Saturday, May 17, 2014

10 Things You Didn't Know About Amanda J. Greene, author of The Rulers of Darkness Series



10 Things Readers Would be Surprised to Know About Me.

Hello everyone! Thank you so much for having me here today. Listing 10 things I think readers would be surprised to know about me was more difficult any I initially thought. So, I tried to think of things that most people don’t really know about me. Most people mistake me as a quiet person, but those who really know me know I have a hard time shutting up.

There it goes!

1. I wrote my first book when I was 12.

Well, I wrote the first version of Caressed by Moonlight (Rulers of Darkness, #1) when I was 12. I had stored it in a three ring binder. I rediscovered the story one day when I was going through some things. Since my husband was deployed that summer and my next semester of college wasn’t starting any time soon, I decided to go through the book and polish it up. I also made it more adult friendly. (Wink)

2. I’m a HUGE Tech N9ne and Strange Music fan.

This fact shocks most people when I tell them. No, I’m not jumping on the new Tech N9ne wagon. I’ve been a fan of his for about the last 8 years, thanks to my husband. Yes, I enjoy underground rap music: Hopsin and Immortal Technique to name a few.

Not to mention, Tech N9ne story is amazing. He is an independent rapper who became extremely successful through hard work, dedication, and pure love of his art. As an independent author and I find him inspiring. It also helps that his music has helped me with character development.

3. I grew up in a horse town. A little slice of country in the middle of Southern California.

Living in San Diego, most people mistake me for a city girl. That can’t be further from the truth. I went to school in a town that had no sidewalks, just horse trails. People ride their horses to the store, to the bar, to each other houses. We did line dancing and square dancing in middle school for P.E.

4. I find the sound of dirt bikes, the scent of two-stroke gasoline and the desert landscape absolutely wonderful!

I grew up around dirt bikes. My dad has been riding and racing since he was a kid. Supercross, Motocross is a must in our home. My sixteen-year-old brother now races. As a family, we would pack up the trailer with dirt bikes and quads and spend weekends out in the middle of the desert, just riding.

Another reason I love the desert is I grew up going to the river and the lake. Heck, I started water skiing when I was eight.

5. I love Formula One.

Yep, I’m a Ferrari fan. Hey, I’m Italian and I have to support my team. Especially since Kimi Räikkönen is back on the team! J

6. I have chronic insomnia.

People always ask me how I can possibly balance working full time, school, writing, and family? My answer: I don’t sleep. Coffee is what keeps me alive.

7. Reading is my escape.

Some authors may say writing is their escape, but reading is mine. If I had a bad day, there really is nothing better than having a cup of coffee, curling up with a blanket, my dog at my side, and reading. I fell in love with paranormal and historical romance when I was in middle school.

8. The first true romance novel I ever read was a bodice ripper.

I fell in love with the paranormal genre first, back in middle school. But the first romance novel I read was Flame and the Flower byKathleen Woodiwiss. The book is amazing! It made me cry at least three times and it blew me away. From then on, I was hooked on historical romance. Later on in high school, I returned to paranormal and read Christine Feehan and Sherrilyn Kenyon.

9. Most of my characters are inspired by songs.

Most of my characters and their stories come to me while driving, which I do a lot of commutating. Music is a wonderful a tool. For example, my character, Hadrian from Caressed by a Crimson Moon, came to me one day when I was on my way to work. I was listening Tech N9ne’s song Delusional and I saw Hadrian. He is a toured, sexy vampire hero with a dark secret and, yes, he balances on the edge of insanity.


10. I walked down the aisle at my wedding to Godfather Love Song

I’m Italian! And I’ve never been a fan of the wedding march. It surprised a lot of people. Also, when my husband and I were announced as Mr. and Mrs. they played the tradition Godfather theme song.


I find it so difficult to write about myself and I’m surprised I was able to come up with 10 things!

Thank you again for having me here today and I’d like to wish you all HAPPY READING!


Caressed by Moonlight 

Dorian Vlakhos is no ordinary aristocrat. He is a vampire king, who will do anything to save his clan from complete annihilation, before an ancient curse can claim his immortal life. 

Penniless and orphaned, Victoria Kingston has nothing to bring to a marriage, yet she must shackle an unsuspecting gentleman into marriage by the end of the month or forfeit her rights as guardian of her younger sister. With the help of her dearest friend, Victoria begins her hunt, and vows to stay far away from the dark, mysterious, Dorian Vlakhos.

After meeting the beautifully innocent Miss Kingston, Dorian had to have her. He would do absolutely anything to make Victoria his. One sweet stolen kiss would bring them together while a force, more powerful than any vampire, would bind them for all eternity, but treachery, war, and death rule Dorian’s dark world and Victoria would be fortunate to survive.


Caressed by Night

Dimitri Arsov, the last remaining pure vampire, was thought to be dead for the past four hundreds years. Now, he is back and has a score to settle with the traitor that had tried to kill him centuries ago. But as he waits for his prey to blindly step into his carefully laid trap, his overwhelming hunger for blood is triggered when he saves a beautiful art historian.

Kerstyn Ingmar’s life was normal and straight up boring until the night she is rescued by the dangerously sexy, powerfully mesmerizing, Dimitri. Unable to resist his diamond blue eyes and intense kisses, she is drawn into his world of darkness and closer to her impending doom.

While their desire consumes them, Dimitri is haunted by images of a bloody and deadly future. As his enemies draw near, he must find a way to save his mate from her destiny before fate destroys them both.


Caressed by a Crimson Moon

Consumed by madness and tormented by dark memories of blood and death, Hadrian Lucretius, King of the Validus Clan, has returned after living in self-imposed exile for nearly three hundred and fifty years.

To maintain peace with the vampires, Eva Maldonado is offered as a sacrifice to the crazed vampire king by her father, the alpha of the Silveria Shifter Pack. Hadrian’s reputation is both legendary and lethal; he is ruthless, bloodthirsty, lusty, and soulless. When Eva arrives at the ancient fortress high in the Carpathian Mountains, she is shocked to find a ravaged man with dark burning eyes filled with loneliness and dangerous desire.

Would she be his lover…or his prey? His savior…or his victim? Would Hadrian lure her into madness or would their perilous passion be their redemption?

Caressed by Shadows

Black Knight, Falcon Kenwrec is powerful, relentless, and fiercely loyal, his only allegiance – to his king. But he is torn between duty and desire when the war between the vampire clans and the Red Order hunters escalates and the enemy captures the one woman he longs to claim as his own, Sonya Rebane, Queen of the Voidukas Clan. Falcon will risk everything to save her, even if it means forsaking his king.

After weeks of imprisonment, Sonya is stunned when the chivalrous knight that she has secretly loved from afar appears outside her cell. As they fight and struggle to elude their enemies, they must battle their overwhelming attraction for each other and their love that is forbidden. 

As every perilous moment draws them closer together, every smoldering kiss drives them to the brink of a passionate destruction. Will they be able to resist temptation? Or will their love be their ruin? 

Read an excerpt:
He crossed to the bed. She lay on her back, making it impossible for him to inspect her wound. If she had taken his offering, the bullet wound would be gone. 
Kneeling down, he brought himself eye level with the sleeping queen. She displayed no traditional signs of life, such as a pulse, her head was slightly tilted to the side. Though she did not breathe, her skin was softly tanned and her pink rose lips were moist. He brushed her hair away from her face and tucked it gently behind her ear, revealing the slender curve of her neck. 
His lonely heart warmed and beat with pride. She was wearing his clothing. His scent cloaked her. 
As it should. 
He shook his head at the absurd thought. 
It wasn’t as if he deserved her. 
How could he have not noticed she had been injured? 
He should have scented the gunpowder or her blood. Had he been so consumed with getting them to safety to notice? Or was it his sexual attraction that clouded his judgment? 
Either way, there was no excuse; he should have known Sonya was wounded. 
I should never have come after her, he thought.  
Sonya was a queen amongst his people, but she was not his queen. His allegiance is to Hadrian Lucretius, the Chieftain of the Validus Clan. He had abandoned his king and his clan in a time of need to chase down a woman he could never and would never have.  
Ashamed, he turned away. 
What would his clan think of him? More importantly, what were Hadrian’s thoughts and feelings towards his brash actions? His king had only just returned and, though his condition had improved immensely, Hadrian remained on the edge of madness. 
Falcon scrubbed his face with his hands as he walked back to the living area. With a heavy exhale; he collapsed back onto the sofa. 
His head hung low, he rubbed his brow. Falcon prayed he hadn’t disappointed his king.
For centuries, Hadrian had been his leader, his mentor, his brother in arms, and his closest friend. Unbeknownst to all, Hadrian had found him on the brink of death and granted him immortality. On that day, Falcon had sworn his fealty to Hadrian; he would proudly trade his soul for his king. Yet, he had abandoned his post at his king’s right hand to rescue a queen of another clan.  
“I’m sorry, Hadrian,” Falcon whispered to the silence.  
He would never know what compelled him to turn his back on his duties.  
When Gwendolyn had announced Sonya’s abduction, something inside him snapped. His only thought, his only focus and purpose was to bring her home. 
Rage had exploded within him a force unlike any he had ever felt before. It turned his blood to acid and as the hours turned to days and the day into weeks, the rage corroded his honor, attacking his loyalties until all he could think of was Sonya. And he needed to call Hadrian. He had to report in, let everyone know he had located the queen and that Sonya was now in his possession. 
A short laugh escaped him as he shook his head. Sonya Rebane, Queen of the 
Voidukas Clan would never be in his possession.
~~Coming soon to your favorite retailers~


About the author:

Amanda J. Greene is a paranormal romance author. When she is not writing, she can found playing the role of a university student who also works full time at a cosmetology school. She lives in Southern California with her very supportive husband and their two dogs, a sweet cocker spaniel and a rambunctious blackmouth cur mix. Doing all the above and being a military wife is not easy, but rewarding! Of course, she accomplishes everything with a strong cup of coffee in her hand.



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2 comments:

  1. Thank you allowing me to do a guest post!

    ReplyDelete
  2. What an exciting book! I am intrigued by Falcon and Sonya's relationship. Thanks for sharing the great excerpt.

    ReplyDelete

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