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Writing mysteries has its own twists and turns. That's the fun of it, particularly when the characters take over.

Biography

As a child, Maria Leonhauser dreamed of one day living in her hometown library in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, probably because it had a slew of Nancy Drew books and its late nineteenth-century architecture looked more like a house than a library. After studying English literature and theater in college, Maria crisscrossed the country as a journalist for The Bulletin in Philadelphia, The Sacramento Bee, and Time and People magazines before segueing into public relations where she helped clients launch new products, handle crises, and stage events. But her childhood dream did come true — sort of. Maria now writes murder mysteries, and her character Amelia Halliday lives in the library. It’s a win-win. Murder at Twin Beeches is Maria’s debut novel and the first in a planned series. She lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan.