Jules MacLeod

His first name, Jules—like Jules Verne—honors a dear friend named Julie who inspired his first novel. The surname MacLeod acknowledges his Scottish partner, Vicki, as it was her mother's maiden name. Though Jules writes in American English, he is British by birth, hailing from Staffordshire in the Midlands, just north of Birmingham. Born to working-class parents—his dad, a lorry driver, and his mom a secretary—Jules enjoyed a happy childhood. As an only child, he was often mischievous and frequently found himself in trouble. He escaped these scrapes, but not the scoldings that always followed. Jules attended a reputable secondary modern school (high school) before advancing to a local technical college to study Information Technology. Unbeknownst to him, his first publication appeared in a school magazine during his first year at secondary school. Despite his English teacher recognizing his talent and telling him he was a gifted storyteller, he ignored this advice for many years. Jules started his IT career as a humble computer operator, but achieved a promotion to computer operations manager before turning twenty-one. He continued to advance, becoming an IT manager for a blue-chip global company. However, Jules found the corporate structure of the blue-chip world unappealing. In 1997, he quit and moved to Tenerife, accepting a demotion to work as an IT technician. Within a year, they promoted him to IT manager. In 2007, Jules volunteered for redundancy and pursued studies in web design. While still living in Tenerife, he practiced web design for fifteen years, discovering it to be a fulfilling creative outlet. When Jules isn’t at the keyboard, he enjoys cooking. His friends know him for his authentic Indian curries and his skill at cooking a great steak. Jules not only loves cooking but also enjoys eating good food. A food and wine snob? Absolutely! The menus in his first two books reveal one thing—a refined pig. Jules also enjoys DIY projects when he has the time. His dad earned the nickname 'Patch,' and Jules has followed in his footsteps as 'Patch Junior,' known for his ability to fix things. When he fixes something, it stays fixed for at least a week, often longer. As the tenth anniversary of their dear friend Julie's death approached, Jules and Vicki planned a memorial in her honor. Julie had written short stories and novels, and they decided to update and self-publish one of her short stories in her memory. The project consumed Jules, and before he realized it, he had written two books titled Shadow of Justice. He followed up with a novella and is currently working on his fourth book. Jules credits Julie as the inspiration for his journey into writing and becoming an author.