• Action Headquarters
  • Media Center
    • Press Releases
    • Press Kit
    • All News

American Humanist Association

Advocating progressive values and equality for humanists, atheists, and freethinkers

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • About
    • About

      For over 80 years, the AHA has proudly served as the leading progressive voice in America on behalf of humanists, atheists, agnostics, and freethinkers.

      Learn More
    • Our Mission
    • Our History
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Board of Directors
    • Staff
    • Jobs & Internships
    • Financial Info and Reports
    • Contact Us
  • Are You Humanist?
    • Are You Humanist?

      Guided by reason, inspired by compassion, and informed by experience.

      Learn More
    • Definition of Humanism
    • Humanism and Its Aspirations
    • Humanist of the Year Award
    • Famous Humanists in History
  • Key Issues
    • Key Issues

      We are committed to building an inclusive America grounded in an embrace of reason, ethics, scientific inquiry, and compassion- rather than religious dogma.

      Learn More
    • Defending Nontheists and Promoting Humanism
    • Religion and Government Separation
    • Social Justice
    • Scientific Integrity
    • Promoting Peace
    • Resolutions and Statements
  • What We Do
    • What We Do

      We work tirelessly in courts, legislatures, and communities to defend civil liberties, secular governance, and scientific integrity.

      Learn More
    • Legal
    • Legislative
    • Education Center
    • Local Groups
    • Programs and Adjuncts
    • Publications
    • AHA at the Supreme Court
    • National Day of Reason
    • Boycott the Pledge Campaign
    • Darwin Day
    • Humanist Disaster Recovery
    • Speakers Bureau
    • Humanism for All Prisoners’ Project
  • Get Involved
    • Get Involved

      Ready for change? Join our network and be the first to take action. Get the resources and tools you need to make a real difference.

      Learn More
    • Humanist Action Headquarters
    • Report a Violation or Discrimination
    • Find a Local AHA Chapter
    • Become a Humanist Celebrant
    • Events and Conferences
    • Resources
  • Ways to Give
    • Ways to Give

      Through winning lawsuits, active lobbying, and effective media campaigns, your contribution can go a long way.

      Learn More
    • Join
    • Renew
    • Donate
    • Online-Only Membership
    • Leave a Bequest
    • IRA Rollover Gifts
    • Other Ways to Give
  • Media Center
  • Take Action
February 20, 2014 Press Releases

Culture-War Thriller Wicked Gods Tackles Destructive Power of Religion

Facebook Twitter Email Share
February 20, 2014 Press Releases

Latest Humanist Press Novel is “a Fast-Paced Mystery with Plenty of Suspects”

For immediate release

Contact: Maggie Ardiente, mardiente@americanhumanist.org, 202-238-9088 x116

(Washington, DC – Feb. 20, 2014) – Religious extremists and culture warriors are out to destroy best-selling author Mira Veron, the protagonist in the new novel released today by Humanist Press, Wicked Gods, by Eilís Leyne. The book as been called “fast-paced” and “engrossing,” with one reviewer declaring, “Would I read a sequel? Absolutely!”

When her seismic exposé of religious abuses lands on the best-seller list, Professor Mira Veron becomes a darling of the literati and a target for religious extremists and culture warriors alike. With her soon-to-be-ex-husband scheming to undermine her, her opportunistic agent attempting to cash in on her name, and a seductive born-again assassin tracking her every move, she meets up with a publishing tycoon who is guarding a volatile secret.

Veron is drawn into an underground network by the promise of cataclysmic religious revelations only to watch as her new associates mysteriously die one by one. Under siege by forces seen and unseen, she embarks on a desperate quest for answers. Now she must choose between defending her work and defending her life.

While recent authors such as Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris and Christopher Hitchens have published blockbuster non-fiction books on the destructive power of religion, Wicked Gods tackles this controversial topic in the more accessible form of a sophisticated culture-war thriller. Leyne blends a wry take on contemporary American politics with a wealth of factual details on such varied phenomena as spiritualism, human sacrifice, plural marriage, and ritual suicide.

An excerpt of the book is available online.

Eilís Leyne is the pen name of an author whose non-fiction works have appeared in more than a dozen publications, including the Christian Science Monitor and the Atlanta Journal Constitution. Having written two well-received non-fiction books, Wicked Gods is her debut novel. She has appeared on National Public Radio, the USA Radio Network, and the Westwood One Radio Network, among other media appearances.

The book is available from humanistpress.com and major online retailers, including Amazon and Barnes & Noble. The ISBN numbers are 978-0-931779-45-9, paperback; 978-0-931779-46-6, ebook.

###

Humanist Press is the publishing house of the American Humanist Association (AHA). Founded in 1941 and headquartered in Washington, DC, the AHA works to protect the rights of humanists, atheists, and other non-religious Americans. The AHA advances the ethical and life-affirming philosophy of humanism, which—without beliefs in any gods or other supernatural forces—encourages individuals to live informed and meaningful lives that aspire to the greater good of humanity.

More Press Releases

Latest news from TheHumanist.com

Subscribe Today

A Look Back at AHA Legal Work

Andrew Hulett

Supporting Children’s Mental Health

Emily Newman

The Comics Section: Playing with Matches

The Comics Section: Playing with Matches

A Chosen Death: The Right to Write Your Own Life’s Story

Lowrey R. Brown

AHA Through the Years

Roy Speckhardt
American Humanist Association
1821 Jefferson Place, NW
Washington, DC 20036
202-238-9088
800-837-3792 (toll-free)
202-238-9003 (fax)
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • About the American Humanist Association
  • Are You Humanist?
  • What We Do
  • Key Issues
  • Board of Directors
  • Staff
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Get Involved
  • Report a Violation or Discrimination
  • Press Kit
  • Local Groups
  • Education Center
  • Become a Humanist Celebrant
  • Job and Internship Opportunities
  • Humanist Action Headquarters
  • Sign Up for AHA Emails
  • Privacy Policy
  • Records Policy
  • Site Map
  • Contact Us

©2021 American Humanist Association. All Rights Reserved.

Combined Federal CampaignIndependent Charities of AmericaGuideStarCharity NavigatorGuidestar 2021 Platinum Seal of Transparency