Category: reading

  • 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…

  • 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”…

  • Re-Release of “Darcy’s Passions: A Pride and Prejudice Retelling” from Regina Jeffers and Ulysses Press, Arriving 2/3/2026

    Re-Release of “Darcy’s Passions: A Pride and Prejudice Retelling” from Regina Jeffers and Ulysses Press, Arriving 2/3/2026

    For fans of historical romance like the Bridgerton novels to lovers of alternative point-of-view books like E. L. James’ Grey and Stephenie Meyers’s Midnight Sun, Darcy’s Passions invites readers into the heart and mind of Fitzwilliam Darcy, revealing the hidden thoughts and intense emotions that fueled his riveting courtship of Elizabeth Bennet. While the Bennet sisters are discussing the next ball to…

  • February with Darcy

    February with Darcy

    It’s a bit early for Valentine’s Day, but I thought I would share the February scene from my 12 Months of Darcy collection. This grew out of my wondering how suspicious Wickham was about Darcy’s intentions towards Elizabeth. Enjoy! FEBRUARY “Look!” cried Lydia from the drawing room window. Kitty joined her and bounced on her…

  • What Did Other Authors Say About Jane Austen?

    What Did Other Authors Say About Jane Austen?

    They loved her and hated her! Check out other author’s thoughts on Jane Austen.

  • An Austen for Every Age: A Book for Each Decade of Your Life

    An Austen for Every Age: A Book for Each Decade of Your Life

    Here is my entirely subjective guide to which Jane Austen novel belongs to each decade of life—and why. Have you loved different books as you age? I’ve always loved Persuasion and P&P, but as I get older, Mansfield Park is growing on me.

  • The Unsnarling of EBBD

    The Unsnarling of EBBD

    In one of my recent comments I mentioned how Elizabeth Bennet’s Bad Days was a little harder to write than any of my other books because there were so many different directions I could take the plot. Well, as it turned out, that particular attribute caused some issues for me. As a result, the publishing…

  • THE Book

    THE Book

    THE BOOK is that memorable, cherished book you read when you were school age. It was given to you by a parent, grandparent, teacher, or librarian. Most of our remembered BOOKS were enjoyable, but some were scary or sad or bad. Their common bond is that they made an impression that has lasted into adulthood…

  • The Use of Violence in JAFF

    The Use of Violence in JAFF

    Today, I’d like to talk about tolerance. Specifically, about tolerance in Jane Austen’s works.  Now, I belong to a number of Facebook Austen groups, which can be both funny and fun. (This was where I first encountered this great New Year meme: “I take no leave of you, 2025. I send no compliments to your…

  • Plans for 2026

    Plans for 2026

    It has been a few years since I’ve done this and it’s probably long overdue. There have been several changes happening in my life over the last few years, but the last time I “mapped them out” in a January post was before Always Austen started in 2023. Since that time, my husband retired; I…