The Montgomery Lake High Book Series by Stacy A. Padula
Book #1: The Right Person
Chris Dunkin has lived a life of excessive partying since he was twelve. At fifteen, he is drinking more often and trying heavy drugs to keep himself high. But his dream of becoming a pro athlete is slipping away as quickly as his grades. Chris is empty inside, bored with the partying scene, and incredibly attracted to Courtney Angeletti. However, Courtney is Bryan Sartelli's girlfriend and is also the mayor's straight-laced Christian daughter. Chris sees inner strength in Courtney that he finds very attractive. Courtney is intrigued by Chris's "life of the party" reputation. Her hidden desire to rebel leads her to break up with Bryan and begin dating Chris. The more time Chris spends with Courtney, the less dependent he is on drugs. The night before his first day of high school, Chris throws a party and falls back into his old destructive ways. He decides to pull away from his friends to straighten out his life. Meanwhile, Courtney becomes better acquainted with Chris's friends and desires to gain their acceptance.
This story of teenage acceptance and the resulting battle over moral convictions will hit home with many teens looking for answers.
Book #2: When Darkness Tries to Hide
As Chris Dunkin arrives for his first year of high school, he enters drug-free with a new attitude and a Christian set of values. But it doesn't take long before he realizes that he was a whole lot more popular when he was the "life of the party." To make matters worse, his childhood best friend, Jason, turns on him, trying to destroy his reputation. But something else is about to happen, and as the skies grow darker over the town of Montgomery, no one suspects that the terrible oncoming storm is going to bring more than wind and rain to the kids of Montgomery Lake High.
Coming Soon – Book #3: The Aftermath
It sounded like a train coming toward him, but there was not a train in sight. A flash of light shot through the room—the capsule. Was this a time warp? Or, perhaps, a flashback? Running—more running without getting anywhere. "No, Chantal! Stop!" he screamed. His words froze in the air.
She could not hear him. Time was running out. She was running toward the staircase with her long auburn hair flowing into Jason's face. Watching, he knew that she was not going to make it before the trembling began. She fell over before he could reach her. Once again, he had let her down.
The light flickered, and he struggled to remain standing. He reached the stairs, but did not stop by Chantal's side. The door ahead looked like a castle wall—a barricade. The other side held the destruction. The other side possessed the danger. This door—his enemy—was keeping them safe.
"Jason, don't!" Cathy's voice cried out. She did not sound like his fifteen year old girlfriend; she sounded like a hissing demon.
He latched onto the doorknob as it transformed into a vault. It looked like his locker. His mind was blank. I can make this right, he thought. He pressed his hand to the door. It was a glacier. Water began trickling through his fingertips. He felt completely alone. A crackling sound above caught his attention. Wake up, Jason! He screamed at himself. Wake up before you see him. Not again. In an instant, Andy's pale face appeared through the water. Jason's heart pounded. "Trade places with me!" Jason pleaded as he reached out toward Andy. There was a crash, and then Andy was gone.
Breathing heavily, with sweat dripping down his forehead, Jason shot his large blue eyes wide open. "Again? Really?" he said aloud in the stillness of his dark bedroom. He brought his hand to his chest and breathed in deeply. He turned toward his alarm clock. Three thirty-three a.m. It had been three weeks since the storm had struck Montgomery, since Andy had slipped into a coma, and since Jason had realized that he was living in a cloud of darkness.
About the Author: Stacy A. Padula
Stacy is the Director of Operations at JBG Educational Group, a company of about thirty educators who work closely with young adults and their families on everything under the academic blanket. In addition to tutoring, college consulting, educational advocacy, life coaching, and academic coaching, Stacy specializes in working with troubled youth. JBG Educational Group counsels families, as well as works in conjunction with students' therapists, doctors, and school systems. As Director of Operations, Stacy manages every operation within the company. Each week, she spends 25 hours with students, on a personal, one-on-one basis. As a college consultant, tutor, advocate, and academic coach, Stacy serves as a mentor to her students—age twelve to eighteen—and guides them through not only academic, but also social and emotional hardships. Stacy wrote the Montgomery Lake High series in the hopes of preparing teens to face the "war zone" that is high school–-to help kids deal with the stress and peer pressure, and to encourage them to "steer a straight path, pursue God, and not fall for the false promises of the world.