Our group of authors contributing to Historical Stories of Exile was delighted to receive this warm review from the Historical Novel Society.
I have to admit that I was particularly chuffed to see a special mention for my story ‘My Sister’ which features Marcellus Virus and his nightmare of a sister, Flavola, two characters who appear in my new book EXSILIUM out later this month.
“My Sister” by Alison Morton is a vivacious tale of sisterly troublemaking and high-stakes politics in ancient Rome. The Roman details and long-suffering narrator make this tale thoroughly enjoyable.”
Ooo!
Here’s an excerpt from My Sister
Rome AD 395. Marcellus Varus (narrating) is attending a dinner party with his sister, Flavola. He’s chatting with friends Lucius Apulius and Gaius Mitelus before eating.
‘How’s your sister taking it?’ Gaius asked me, nodding to the group of women where Flavola stood with a sullen expression.
‘Ah. Well, I…’
‘What?’
‘I haven’t exactly told her yet.’
Lucius looked at me in disbelief. Gaius collapsed laughing. The group of women turned and stared at the outburst of noise. Even the dozen or so other men at the back of the atrium sent puzzled looks at us. After a heartbeat, they returned to their talking. Maelia looked across the room and frowned at us. Lucius took my arm and hustled me into a side room. Gaius followed, still chuckling.
Lucius pushed me down onto a stool.
‘Are you seriously saying that you haven’t told Flavola you’re uprooting her from Rome, from all she knows, and going into voluntary exile?’
‘Look,’ I said, ‘it was hard enough to get her here tonight. She doesn’t get on with Maelia.’
‘You’re wrong, Marcellus,’ Gaius said. ‘She doesn’t get on with anybody.’
‘Don’t poke at my sister, Gaius. You’re not the easiest piece in the pack.’
So that’s all going to go well…
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The full list of contributing authors: : Annie Whitehead, J.G. Harlond, Helen Hollick, Anna Belfrage, Elizabeth Chadwick, Loretta Livingstone, Elizabeth St.John, Charlene Newcomb, Marian L Thorpe, Amy Maroney, Cathie Dunn and Cryssa Bazos. Deborah Swift gave us a brilliant introduction.
You can buy Historical Stories of Exile here: https://mybook.to/StoriesOfExile
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My novel about the Romans and what drove them to their exile, EXSILIUM, is out on 27 February, but you can pre-order the ebook now:
Amazon: https://mybook.to/EXSILIUM
Other retailers: https://books2read.com/EXSILIUM
Exile – Living death to a Roman
AD 395. In a Christian Roman Empire, the penalty for holding true to the traditional gods is execution.
Maelia Mitela, her dead husband condemned as a pagan traitor, leaving her on the brink of ruin, grieves for her son lost to the Christians and is fearful of committing to another man.
Lucius Apulius, ex-military tribune, faithful to the old gods and fixed on his memories of his wife Julia’s homeland of Noricum, will risk everything to protect his children’s future.
Galla Apulia, loyal to her father and only too aware of not being the desired son, is desperate to escape Rome after the humiliation of betrayal by her feckless husband
For all of them, the only way to survive is exile.
EXSILIUM is the sequel to JULIA PRIMA and the two books make up the Foundation strand in the Roma Nova series.
Happy reading!
Alison Morton is the author of Roma Nova thrillers – INCEPTIO, CARINA (novella), PERFIDITAS, SUCCESSIO, AURELIA, NEXUS (novella), INSURRECTIO and RETALIO, and ROMA NOVA EXTRA, a collection of short stories. Audiobooks are available for four of the series. Double Identity, a contemporary conspiracy, starts a new series of thrillers. JULIA PRIMA, Roma Nova story set in the late 4th century, starts the Foundation stories. The sequel, EXSILIUM, will be out on 27 February 2024.
Download ‘Welcome to Alison Morton’s Thriller Worlds’, a FREE eBook, as a thank you gift when you sign up to Alison’s monthly email update. You’ll also be among the first to know about news and book progress before everybody else, and take part in giveaways.
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