“Writing fiction is a solitary endeavor — until your characters believe in you.”
— Maria Leonhauser
About Maria
As a child, Maria Leonhauser dreamed of one day living in the Langhorne Library, now the home of the Historic Langhorne Association in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. It was a bit of a reach given that it was, well, a library. But it was a second home to her where she met biographers, historians, and novelists through the pages of their books. It also got her hooked on murder mysteries with its slew of Nancy Drew books.
Dreams do come true. Sort of. She now writes the murder mysteries, and her character Amelia Halliday lives in the library. It’s a win-win.
But winning didn’t happen overnight.
After studying English literature and theater in college, Maria crisscrossed the country as a journalist for The Bulletin in Philadelphia, The Sacramento Bee, Time, and People before segueing into public relations. Writing mysteries is now her full-time endeavor.
Murder at Twin Beeches is Maria’s debut novel. She lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan, except in the winter when she heads to Los Olivos, California. Her character Amelia lives in her childhood library year-round. She’s younger and can take the cold.
Photo courtesy of Historic Langhorne AssociationLanghorne Library
If I couldn’t live in my beloved library, at least one of my characters can.
Yes, this is where I dreamed of living when I grew up. Can you blame me? The youth section actually had a fireplace — unlit but still atmospheric — and a well-stocked shelf of Nancy Drew books.
The library figures prominently in Murder at Twin Beeches and will continue to do so in future books. I loved hanging out there; so does my character Amelia.
