Learn more about Léonie Kelsall
In today’s Q&A, we’re thrilled to chat with bestselling author Léonie Kelsall, a true country girl whose love for storytelling was born from the open spaces of South Australia’s Fleurieu coast. Known for her heartfelt novels like The Farm at Peppertree Crossing and The River Gum Cottage, Léonie blends her passion for animals, the countryside, and human connection into her writing. We’re excited to learn more about her journey, as well as what inspires her beautifully crafted stories.
FWH: What inspired you to write Wings Above the Mallee?
LK: As often happens, The Kid demanded it! She requested a story about a pilot, and Wings Above the Mallee was born. Both my dad and brother are bush pilots, and Dad often speaks of the freedom, both mental and physical, that he experiences in the air. I realised that piloting a light aircraft would be the perfect metaphor for Amelia’s need to escape her life.
FWH: Amelia and Heath come from such different worlds, yet their connection feels so natural and inevitable. What was your approach to crafting their love story, and how did you strike the balance between vulnerability and the hope of new beginnings?
LK: Hope is a universal emotion: without it, we are lost. Yet when we are most vulnerable, it is hard to allow ourselves the luxury of imagining that life could, one day, get better. Amelia and Heath each reminded the other, in their darkest moments, that despair could not be allowed to prevail. Their love story grew organically, with each providing a safe harbour for the other’s despair and dreams.
FWH: Charlee, Heath’s teenage daughter, has her own powerful storyline. What did you want to explore through her character?
LK: Charlee is a complex woman, dealing with the issues of being thrust into adulthood whilst mourning the loss of a parent, compounded by her guilt at the way in which her mother died. Turning to drugs to deal with her grief and guilt, she must then also fight the demons of addiction. Charlee’s character explores the need to forgive oneself before being able to move forward.
FWH: Your novels often delve into heavier emotional themes. What draws you to explore these complex issues, and how do you balance portraying them authentically while offering hope to your readers?
LK: As a professional counsellor, I’m intrigued by the complexity and resilience of human nature, the fact that those who suffer most often also seek out and appreciate the smallest of joys.
FWH: What kind of research did you do to portray Amelia’s life as a bush pilot?
LK: I picked my dad’s brains for descriptions and cajoled my brother into taking me up from the airstrip on our farm.
FWH: Do you see parts of yourself or anyone you know in any of the characters?
LK: No, my characters are always complete figments of my imagination, although they’re very real inside my head!
FWH: What was the most challenging part of writing this novel?
LK: This novel has four main characters – Amelia, Heath, his father Sean and daughter Charlee, who each have their arc, so it was a challenge to make certain there was enough page space to allow each character to emotionally develop and grow beyond their pain. I’d rather lose a character than write an unrealistic emotional progression!
FWH: What do you enjoy most about writing stories set in Australia?
LK: Having travelled widely, both overseas and doing the ‘Big Lap’ around Australia twice, I have a deep love for our country. There is nothing in the world to match it, and the characters that inhabit this land are as varied, rugged, lush and colourful as the landscape itself. It’s a challenge and a joy to try to capture that in a book.
FWH: If Wings Above the Mallee were adapted into a film, who would you envision playing Amelia, Heath, and Charlee?
LK: Ooh, if wishes were horses! To be honest, I don’t get a great deal of screen time, so I’m open to suggestions on this one. But off the top of my head: Heath is Pierce Brosnan, Charlee is Katherine Langford, and I am open to suggestions for Amelia.
For a bonus suggestion, Sean is Mel Gibson!
Wings Above The Mallee is available at all good bookstores now.