Recently, I was watching a online panel discussion on atheism when one of the participants cited a statistic from a survey that I found to be very disturbing. According to the American Psychological Association, atheists are perceived to be less trustworthy than rapists. Really? I'm tempted to do my best John McEnroe impression: "You CANNOT be serious!" Let's start by acknowledging a simple fact: any harm that may come from atheism would be largely self-inflicted. If anyone suffers from atheism, it is first, and foremost, the atheist. Atheism simply means that one does not believe in any sort of supernatural God. Period. Rape, on the other hand, is violent and evil--the pernicious act of a predator. By its definition, another person is harmed. In short, there really is no comparison between rape and atheism. None. Whether or not the poll was accurate is not important. The question is, how could anybody even think someone's beliefs, or in this case, their personal non-belief in God, is worse than a vicious sexual assault on another human being? Would you rather your daughter's friend confide that he doesn't belief in her God, or that he brutally raped her? Having a daughter, it's easy for me to answer that question. I know my daughter is not easily influenced by the thoughts and words of other people--God only knows, she heard enough of my words of advice that went into one ear and right out the other. The words of her friend would not affect my daughter's personal belief in a supernatural God, which happens to be quite strong. I know … [Read more...]
Secondhand Sight official book trailer
Here's the official book trailer for Secondhand Sight, now less than a month away from official release... BookTrailer_only … [Read more...]
Rocky Leonard interviewed October 9th at Unnecessary Musings
Please visit J.A. Beard's blog Unnecessary Musings tomorrow, October 9th for my interview about my latest novel, Secondhand Sight. The interview was a lot of fun. I was asked some really interesting questions, definitely not your run-of-the-mill fare. Stop by and leave a comment at the blog for a chance to win a free e-book copy of the novel. … [Read more...]
Coastal Empire earns solid review from Independent Professional Book Reviewers
Melissa Brown Levine wrote this review of Coastal Empire for Independent Professional Book Reviewers: In author Rocky Leonard’s debut novel, Coastal Empire, Savannah private detective Robert Mercer, finds himself in the middle of an elaborate, illegal real estate scheme after taking a job to track a suspected philanderer. What begins as a simple case soon becomes a tangled web of fraud and murder. Mercer risks his on life as he works to save the remaining targets on the criminals’ list. This story has a complicated plot that moves in unexpected directions. After receiving a thank you card from a jeweler in Atlanta, Sarah Reid hires Robert Mercer to find out if her husband, Barry Reid, a prominent local real estate agent, is cheating on her. Mercer accepts the job and spends a couple of days in Atlanta searching for the man who sent the thank you card. During his investigation, Mercer meets Kelly, a woman who originally presents herself as an employee of the jewelry store, but who Mercer later discovers is a significant figure in his case. Upon his return to Savannah, Mercer meets Nick Mason when Nick runs out into the middle of the street as Mercer and his dog Ox are making their way home. This chance meeting turns into a partnership when Nick informs Mercer of strange real estate transactions involving multi-million dollar properties and a local attorney. When the men discover that the owners of two of those properties were killed just months after a real estate trust on their properties was set up, they investigate the key players in the scheme. Barry Reid happens … [Read more...]
More kind words for Always a Next One
In her review for Reader's Favorite, Alice D. wrote: John Leonard and his wife Lisa have been involved with animal rescue and fostering in Georgia for many years. Their children learned to live alongside dogs and cats whom the Leonards had taken in while awaiting their "forever home". Author John Leonard comes across as the soul of kindness. From his writings the reader will know that Leonard is an expert at rescuing animals, taking them to a veterinarian when needed, and judging with wife Lisa what a dog or cat needs in the way of petting, feeding, playing, and tending to toilet needs. He tells of German Shepherd Sheba who protects Sparky from a bully named Cole, of Maggie the border collie chosen at a shelter by Leonard's son, of Belle the dalmatian who has gastrointestinal issues and lets loose with smelly farts, of Simone the cat who thinks she is one of the dogs. As he writes on page 42, John Leonard will convince the readers to "never underestimate the healing power of a stable pack." "Always a Next One" is a wonderfully written story of a family's involvement with taking in foster animals until their permanent homes are found. Readers who like Herriot's animal stories will be drawn to John Leonard's writings and will want to read more than the sample chapter of dog stories featuring Leonard's beloved Ox at the book's end.The writing in each story is consistent and not maudlin and the animals' characters come through believably. Simone the cat is a cat, not a human in disguise. This is a book that belongs on animal lovers' reading lists everywhere. Wow! Any … [Read more...]
