About
Alice McVeigh spent her childhood in Asia and her teenage years in McLean, VA. Upon graduating from Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, she came to London to study cello for a single year, married an Englishman, and has been a Londoner ever since. Alice performed all over the world in British orchestras including the BBC Symphony and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra , while Orion/Hachette released her first two novels, WHILE THE MUSIC LASTS and GHOST MUSIC. In 2021 Unbound Publishing published her speculative thriller (under her middle names), and Warleigh Hall Press published the first in her multi-award-winning Jane Austenesque series.
Alice’s Austenesque novels have been twice honoured at the London Book Fair in the UK Selfies Book Awards, runners-up in general fiction for both Foreword Indies’ 2022 AND 2024 ‘Book of the Year’ and Writer’s Digest’s annual ebook award. Publishers Weekly recently described the Warleigh Hall Press Jane Austen series as ‘McVeigh’s celebrated series’ – it won First Place last year in Chanticleer International’s Book Series Award (historical) - one of over 90 medals since 2021. Her most recent book, MARIANNE, winner in her first six months of nine gold medals, is a current finalist for Foreword Indies’ 2025 ‘Book of the Year’ as well as The Ink Book Award.
Alice and her husband Simon share one daughter (currently studying Chinese Lit. at Harvard), two long-haired dachshunds, and an incurable addiction to tennis.
Featured Work
DARCY: A PRIDE AND PREJUDICE VARIATION
***Finalist (in the last seven novels) for the UK SELFIES Book Awards 2024***
***Gold medallist in NIEA, Pencraft, Global, Incipere Book Awards, finalist SPR, Chatelaine etc.
***Shortlisted for Shelf Magazine's "Book of the Year" 2023 (final ten, fiction and non-fiction)
***"Sparkling, witty and delectable" - PUBLISHERS WEEKLY starred editorial review
***"Catnip for Austen fans... A joy to read!" - READER'S FAVORITE EDITORIAL REVIEW
“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
Other Works
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Marianne: A Sense and Sensibility Sequel
2025
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Pride and Perjury
2024
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Ghost Music
2023
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Harriet: A Jane Austen Variation
2022
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While the Music Lasts
2022
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Susan: A Jane Austen Prequel
2021
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Last Star Standing by (pen name) Spaulding Taylor
2021
Awards and Recognition
- Gold medal in the NIEA National Indie Excellence Awards, June 2024: DARCY
- GHOST MUSIC - originally published by Orion/Hachette: Gold Medal in the Global Ebook Awards (Popular Literature Fiction)
- WHILE THE MUSIC LASTS - originally published by Orion/Hachette - Honorable Mention: Writer’s Digest International Book Awards, in contemporary fiction, 2022
- LAST STAR STANDING was awarded a Kirkus star. (Written using middle names, Spaulding Taylor)
- Winner: Gold Medal Historical Fiction Company Book Awards, 2022 (SUSAN)
- Gold Medal 2023 Historical Fiction Company, finalist for their “Book of the Year” (HARRIET)
- Starred Editor’s Pick (“outstanding”) on PUBLISHERS WEEKLY 2022 (HARRIET)
- WINNER: Bronze medal (European Fiction) IPPY award (Independent Publishers Book Awards, 2023): HARRIET: A JANE AUSTEN VARIATION
- Longlisted (final ten, including non-fiction) for Shelf Magazine’s “Book of the Year, 2023” (DARCY)
- Finalist for UK Selfies at the London Book Fair, for DARCY and PRIDE AND PERJURY (2023 AND 2024)
- Starred Editor’s Pick in Publishers Weekly (rated 9/10 for the BookLife Prize): DARCY, 2023
- The only silver medallist in 2024 SPR annual Book Awards: PRIDE AND PERJURY
- FINALIST, for the American Writing Awards Hawthorne Prize: PRIDE AND PERJURY (2024), MARIANNE (2025)
- (MARIANNE) Winner in three categories in the Incipere Book Awards (Literary, Historical and Women’s Fiction, 2025).
- (MARIANNE) category winner (romance) in the Literary Global Book Awards
- (MARIANNE) Gold medalist in the American Writing Awards (romance) 2025
- Quarterfinalist for the BookLife Prize: SUSAN: A JANE AUSTEN PREQUEL, 2021
- Finalist for FOREWORD INDIES' "Book of the year", for HARRIET, PRIDE AND PERJURY, and MARIANNE (2022, 2024, 2025)
