Today, we’re so excited to have Leslie Vollard on the blog. Her upcoming book, Air Affair, is the first book in her Mile-High Madmen series and this month’s Editors’ pick!

Welcome! Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and what got you into writing?

I have always loved books, and from my earliest days, I dreamed of writing them. As a teenager, I wrote poems and plays, but it wasn’t until I was forty that I managed to write a full-length novel. I took a train trip from New York City to Montreal. It’s a twelve-hour ride, and I decided to get out my laptop and start typing. I did the same thing on the way back, and before I knew it, I had 10,000 words. I kept going when I got home, and after a month or so, I had 50,000 words. The rest, as they say, is history.

Are there any books that have really influenced you as a writer?

I came to romance later in life, but Joanna Shupe made me fall in love with the genre. The Rogue of Fifth Avenue bowled me over with its rich historical detail, irresistible characters, and joyful sensuality. I wanted to learn to write like that while exploring out-of-the-way corners of history that intrigued me. One of those corners was aviation history from the 1910’s and 1920’s. I loved Susan Crandall’s The Flying Circus and Helen Simonson’s The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycles and Flying Club. I wanted to write about the risk and exhilaration of early flight and mix in my own unique blend of soaring romance and spice.

What do you enjoy most about historical romance?

I’ve always been fascinated by history. Those were my favorite classes in high school and college. I loved the ways in which humanity remained the same from age to age but invented widely varying rules for how to construct society. As a writer, I love the challenge of inhabiting another time, researching every detail, and grappling with the unique opportunities and constraints of the time and place I’m writing about. I don’t see history through rose-colored glasses. I don’t believe the past was a better time (even if the dresses were infinitely more fabulous). But I love the challenges and flaws of the past as much as I love the charm.

As for why I love romance, I’ve found as I grow older that I crave the bright light of optimism that comes with a happily ever after, and I revel in the rush of two souls careening toward a collision that will both blow them wide open and make them whole. There’s enough darkness in the world already, and I don’t want to dwell on it. Romance lifts me up and reminds me of the best in humanity—our capacity to risk our hearts and love.

What inspired this book/series in particular?

I visited Long Island’s Cradle of Aviation Museum and ran across an exhibit about the early airmail. It was utter madness. They were flying in open-cockpit army hand-me-down airplanes made of wood and fabric. They had no radios or radar, so they couldn’t communicate with the ground and navigated using paper topographical maps and compasses. They fastened a whiskey bottle to their dash panel to keep track of whether they were flying level (after all water would have frozen at altitude). And the Postal Service expected them to fly year-round in all types of weather. It was such a risky profession that they got the nickname of “Uncle Sam’s Suicide Club,” and the daredevils who flew became minor celebrities in their time. What could be sexier than a mile-high madman? Someone clearly needed to write a romance series about these guys. I decided it might as well be me.

What is your favorite part about the dynamic between Rory Belmont and Hank Hawley?

Sometimes a bad idea is the best thing that ever happens to you. Rory and Hank come from opposite ends of the social spectrum. Rory is a socialite, daughter of a famous financier. Hank is a farmer’s son who has made his way as a pilot during the Great War. They shouldn’t have anything to do with each other, according to society, but sparks fly from the moment they meet. The impossible becomes the inevitable, and their passion ignites as the risks they take grow. When they fall, it’s explosive.

Can you tell us about your writing space? Where do you do most of your writing?

I do most of my writing is a cozy red armchair in my family room. I’m an early bird and do most of my writing between 5am and 7am when the house is silent and my mind is quiet and clear. I love those early morning hours. It’s my “Me” time. Spending a few hours focused on dreaming up happy couples sets me up for the rest of the day. It’s marvelous stress relief.

What helps you when you have writers block?

There are two categories of writer’s block: writing problems and non-writing problems. Usually, writers block is the result of something not working in my story, and I have a wonderful critique group that helps me spot what’s wrong and brainstorm ideas to fix it. Sometimes, though, it’s the result of competing priorities in my life, stress, or exhaustion. When my writing troubles aren’t about writing, I need to stop and take a break until I’ve had a chance to recuperate. Reading often helps me bounce back. There’s nothing like curling up with a good romance to refill my well and help me feel ready to tackle my manuscript again.

What are some things you are really enjoying reading right now? Books, TV, foods, etc.?

Like so many romance fans, I’ve been binging Bridgerton and Heated Rivalry. I’m delighted that romance is having such a moment in mainstream media. I think we all need to blow off a little steam these days and remember how revolutionary love truly is. It transforms us, inspires us, brings out the best in us. Joy is an act of resistance. It brings us together when the world wants to tear us apart. It gives us meaning in the face of alienation. Whether we’re reading it, watching it, or listening to it, romance gives us joy in the moment and hope for the future. So, keep reading romance, friends. Keep choosing love.

Learn more about Air Affair:

She’s the city’s wildest heiress. He’s a haunted pilot with nothing left to lose. Together, they’re pure combustion.

Rory Belmont has always loved speed, trouble, and the sky—usually in that order. New York society calls her reckless. The newspapers call her scandalous. Her father calls her engaged—to a man she doesn’t want. But when Rory slips away from her engagement party to sit in the cockpit of a sleek biplane, she meets the one man who makes her heart race faster than flight itself…

Hank Hawley.

Army ace. Airmail daredevil.

And a Mile-High Madman with enough ghosts to ground an entire squadron.

Hank doesn’t need distractions—especially not a spoiled, sharp-tongued socialite with eyes full of fire and a hunger for the clouds. But Rory is nothing like he expected. She’s brave. Fierce. Lonely. And when she looks at him, he starts to believe there might be more to life than just staying alive.

Their connection is instant. Their chemistry is explosive. But when Rory’s father disowns her and danger shadows Hank’s every flight, loving him might cost Rory everything—her fortune, her freedom, even her life. And Hank knows too well that the sky doesn’t spare the things he cares about.

In a world built on risk, passion becomes the most dangerous dare of all… and the only one worth taking.

Welcome to Mile-High Madmen—where every pilot is a legend, every kiss is a free fall, and love always flies into the storm.

Leslie Vollard delivers a sweeping Jazz Age romance filled with danger, heart, and breathtaking passion. Perfect for fans of Beatriz Williams, Julie Klassen, and high-drama historical love stories, this tale of daring dreams and healing hearts proves that sometimes love soars where courage begins.

Preorder here: https://books2read.com/u/38a6yL

Meet Leslie Vollard:

Leslie Vollard writes award-winning historical romance spanning from the medieval period to the early 20th century. Romance reigns supreme in her steamy novels about how love conquers all. A 2023 Passionate Plume winner and 2025 Romance through the Ages finalist, she lives on Long Island with her delightfully nerdy husband and cat. She loves gardening, baking, and reading love poems in dead languages.

You can find her on her website, as well as Facebook, Instagram, Bookbub, Bluesky, and Threads!