In August of 2025, Taylor Swift announced her next album, The Life of a Showgirl. And within hours, my online world changed.

When some diligent Swifties went to pre-save The Life of a Showgirl on Spotify, low and behold, my novel, A Showgirl’s Rules for Falling in Love, popped up instead. Quickly, internet sleuths noticed the similarities, from the eponymous Showgirl, to the orange and green color scheme, to the romantic man in the top hat, to the blonde star on the cover, and began to theorize online that Alice Murphy might either be Taylor Swift writing under a pseudonym, or that she read the book and used it as inspiration, ala The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo.

So, Is Alice Murphy Taylor Swift?

Sadly, no. Hi! I’m Alice Murphy. I’m just a romance novelist, cheesesteak connoisseur, lover of long walks, sports, and classic movies, and author of A Showgirl’s Rules for Falling in Love. Not an international superstar and once-in-a-generation talent like Taylor Swift. It’s the most flattering thing in the world to have someone read my writing and think TS might have written it! More flattering than I can say! But unfortunately, I’m just me!

Are You and Taylor in Cahoots? Did she read your book and get inspired? Are you two working together?

Alas, I have no evidence that the icon known as Taylor Swift has read A Showgirl’s Rules for Falling in Love, only that the titles and covers/color schemes share some similarities! Like I said, it’s a total honor to be in the same breath as an artist like TS!

From the bottom of my heart, I want to thank all of the Swifties for their support of A Showgirl’s Rules for Falling in Love. The outpouring of love was overwhelming - in the best way.

Launching a book is scary, disappointing, and heartbreaking. You pour your soul into it and sometimes, the readers just don’t find it. But YOU ALL FOUND IT. You have bought the book, given it to your friends, DM’d me, left glowing reviews, shared it on Instagram and Booktok - all because its messages of ambition, self-acceptance, and love winning against all odds resonate with you. 

Thank you, Swifties, from the bottom of my heart, for welcoming my story with such open arms. I can’t put into words how much it means to me. 

To even be a footnote, however tiny, in the Taylor Swift story is something I will always cherish. I hope that when The Life of a Showgirl comes out in October, you all pick up your copies of A Showgirl’s Rules for Falling in Love and re-read it while listening to the album. 

And Taylor, if you ever read this, please know that A Showgirl’s Rules for Falling in Love would make a GREAT musical. And we should win Tony Awards together for it someday. <3

With all my Love and Thanks,
Alice Murphy