Alice McVeigh

Alice McVeigh (published in contemporary fiction by Orion/Hachette, and in Austen-inspired fiction by Warleigh Hall Press) spent her childhood in Asia, her teenage years in McLean, Virginia, and her entire adulthood in London.

Arriving in the UK in the 80s, after graduating with distinction in cello performance from Jacobs School of Music, she wasted 15 years performing all over the world in the back of famous London cello sections, including the BBC Symphony and Royal Philharmonic.

Inspired by these experiences, she wrote two contemporary novels, landing a major agent, who in turn landed a major publisher for While the Music Lasts and Ghost Music. Orion/Hachette dumped her when she failed to deliver the third novel due to infertility-induced depression.

Upon finally having a baby - who is currently at Harvard - Alice traded orchestra work for ghostwriting and developmental editing, returning to her own fiction when her child became a teenager.

McVeigh’s Austenesque series was honoured at the last London Book Fair (the 2024 UK “Selfies” Book Awards). Various of her novels have been runners-up at Writer’s Digest and Foreword Indies’ Book Awards, and figured in Publishers Weekly’s “BookLife” Prize, and won Kirkus stars.

She has also entirely rewritten her “big-five-published” novels in second editions, having retrieved the copyrights from Hachette. She owes her current flourishing writer career to having been finally (!) diagnosed with ADHD in her fifties. Alice still performs on the cello but mostly writes. She lives with her husband and long-haired dachshunds in London and Crete.​

Last Star Standing

Science Fiction, Action Adventure, Speculative, Dystopian

Earth, 2094 – and the ambitious, volatile Aiden is part of the underground resistance against the alien Xirfell's takeover. His ambition riles the rebel leadership, and he triumphs in freeing ‘the Creature’, only to be confronted by betrayal after betrayal, some going back years.

Gifted with a crucial mission, he and his two friends are targeted by a turncoat, boarded mid-space, neurologically attacked, confronted with treason – only to be disbelieved. There’s a crisis of identity, an uprising and two plot twists, but by the end of the book Aiden has become the leader he always longed to be.

Susan: a Jane Austen Prequel

Historical Fiction, Book Club Fiction, Historical Romance

Sixteen-year-old Susan Smithson – clever but capricious – has just been expelled from her London school. Her guardian sends her into the country for "safety". However, after two proposals, a death, an unexpected bequest and a still more unexpected elopement, Susan finds herself in more trouble than ever...

Harriet: A Jane Austen Variation

Historical Fiction

*starred Editor's Pick on Publishers Weekly
*honorable mention/ finalist for Foreword Indies' Book of the Year
*finalist for Chanticleer's Chatelaine Award
*gold medallist, Global Book Awards
*selected as one of the top 100 books of 2022, Shelf Unbound magazine

Emma, a privileged young heiress, decides to mentor Harriet Smith, a pretty boarding-school pupil, and to matchmake her as eligibly as she can… But how is she to guess that Harriet has a secret?

Meanwhile, the brilliant, penniless Jane Fairfax consents to a clandestine engagement with Frank Churchill – though not daring to confess, even to him, that she is being relentlessly pursued by her best friend’s husband.

Harriet sidelines Emma herself in favour of the ingenious Harriet and the fascinating Jane Fairfax. It is Emma – but an Emma with a surprisingly believable twist in its tail.

“McVeigh draws inspiration from her love of Jane Fairfax, and she certainly paints a fuller, more complete picture that gives welcome complexity to the musically talented and fragile young woman with an uncertain future. Harriet, though, is the character who shines brightest in this reimagining. In Austen's original, Harriet is willing to do anything to please Emma, but here she is a character of great depth, hiding facets of her personality and skills, often catching what those around her miss, and ultimately facing a compelling romantic decision. McVeigh again is on point with both the writing style, language, and consistency in Austen's characters, making this a treat for anyone who loves the originals.” - Publishers Weekly, starred review

Darcy: A Pride and Prejudice Variation

Historical Fiction

"Sparkling, witty and delectable" - PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
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"Catnip for Austen fans... A joy to read!" - READER'S FAVORITE EDITORIAL REVIEW

***Finalist (in the last seven novels) for the UK SELFIES Book Awards 2024***

“Should she reject me again, I shall have to wed - as I swore I never would - for dynasty alone. I can only ever love Elizabeth Bennet.”

Take a deep dive into Darcy.

McVeigh puts the spotlight on Darcy in this imaginative re-telling of Austen’s classic tale. In a timeless story of love amid the clash of social classes, Darcy is faced with a terrible choice: to stay in London to force Wickham’s hand – or to go to Rome, to salvage his family’s reputation.

With a new Darcyesque slant, omitted scenes from the original, and an extra helping of humour – including excerpts from The Wisdom and Wit of Miss Mary Bennet – this is a fresh new Pride and Prejudice with (wedding) bells on!

“McVeigh has a remarkable sense of the literary world Austen established, and is able to recreate it with masterly skill. Specifically, she reproduces Austen’s prose style with great fidelity, in all of its charming sophistication and clever wit.” – Kirkus Reviews

"One of the best expansions that I have ever come across, thanks to prose that sings with intelligent wit….The period details, dialogue, and storytelling are all spectacular: McVeigh’s Darcy was an absolute joy to read."
- Readers Favorite editorial review

“Austen enthusiasts will enjoy a style faithful to the original, while those looking for a new twist will appreciate the post-modern perspectives showcasing character motivation from a fresh standpoint.”
– IndieReader recommended 4.5/5

Starred Editor's Pick ("outstanding") on PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
GOLD MEDAL: Pencrafts "Best Books" (2023)
GOLD MEDAL: Global Book Awards (historical fiction, 2023)
Currently a semi-finalist for Chanticleer's Chatelaine International Book Award
Shortlisted for Shelf Magazine's "Book of the Year" 2023 (final ten, fiction and non-fiction)

Pride and Perjury

Historical Fiction

Twelve deliciously witty short stories, the fourth in what PUBLISHERS WEEKLY described as “McVeigh's celebrated Austenesque series”.

"I have very little hope," said Mr. Bennet, "of disposing of even one of my daughters much before luncheon."
(from McVeigh's PRIDE AND PERJURY)

What really happened when Wickham eloped with Lydia? What did the Longbourn servants secretly think of the Bennet sisters? Take a deep dive into Caroline Bingley's schemes, Lady Catherine de Bourgh's diary - and Mr. Knightley’s heart.

Download your copy today, and fall in love with your favourite Austen characters all over again!

Previous books in this series have been shortlisted for the UK Selfies Book Awards, runner-up for Foreword Indies’ “Book of the Year,” and quarterfinalists in Publishers Weekly’s BookLife Prize. In April 2024, McVeigh's Jane Austen series won Chanticleer International's Book Series (historical).