Jean S. MacLeod (20 January 1908 – 11 April 2011) was a prolific British writer of over 130

romance novel A romance novel or romantic novel generally refers to a type of genre fiction novel which places its primary focus on the relationship and romantic love between two people, and usually has an "emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending." Pre ...

s from 1936 to 1996, she also used the pseudonym of Catherine Airlie.

Biography

Personal life

Born Jane Sutherland MacLeod on 20 January 1908 in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

, Scotland, the daughter of Elizabeth Allen and John MacLeod. She was actually named Jane, but her grandfather complained it was not Scottish enough, and it was changed to Jean. Her father, who was a civil engineer, moved her family with jobs. Her education began at Bearsden Academy, continued in

Swansea Swansea (; cy, Abertawe ) is a coastal city and the second-largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Swansea ( cy, links=no, Dinas a Sir Abertawe). The city is the twenty-fifth largest in ...

and ended in

Newcastle-upon-Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is als ...

. She worked in a sweet shop. She moved to

North Yorkshire North Yorkshire is the largest ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county (lieutenancy area) in England, covering an area of . Around 40% of the county is covered by National parks of the United Kingdom, national parks, including most of ...

, England to marry with Major Lionel Walton on 1 January 1935, an electricity board executive, who died in 1995. They had a son, David Walton, who died two years before her. She died on 11 April 2011 in

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...

, England, at 103 years of age.

Writing career

MacLeod started writing stories for the magazine

The People's Friend ''The People's Friend'' is a British weekly magazine founded by John Leng on 13 January 1869 as an offshoot of ''The People's Journal'' and currently published by D. C. Thomson & Co. Ltd. Its tagline is "The famous story magazine". It was ori ...

, before sold her first romance novel in 1936. She wrote contemporary romances, most of them were set in her native Scotland, or in exotic places like Spain or

Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...

, places that she normally visited for documented. From 1948 to 1965, she also published under the pseudonym of Catherine Airlie. She was the first author published in the Mills & Boon Romance Series. MacLeod was member of the Romantic Novelists' Association, where she met the mediatic writer

Barbara Cartland Dame Mary Barbara Hamilton Cartland, (9 July 1901 – 21 May 2000) published as Barbara Cartland was an English writer, known as the Queen of Romance, who published both contemporary romance, contemporary and historical romance novels, the lat ...

, who was not too friendly.

Bibliography

As Jean S. MacLeod

* ''Life for Two'' (1936) * ''Human Symphony'' (1937) * ''Dangerous Obsession'' (1938) * ''Mist Across the Hills'' (1938) * ''Sequel to Youth'' (1938) * ''Summer Rain'' (1938) * ''Return to Spring'' (1939) * ''Run Away From Love'' (1939) ''Nurse Companion'' * ''The Rainbow Isle'' (1939) * ''Heatherbloom'' (1940) * ''Silent Bondage'' (1940) a.k.a. ''Doctor in Bondage'' * ''The Lonely Farrow'' (1940) * ''The Whim of Fate'' (1940) * ''Forbidden Rapture'' (1941) * ''One Way Out'' (1941) * ''The Reckless Pilgrim'' (1941) * ''The Shadow of a Vow'' (1941) * ''Bleak Heritage'' (1942) * ''Blind Journey'' (1942) * ''Penalty for Living'' (1942) * ''Reluctant Folly'' (1942) * ''Flower O' the Broom'' (1943) * ''The Circle of Doubt'' (1943) * ''The Rowan Tree'' (1943) * ''Unseen Tomorrow'' (1943) * ''Lamont of Ardgoyne'' (1944) * ''Two Paths'' (1944) * ''Brief Fulfillment'' (1945) * ''One Love'' (1945) * ''The Bridge of Years'' (1945) * ''This Much To Give'' (1945) a.k.a. ''Special Nurse'' * ''Sown in the Wind'' (1946) * ''The Tranquil Haven'' (1946) * ''And We in Dreams'' (1947) * ''The House of Oliver'' (1947) * ''Ravenscrag'' (1948) * ''The Chalet in the Sun'' (1948) a.k.a. ''Mountain Clinic'' * ''Above the Lattice'' (1949) a.k.a. ''Doctor's Daughter'' * ''To Morrow's Bargain'' (1949) * ''Katherine'' (1950/01 * ''The Valley of Palms'' (1950) * ''Once to Every Heart'' (1951) * ''Roadway to the Past'' (1951) * ''Cameron of Gare'' (1952) * ''Music at Midnight'' (1952) * ''The Silent Valley'' (1953) * ''The Stranger in Their Midst'' (1953) * ''Dear Doctor Everett'' (1954) * ''The Man in Authority'' (1954) a.k.a. ''Nurse Lang'' * ''After Long Journeying'' (1955) * ''Master of Glenkeith'' (1955) * ''My Heart's in the Highlands'' (1956) * ''The Way in the Dark'' (1956) * ''Journey in the Sun'' (1957) a.k.a. ''Doctors Together'' * ''The Prisoner of Love'' (1957) * ''Air Ambulance'' (1958) * ''The Gated Road'' (1959) * ''The Little Doctor'' (1960) * ''The White Cockade'' (1960) * ''The Silver Dragon'' (1961) * ''Slave of the Wind'' (1962) * ''The Dark Fortune'' (1962) * ''Sugar Island'' (1964) * ''The Black Cameron'' (1964) * ''Crane Castle'' (1965) * ''The Tender Glory'' (1965) * ''The Wolf of Heimra'' (1965) * ''The Drummer of Corrae'' (1966) * ''Lament for a Lover'' (1967) a.k.a. ''Lament for Love'' * ''The Bride of Mingalay'' (1967) * ''The Master of Keills'' (1967) * ''The Moonflower'' (1967) * ''Summer Island'' (1968) * ''The Joshua Tree'' (1970) * ''The Light in the Tower'' (1971/03) * ''The Way Through the Valley'' (1971/06) * ''Moment of Decision'' (1972/04) * ''Scent of Juniper'' (1972/08) * ''Adam's Wife'' (1972/12) a.k.a. ''Adam's Daughter'' * ''The Rainbow Days'' (1973/03) * ''Over the Castle Wall'' (1974/04) * ''Time Suspended'' (1975/01) * ''The Phantom Pipes'' (1975/12) * ''Journey into Spring'' (1976/06) * ''Viking Song'' (1977/01) * ''Island Stranger'' (1977/09) * ''Search for Yesterday'' (1978/04) * ''The Ruaig Inheritance'' (1978/09) * ''Meeting in Madrid'' (1979/09) * ''Brief Enchantment'' (1979/12) * ''Black Sand, White Sand'' (1981/04) * ''Cruel Deception'' (1981/08) * ''Moreton's Kingdom'' (1981/10) * ''Zamora'' (1983/04) * ''A Distant Paradise'' (1984/01) * ''Beyond the Reef'' (1984/01) * ''Valley of the Snows'' (1985/10) * ''The Olive Grove'' (1986/05) * ''The Apollo Man'' (1986/08) a.k.a. ''The Romance of Emva'' * ''After the Hurricane'' (1987/05) * ''Call Back the Past'' (1989/02) * ''Legacy of Doubt'' (1989/05) * ''Shadow on the Hills'' (1989/09) * ''Flame of Avila'' (1990/11) * ''Tidal Wave'' (1991/02) * ''Tidal Wave'' (1991/02) * ''Home to the Hills'' (1992/08) * ''A Handful of Shells'' (1993/02) * ''The Jade Pagoda'' (1994/08) * ''Keeper of the Trees'' (1995/08) * ''Lovesome Hill'' (1996/05)

As Catherine Airlie

* ''The Wild Macraes'' (1948) * ''From Such a Seed'' (1949) * ''The Restless Years'' (1950) * ''Fabric of Dreams'' (1951) * ''Strange Recompense'' (1952) * ''Hidden in the Wind'' (1953) * ''The Green Rushes'' (1953) * ''A Wind Sighing'' (1954) * ''Nobody's Child'' (1954) * ''The Valley of Desire'' (1955) * ''The Ways of Love'' (1955) * ''The Mountain of Stars'' (1956) * ''The Unguarded Hour'' (1956) * ''Land of Heart's Desire'' (1957) * ''Red Lotus'' (1958) * ''The Last of the Kintyres'' (1959) * ''Shadow on the Sun'' (1960) * ''One Summer's Day'' (1961) * ''The Country of the Heart'' (1961) * ''The Unlived Year'' (1962) * ''Passing Strangers'' (1963) a.k.a. ''Nurse Jane in Teneriffe'' * ''The Sea Change'' (1965) a.k.a. ''Doctor Overboard''

References and sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:MacLeod, Jean S. 1908 births 2011 deaths Writers from Glasgow Scottish romantic fiction writers Scottish centenarians 20th-century Scottish novelists Pseudonymous women writers 20th-century women writers Women centenarians 20th-century pseudonymous writers