• RLF News
• Article

My Writing Life: Alice Loxton

Alice Loxton is 30-year-old historian, presenter and Sunday Times bestselling author with over three million followers on social media. She has written three non-fiction history books.

Her debut, UPROAR!, was released in 2023. Her second book, Eighteen, was published in August 2024 by Pan Macmillan. Alice’s third book, Eleanor: A 200-Mile Walk in Search of England’s Lost Queen (Pan Macmillan), was released in November 2025, and launched at Poets’ Corner in Westminster Abbey. In June 2026, Eleanor won a Society of Authors’ Somerset Maugham Award.

1. What book should every writer read?

I think it’s always worth re-reading books which you loved when you were a child. It reminds you why you loved reading in the first place. For me that would be CS Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia.

2. What is your typical writing day like?

I usually write quite intensely, perhaps writing a book within four months. I tend to work better late at night, after dinner, when I seem to be less distracted. Sometimes this means writing until 4 in the morning.

3. Who has been an influential figure in your writing career?

Jane Austen. I read Northanger Abbey when I was young and it opened my eyes to how times in the past were full of humour – which is an important thing in writing!

4. What is the one thing you wish someone had told you before you started your career as a professional writer?

There’s always room for reinvention. I write about history and I had always supposed it had to be quite serious, but since writing I’ve realised it can be lots of fun. I have lots of personal photos in my non-fiction history books, fictitious interludes, plus word searches, crosswords and quizzes at the back. I’ve even made up words – for example, in my book UPROAR! which was all about James Gillray I used the term “Gillrayic”, to mean in the style of James Gillray.

5. What is the best advice you’ve ever received about your writing?

Write the books you would want to read. And definitely don’t worry about what the reviewers say (I say, as someone who reviews books!) as it’s really just one person’s opinion.

6. What has been the proudest moment of your career so far?

It was very exciting to be on the Sunday Times bestseller list, and winning Blackwell’s Book of the Year 2024. But I feel the most satisfaction when I meet readers who have been to historical locations because of reading my books.

7. What are you reading right now?

I’ve been lucky enough to read a proof of Katherine Pangonis’ brilliant book A History of France in 21 Women. It’s absolutely fantastic.

8. Bookmarker or page-folder?

Page folder. And I think it’s fine to write and make notes in books too – pen, highlighter, whatever you have!

This article originally appeared on our Substack. 

You might also like: