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Romance History: Jean S. MacLeod
Oct. 23rd, 2008 11:18 am
Jean S. MacLeod began writing for Mills and Boon in 1939, aged 31, shortly after she gave birth to her only child, David Walton. Ms MacLeod, who also wrote as Catherine Airlie, continued writing until the age of 87, by which time she had clocked 130 novels. Jean says: “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.”
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.”
To read more:
http://rosaromance.splinder.com/post/18811770/
Jean S. MacLeod began writing for Mills and Boon in 1939, aged 31, shortly after she gave birth to her only child, David Walton. Ms MacLeod, who also wrote as Catherine Airlie, continued writing until the age of 87, by which time she had clocked 130 novels. 
Best Laid Plans is a truly sweet romance with a little erotic taste. Liberally inspired to "The Wedding Planner" movie, it tells the story of Elliot, a man too good to be true. Not overly handsome, Elliot is a catastrophic wedding planner; actually he is not so bad, but everything seems to plot to ruin the wedding he plans. On his personal life, Elliot is no much more lucky: he always seems to have to prove himself, at work and with his family, and being gay is only another one of his failure in front of his family; plus working as wedding planner seems like an hobby to his parents, who are waiting for him to put his mind on the right path, both for work than for life style choices...
Best Laid Plans is a truly sweet romance with a little erotic taste. Liberally inspired to "The Wedding Planner" movie, it tells the story of Elliot, a man too good to be true. Not overly handsome, Elliot is a catastrophic wedding planner; actually he is not so bad, but everything seems to plot to ruin the wedding he plans. On his personal life, Elliot is no much more lucky: he always seems to have to prove himself, at work and with his family, and being gay is only another one of his failure in front of his family; plus working as wedding planner seems like an hobby to his parents, who are waiting for him to put his mind on the right path, both for work than for life style choices...
Life Prison is a tale on the Mercy's Prisoner series; it's setting in a fantasy world which resembles the Victorian period. In this world, life in prison is regulated as in the Dante's Inferno, every circles (prison's level) hides an atrocity for the prisoners who deserve to be there. Mind this last point: the prisoners are not innocents hold in captivity for some unbelievable injustice, they are guilty and sometime of an atrocity maybe even worst of what they now suffer in prison.
Life Prison is a tale on the Mercy's Prisoner series; it's setting in a fantasy world which resembles the Victorian period. In this world, life in prison is regulated as in the Dante's Inferno, every circles (prison's level) hides an atrocity for the prisoners who deserve to be there. Mind this last point: the prisoners are not innocents hold in captivity for some unbelievable injustice, they are guilty and sometime of an atrocity maybe even worst of what they now suffer in prison. 