Amanda Leadley (formerly writing under Amanda Johnston) is the author of the Anthemverse (The Anthem Saga, The Viridian Record: Rear View Mirror, The Seraph Chronicles, The Discord Duology, and The Rue Royal Novels), Blackwoods Bend & The Frame Tales, and Strange Magic.

Amanda wrote seventeen of the books in the Anthemverse within eighteen months (2018-2019), writing early in the morning, during her children's nap times, and even on family holidays.

Her favorite books growing up were about vampires, ghosts, witches, and angels, with a lot of other horror and mystery thrown into the mix. She also grew up on shows and movies like Buffy, the Vampire Slayer, Dark Shadows, Lost Boys, The Shining, and The Outsiders. Amanda admits that a few of the more fantasy-related elements of her stories come from Grease 2 and Xanadu.

Amanda's other major influences were the music of Jim Steinman and Meat Loaf, who planted the idea of Anthem City, Johnny, and Jenny into her head, and the music of Andy Black and Black Veil Brides who's inspiration helped her steer the story of Billy, Timothy, Ricky, and Frank.

The genres Amanda writes are Dark Urban Fantasy Soap Opera, which she says describes her Anthemverse books the most accurately, Southern Horror/Comedy, and Paranormal Romance.

Amanda lives in Smoke Rise, Alabama with her husband and four daughters, writing stories from her house on the mountain in what she calls "The Narrow Woods".