Alison Martin, novelist; born June 8, 1949, died March 7, 1998

Noted Scottish novelist Alison Martin, who wrote under her maiden name of Alison McLeay, has died in Dundee at the age of 48.

Formerly a distinguished freelance presenter and producer with BBC Radio, her writing was in the top of the range historical/romantic fiction genre and she enjoyed a considerable international readership throughout Europe and the US.

Born in Dundee and educated at Dundee High School - where she was English Dux - she went on to study English and medieval history at St Andrews University. While a student there, she was a founder member of the biennial St Andrews Festival of Arts - organised and administered solely by students and, as such, unique in Europe - which became recognised as one of the principal international winter festivals in the country, although eventually it folded during the nineties.

After graduating from St Andrews she went on to Glasgow University to complete a post-graduate course in radio drama, before joining the staff of the BBC.

She later became a freelance with BBC Radio in a wide variety of live morning programmes on Radio Scotland and Radio 4, on occasion presenting and producing Woman's Hour and Kaleidoscope. She also wrote award-winning drama.

After marrying her husband, Simon - a former journalist and salvage diver - in 1980, she returned to St Andrews where she was to live for the rest of her life. The couple set up and operated the town's first wine bar, and later a cookshop.

Her first novel, The Wayward Tide, was published in 1990 and became an instant best-seller. It was published in 10 different languages and was labelled ''the most stunning fiction debut in years'' by Publishers' Weekly in America, where there was a staggering 100,000 first print run.

Her second novel, Sweet Exile, set in New Orleans and the Fens in England, followed soon afterwards. Working in hardback and paperback with her UK publishers, Pan Macmillan, her next work took her to Hudson Bay in Canada with The Dream Maker, followed by After Shanghai and The Summer House, the paperback of which is due to be published later this month.

Her recent works have proved to be particularly popular in both France and Germany.

The sea, travel, and the lure of distant lands all played a central role in her tales of love and life.

Alison also wrote two non-fiction books, The World of the Onedin Line, after sailing with the Charlotte Rhodes, the craft from the famous television series of the 1970s, and The Tobermory Treasure, the story of the fabulous Spanish Armada shipwrecked off Mull with its treasures worth #30m.

Such was her meticulous attention to detail in research for her books that she actually learned to skin-dive to join the salvage team involved with the Spanish galleon. She also scripted and produced a Radio 4 feature on the 400-year search for the vessel.

Alison also travelled to many parts of the world, including New Orleans, Hudson Bay, Shanghai, and Venice to carry out research for her books. ''If you are going to have the feel of the place, you have to go there,'' she once said.

Her other interests included cooking, gardening, painting, making collages, and reading.

She is survived by her husband, and her 12-year-old son, Richard.