reviews_and_ramblings | Jean S. MacLeod (January 20, 1908)

Jean S. MacLeod began writing for Mills and Boon in 1939, aged 31, shortly after she gave birth to her only child, David Walton.

MacLeod, born in Glasgow, was one of the Mills & Boon's first Scottish novelists, and promoted as such in the Scotsman and other Northern newspaper. She began as a writer of short stories and serials for popular Scottish manazines such as the People's Friend, published by D.C. Thomson.

"I didn't know (the ropes) when I started," MacLeod recalled: "I just picked up the first directory and looked for publishers' names. I found the Nonesuch Press and I thought, "Well, that sounded like me, nonesuch". And I had a lovely letter back from them that said, "Dear Madam. We're sorry but we only publish definitive editions of Kipling and George Bernard Shaw." So I thought, well, I'm on the wrong track there. And then I looked again and found Mills & Boon, and that's the end of the story."

MacLeod's first manuscripts, Summer Rain, was rejected by Charles Boon.

"I sent Mills & Boon a summary and they thought it had a very unhappy ending and they don't deal in that," she recalled. "So they said, "Well, could you let us see your next one?" And they bought Life for Two. You have to realise that novelists can have the power to change a life a little bit, and for the type of thing that I was writing, they expect a happy ending."

MacLeod eventually revised Summer Rain, and it was published as her third novel.

From 1938 to 1945, MacLeod averaged four titles a year.

"I was the only one doing a real Scottish background," she said. "I love Scotland, come from three generations of farming people, and could describe it apparently. You're local to start with, and then you suddenly spread your wings a bit. Once you get experience you can write wider."

MacLeod noted that women women from all classes and backgrounds wrote to her on how much they enjoyed her books.

"A friend of mine was a bit of a cynic," she recalled. "She went into Harrod's and said, "Now who reads Jean S. MacLeod's books anyway?" "Oh," a girl said, "Young girls, happily married young women, and the dowagers." She came away with her tail between her teeth!"

Ms MacLeod, who also wrote as Catherine Airlie, continued writing until the age of 87, by which time she had clocked 130 novels including: Stranger in Their Midst, Special Nurse, Dangerous Obsession, Cruel Deception, Adam's Daughter and Island Stranger.

Jean began writing when she moved from Bearsden in Scotland, where she worked in a sweet shop, to North Yorkshire to marry. Her husband, Lionel Walton, an electricity board executive, died ten years ago leaving his widow – who still lives in the county – and their son David, a magistrate.

“My father inspired me to write. He was an incredible storyteller. I sent off a few ideas to Mills & Boon in 1938 and they liked them – and that has pretty much kept me busy for the past 70 years.” Jean’s first novel, Life For Two, was published that same year. "Money was not a motivation for writing – we were only paid on a royalty basis,” she insists. "Even now I still pick up around £68 a year in royalties. But the joy of knowing people were, and still are, enjoying my books is payment enough. Michael Boon, the original proprietor’s son, gave me advice that shapes my style to this day. He told me never to write anything a mother wouldn’t want her daughter to read.”

In novels of the time "lovemaking" referred almost exclusively to kissing between married hero and heroine. Pre- and extra-marital affairs were naturally discourages and, if attempted, brought wicked consequences to the hero and heroine. Mills & Boon authors (and, indirectly, Charles Boon) appear to have been issuing life lessons all the time to potential readers.

"You know perfectly well that a lot of girls think that it's very clever and it's the done thing - as soon as they meet somebody they go and live with them. Well, in our day it wasn't. I mean, if you did, then you were absolutely beyond the pale. The only decent boy and girl wouldn't want anything to do with it."

She continued to write for Mills and Boon after the publisher was taken over by American company Harlequin, but was uncomfortable with its request to "sex up" her books. And 70 years after her work first hit the shelves, she is proud to say:

“I never use the word ‘sex’ in my novels – that is not what romance is about. It’s about love and emotion.”

Jean was a co-founder of the Romantic Novelists’ Association with that doyenne of the bodice-ripper, Barbara Cartland, and she recalls:

“Mills & Boon always had a champagne tent on Ladies’ Day at Ascot for their authors. One year Barbara sauntered over and dismissively asked, ‘Wearing the same outfit twice, Jean? Are things really that hard?’. I didn’t dignify it with a response – she was known for her sharp remarks.”

Research was vital to Jean, who travelled all over the world to ensure the settings for her stories were accurate.

“All my stories were different but they all had a happy ending – the perfect finish to any romance.”

On January 20, 2008, Ms MacLeod celebrated her centenary with her son and 30 friends, many from the village of Thornton-le Beans, near Northallerton, where she has lived for more than 20 years. After the party at The Crosby pub, in the village, Ms MacLeod was honoured by her son.

"It was very good. I was so pleased that so many people had come. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. I was born in 1939 and she was writing books then and throughout the war, but I never noticed her writing. It was quite incredible that it never interfered with anything. Her two main achievements: writing those books almost effortlessly and bringing me up during the war, which was not easy."

Mr Walton once asked his mother if she would retire to which she answered:

"Why would I retire? My brain would go." He said: "I think it's an astounding achievement of a 100-year-old, especially one born in 1908. She has lived through two world wars and achieved 130 books - and brought up a son. I don't think you can ask more than that."

When asked about what gave her so much inspiration throughout her writing career she answered simply: