Writer: Leonard Phillipson
Leonard is an Australian writer based in the Rainbow Beach region of Queensland. He acknowledges the Gubbi Gubbi and Butchulla peoples as the Traditional Custodians of the surrounding Cooloola Coast. His debut novel, The Catcher Man, now complete and undergoing editing, opens a planned trilogy following the Dalton family through colonial Australia. Much of the story unfolds in Sydney on Gadigal Country, within the Eora Nation. His historical fiction explores belonging, injustice, resilience and the ties that hold families together.
Before turning my attention to writing fiction, I completed almost two decades with UnitingCare Queensland, supporting individuals, families and communities through crisis and recovery. Those years deepened my curiosity about people, particularly the private struggles and difficult choices that are not always visible from the outside. I hold an honours degree in Psychological Science and a Diploma in Business Management, and studied creative writing at university. That interest in people now finds another expression in my fiction.
What inspires my stories and keeps me writing.
My vision is to bring the past to life with characters readers enjoy spending time with, a little mischief and plenty of reasons to turn the page. If someone stays up a little too late to finish a chapter, I’ll consider that a good night’s work.
I believe every life deserves to be understood beyond first impressions. Curiosity keeps us open to others, compassion deepens our understanding, and the past helps us recognise what people carry into the present.
My mission is to give readers a reason to care about lives far removed from their own. Through storytelling, I hope to make unfamiliar experiences feel close enough to matter, and to leave something that stays with the reader beyond the final page.
