times more relaxed. The wise writer checks this!
Historical fiction, especially where romance is involved, shouldn’t just be a story of modern people in period dress. Understanding the values, attitudes and mentality of the people living in the chosen age is vital for giving an authentic feel to the story.
Julia Prima, the Roma Nova series prequel, is out today in ebook and paperback.
Many thanks Alison – that was fascinating! I’ll be following the tour and look forward to reading the reviews… and let’s take a closer look at the book:
“You should have trusted me. You should have given me a choice.”
AD 370, Roman frontier province of Noricum. Neither wholly married nor wholly divorced, Julia Bacausa is trapped in the power struggle between the Christian church and her pagan ruler father.
Tribune Lucius Apulius’s career is blighted by his determination to stay faithful to the Roman gods in a Christian empire. Stripped of his command in Britannia, he’s demoted to the backwater of Noricum – and encounters Julia.
Unwittingly, he takes her for a whore. When confronted by who she is, he is overcome with remorse and fear. Despite this disaster, Julia and Lucius are drawn to one another by an irresistible attraction.
But their intensifying bond is broken when Lucius is banished to Rome. Distraught, Julia gambles everything to join him. Following her heart’s desire brings danger she could never have envisaged…
About the author
Alison Morton writes award-winning thrillers featuring tough but compassionate heroines. Her nine-book Roma Nova series is set in an imaginary European country where a remnant of the ancient Roman Empire has survived into the 21st century and is ruled by women who face conspiracy, revolution and heartache but with a sharp line in dialogue.
She blends her fascination for Ancient Rome with six years’ military service and a life of reading crime, historical and thriller fiction. On the way, she collected a BA in modern languages and an MA in history.
Alison now lives in Poitou in France, the home of Mélisende, the heroine of her two contemporary thrillers, Double Identity and Double Pursuit. Oh, and she’s writing the next Roma Nova story.
Roma Nova website | Alison’s writing blog | Facebook author page | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads | Amazon page | Newsletter sign-up
Thank you so much for featuring JULIA PRIMA on her first launch tour stop. A real pleasure to be here.
And a pleasure to welcome you, Alison…