Category: A Writer’s Life

  • A Final Excerpt

    A Final Excerpt

    I am sad to say that this will be my last post with Always Austen. To commemorate this moment, I thought I would share one more excerpt from 12 Months of Darcy. It is, of course, for March, and one of my favorites. This month, Elizabeth gets to see a softer side of Darcy. MARCH…

  • A Fond Farewell and Giveaway Results

    A Fond Farewell and Giveaway Results

    As the Always Austen blog draws to a close, I find myself reflecting on the many years spent typing away in the company of Darcy, Elizabeth, and an endless parade of tea cups. Writing Jane Austen fan fiction has taught me a few things—some practical, some philosophical, and some just plain ridiculous. Here’s a small…

  • Down Another Rabbit Hole

    Down Another Rabbit Hole

    Hi there. Well, this is my last post here on Always Austen. Thanks for reading my goofy and off the wall posts. I know I am not everyone’s cup of tea. I have been doing some research again tonight, which means its rabbit hole time. If you have ever done research, you will understand what…

  • On bombs, Austen, AI – and erotica

    On bombs, Austen, AI – and erotica

    By Alice McVeigh #MariannebyMcVeigh #historicalfictionnovel My first experience of being bombed was on holiday in Israel, when very young, when the Six-Day War broke out, and the hotel just across the road from us got bombed. (My family flew out the next day.) My second bomb was in Belfast, in the 90s, during the “Troubles”…

  • Another P & P Play

    Another P & P Play

    Hello everyone! As I mentioned last month, I went to Nashville to visit my daughter and see yet another stage adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. I arrived on February 14th and my husband had arranged for flowers and ice cream cake to be waiting for me. It was a wonderful extended weekend. We went to…

  • Intentions and Plans, Starts and Stops

    Intentions and Plans, Starts and Stops

    “When first Mr. Bennet had married, economy was held to be perfectly useless, for, of course, they were to have a son. The son was to join in cutting off the entail, as soon as he should be of age, and the widow and younger children would by that means be provided for.” — Pride…

  • A Visit I Will Forever Remember Taking: Part 2

    A Visit I Will Forever Remember Taking: Part 2

    This past September, my husband, aka the Marine, and I went to England for a day to see Stonehenge, then we traveled the next day to Romania. I shared of my visit to the lovely England countryside, and the busy Romanian Old Port in the first post. Here I continue my adventure. Our first two…

  • When is it Alright to Write Already?

    When is it Alright to Write Already?

    Many Facebook posts are cyclical. Topics rise and fall as interest does, appearing fresh and current about every three or four years. Social media has been alive and kicking for slightly more than two decades, so themes that were broached in 2005 will appear again in 2010, 2015, and so on. One recent moldy oldie…

  • How I Spent my Non-Vacation

    How I Spent my Non-Vacation

    A snow and sleet storm, coupled with Arctic temperatures, left me a prisoner in my own apartment. After a week of riotous living, I began to write again. It’s going well.

  • Looking Back, Looking On

    Looking Back, Looking On

    As January 2026 comes to a close, I thought I’d take a moment to share a brief look back at my 2025 accomplishments. My YouTube content creator journey continued to take center stage throughout the year. While 2024 saw a plethora of full-length audiobook productions, both professionally narrated and author read, 2025 required an added…