Alfredo Véa, Jr.

Alfredo Véa Jr. (born 28 June 1950) to Lorenza Carvajal, a thirteen year old of Yaqui and Spanish ancestry. Although La Maravilla copyright page lists his birth year as 1952, he later designated June 28, 1950 as the date of his birth. Véa also uses his experiences as a lawyer and as a Vietnam veteran in his work; the Los Angeles Times called it "a meditation on the Vietnam War and on race, desire, and urban gang wars." Véa has said that both his law work and his novels help him deal with his experiences in Vietnam, joking that "Mexicans don't go to psychiatrists. We don't get massages."

His literary work also influences his legal work, using his storytelling skills in the courtroom. One of his colleagues describes him as "a renaissance trial attorney" who, while in court, "would draw upon his vast interests and knowledge of the classics, literature and, in particular, the struggles of people of color." He once closed an argument with stories about Joan of Arc, Marie Antoinette and his own childhood.