About Leonie Mateer:
Puppeteer, children’s entertainer, owner of a model agency, TV talk show panelist, luxury accommodation owner, entrepreneur: storyteller Leonie Mateer has lived a full and diverse life. Born and raised in New Zealand, Mateer moved to the United States in her 30s to pursue business opportunities. She returned to New Zealand for several years in the 2000s, running a luxury lodge in Northland – which has been an inspiration for her crime series – and now splits her time between Northland and the United States.
Mateer is known for her huge success as a brand development expert, and has previously written business advice books.
Creator of the brand, Caboodles™ – a teen girl brand that took the retail industry by storm in the late 1980s and early 90s.
She was named in the ‘Who’s Who’ of both Leading American Executives and American Inventors in the 1990s.
A lifelong storyteller, she published THE MURDER SUITE, her first adult thriller, last year, kickstarting a series starring Audrey, “a psychopath, a serial killer and a friendly resident in a small town in rural Northland”. The series has continued with THE CABIN BY THE SEA (Book 2) and THE MURDER TRAIL (Book 3).
Other books include:
• The Caboodles Blueprint – How to turn your idea into millions
• The Magical World of Dantonia – A mid-grade thriller
• Read Your Own Fortune & Read Your Own Financial Fortune
What inspires you to write?
As a constant traveler, I would consume large quantities of “best sellers” from airport gift shops often being drawn to suspense thrillers from authors such as Stephen King and John Saul.
Kathy Bates character in Misery and “Dexter” are two of my favorite crime characters. I find the perpetrators of the crimes much more interesting than the detectives on their case. Dexter’s psychopathic personality enables him to live in both worlds – as a killer and as a forensic analyst. His everyday normality and his lack of remorse or guilt I find both fascinating and creepy.
My Audrey character also has two personalities – one as a killer and one as a friendly accommodation provider.
The very first book I remember reading and really loving was Hansel and Gretel. I grew up on fairy tales. I loved the dark side of fairy tales. Two children alone in the forest, tempted by the candy cottage only to be trapped in a cage by a wicked witch… all the elements of a great story.
Tell us about your writing process.
As a product developer for most of my life, I like to create a prototype (something tangible) before I begin the creative process.
As a writer, I always create the book cover – first. The front page and the back page. It is a perfect outline – visually and verbally of my new project. It has the title, the description and an image. Once I am satisfied with the cover all I have to do is fill the empty pages with the story.
I am a story teller rather than a writer.. I have told stories all my life, as a child to my younger brother and as an adult when I created and sold my products worldwide. Telling the “story” is what I love best.
I have a rough outline of what my story will be and then I start typing… The story has a life of its own. It winds it way through situations and characters. I am simply taken along for the ride. I never know what or when the end will take place until I type the words “The End”.
I type quickly and write my books within three or four weeks… it is the editing that takes the time (and my least favorite part of the whole process)
Marketing my books is enjoyable to me. I like the challenge of learning a new industry. Researching opportunities to promote my books and meet other writers.
I write the kind of books that I like to read. The Audrey Murder series are a fun, quick read.
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
My characters are real in my minds eye. I can see them clearly. My books are like movies in my head. The characters develop as the storyline develops… It feels like taking a ride with strangers on a tour bus. By the time you have reached your destination, you have formed opinions and even created friends (or enemies).
What advice would you give other writers?
Just enjoy the process. Enjoy telling the story. Remember you can’t please all of the people, all of the time.
20% of people love you for who you are
20% of people dislike you for the very same reasons
60% of people don’t give a damn.
The same goes for your writing. Ignore the bad reviews and enjoy the good ones.
Learn as you go. Don’t be too hard on yourself. There are all types of writers as there are all types of readers.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
My first book was published by a publisher. I didn’t really have any control over the marketing of the book.
As a marketer, I liked the challenge of self-publishing. Learning the industry. Obtaining new skills. Having total flexibility in the whole literary process.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
I love where the industry is going. It is the reader who can now choose what they want to read, rather than an agent or publisher deciding what the reader should read. Self publishing has created a new platform for novice authors and, in turn, has opened up a wider range of topics, genres and talent.
I still like to hold a book in my hand. I don’t see paperbacks losing ground to e-books.. but for quick information you can’t beat an e-book. Non fiction and informational e-books are the equivalent of detailed blogs – but obtainable and easily stored on your device for quick reference.
The style of writing has altered considerably due to the need for “instant information”. No longer does the reader want to read through pages and pages of descriptive “set up”. Movies, TV, YouTube, and the worldwide web has created a new type of reader – a reader who is used to getting to the “nitty gritty” quickly. A reader who wants to be entertained throughout the reading experienced.
What genres do you write?: Non Fiction, Self Help, New Age, Women’s Fiction, Murder/Crime, Thriller, Mid-grade fantasy,
What formats are your books in?: eBook, Print, Both eBook and Print, Audiobook
Website(s)
Leonie Mateer Home Page Link
Link To Leonie Mateer Page On Amazon
Your Social Media Links
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
All information in this post is presented “as is” supplied by the author. We don’t edit, to allow you, the reader, to hear the author in their own voice.
