Today we feature
Alison Morton
The Sentry by Alison Morton
Roman province of Noricum, AD 395
When danger strikes and you are on your own with only
fear as a companion...
trailer/animation by Jean Gill (A.I. generated)
cover graphics by www.avalongraphics.org
(some stories have an adult content others a 'you will need tissues' warning)
Fifteen short stories about Courage
featuring authors:
The Sentry - Noricum AD 395
Derek Birks
The Saxon - Southern Britain AD 471
Marian L Thorpe
The Phoenix - a fictional country circa AD 900
Judith Arnopp
Siflede - London 1066
Annie Whitehead
Daisy Chain - England 1141
Anna Belfrage
Stepping Between - England 1308
Carolyn Hughes
Confronting Plague - England 1361
Patricia Furstenberg
Kate’s Letter - Transylvania 1478
Amy Maroney
The Portrait’s Secret - Paris 1536
Jean Gill
Legacy - England 1558
Cathie Dunn
Darkness Rising - Venezia 1923
Helen Hollick
A Taleteller’s Tale - The Caribbean 1709
Elizabeth St.John
The Gate - London 1900
Antoine Vanner
A Sack of Potatoes - The Netherlands 1954
Kathy Hollick-Bater
Grumpy Old Grandfather – Anywhere, Present-day
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| About Alison's story |
I wrote The Sentry because Helen asked me to!
The female characters in my Roma Nova thriller series have self-doubts, impatience and make mistakes, but they are usually competent, confident and courageous. So writing a shy, gentle, home-focused young Roma Novan character who faces a terrifying challenge while being frightened into her boots was a real reversal for me. I loved it! [Helen: so did I!]
According to a recent social media trend, people still think of the Roman Empire every day nearly two thousand years later. Well, the Roma Nova alternative history thrillers meet the needs of those who would like to see a bit of it survive. But in a twist, the women run the 21st century version!
The Sentry is a story from the earliest days of Roma Nova and directly follows EXSILIUM which recounts its foundation.
Writing short stories is a change from working on my usual 90-100,000-word novels, but even then they turn out a bit long as shown in the three in my new collection HEROICA out a few weeks ago. But in the end, a story is as long as it turns out to be.
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| read a snippet from The Sentry by Alison Morton |
Roman province of Noricum, AD 395
When danger strikes and you are on your own with only
fear as a companion
I can’t do this. I really can’t. I shivered and pulled my cloak tighter. Where was the relief force? Would my comrade die? I peered into the eastern sky. Please, Aurora, goddess of the dawn, come soon.
Driving one of the family carts on our journey from Rome into exile was exhausting, but it was something we all did. My hands would be sore from handling the reins, despite the salve Mother put on them each night. The smell of the mules shitting and the incessant creak of the wheels as they clattered along, plus the threat of my remaining uncles and cousins being dragged off to fight in Stilicho’s army against the Goths had overwhelmed me enough for the rest of my days, however many they may be. Now, we were here in Noricum and settling into a new life.
About Alison:
Alison Morton writes the thrillers she always wanted to read – ones featuring tough but compassionate heroines. Her eleven-book Roma Nova thriller 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.
All six full-length Roma Nova novels have won the BRAG Medallion, the prestigious award for indie fiction. SUCCESSIO, AURELIA, INSURRECTIO and JULIA PRIMA have been selected as Historical Novel Society’s Editor’s Choices. AURELIA was a finalist in the 2016 HNS Indie Award. The Bookseller selected SUCCESSIO as Editor’s Choice in its inaugural indie review.
Six years’ military service, a fascination with ancient Rome and a life of reading crime, historical and thriller fiction have inspired her writing. She lives in Poitou in France, the home of Mélisende, the heroine of her contemporary thrillers, Double Identity, Double Pursuit and Double Stakes.
Website: https://alison-morton.com
Amazon author page: https://Author.to/AlisonMortonAmazon
| Alison's latest release HEROICA: Three women, three centuries, three reckonings (Roma Nova Thriller Series Book 12)  |
| https://mybook.to/HEROICA_RomaNova |
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publication date: 17th June 2026 e-book pre-order |
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more great anthologies featuring various authors |
> Next spotlight: Derek Birks (tomorrow)
You might also like books written by
Helen Hollick
cosy mystery series
nautical supernatural adventure
historical fiction:
King Arthur / 1066 era
non-fiction:
Ghost Encounters
Pirates /smugglers
Say thank you...
leave a comment on Amazon or Goodreads etc
I was drawn to THE SENTRY precisely because the heroine is so different from many other strong women we encounter in historical fiction. Alison added a very human dimension to the founding of Roma Nova. That thought stayed with me.
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