JOHN 3:16 MARKETING NETWORK GUEST POST: Lorilyn Interviews Stacy Padula About Her New Book “When Darkness Tries to Hide”

Today marks the release of Stacy Padula’s latest novel When Darkness Tries to Hide.

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Lorilyn: How did you become interested in writing?


Stacy: I wrote my first book when I was in Kindergarten; it was a short story about a puppy. Then my writing just continued…I wrote books all through elementary school and continued beyond. I finished my first draft of When Darkness Tries to Hide when I was 15 years old. I had read a lot of different books while growing up that had been about high school. When I entered high school I was completely shocked by what was going on around me! It was nothing like Sweet Valley High or the Babysitters Club. 

There was an abundance of backbiting, backstabbing, substance abuse, and kids just being mean to each other. I felt that there needed to be a realistic book series out there for kids to read so that they could be prepared for the social battles of high school. So, I wrote The Right Person, which is the first book in the Montgomery Lake High series. I fell in love with my characters, and the subject matter, so I decided to write a sequel (which is now When Darkness Tries to Hide). I have recently finished the 5th book in the series, and I plan to keep writing as long as I am able to!


Lorilyn: What should people know about When Darkness Tries to Hide?


Stacy: The book picks up two months after where The Right Person left off. There is a terrible storm that brings destruction to the town and into the lives of some of the characters. One of the characters, Andy, gets injured and another character, Jason, feels responsible. (Although no one knows at first exactly why Jason feels that way). 

The story follows many characters' reactions to the accident, and how everyone comes together to help Andy. Jason is the central focus of the story, and the transformation he goes through as a result of feeling responsible for what happened to Andy. The main point of the story is the battle between light and darkness, and how people often do not realize they are living a dark life because everyone around them is living the same way until a ray of light shines in and breaks through the darkness.

Lorilyn: Have any experiences from your own life affected the storyline of the book?


Stacy: I have not written about anything that has happened to me exactly, but everything in the books is based on things I have witnessed teenagers go through, or emotional/social/physical/spiritual battles that I have fought in my life. The books are filled with lessons I have learned from my own experiences, but I have woven those lessons into the completely fictitious world of Montgomery Lake High. It is my hope that teens and pre-teens can learn from these lessons and not go through as much pain as I had to in order to learn them!

Lorilyn: What is it like waiting for each book to be published?


Stacy: It is exciting! My next book, which will be published apart from the series as a novel, is Montgomery's Masquerade: The Battle for Innocence. It is a prequel to the series that takes place when the main characters were in 7th grade. 

I just got it back from my editor, who is actually from Pearson Publishing, and I am excited to review her edits and send it along to my publisher, Strategic Book Group. They had read the rough copy earlier this month and accepted it. The whole process has many steps and a lot of approvals that need to be signed off on. I am excited to see the internal layout of the book. I work with my publisher's book designers to bring the book up to the vision that I have for it. This, along with approving the front and back cover designs, is a very exciting part of the process. 

I always get butterflies in my stomach when I open up the first printed copy of each book. The process can take anywhere from six months to a year, depending on many different circumstances. I enjoy being a part of the process. It is always a learning experience, and I find that very rewarding!


Lorilyn: Do you have a "life verse" that you have claimed? If so what is it and why is that verse so meaningful to you?


Stacy: Psalm 84:11 has significant meaning to me. It states that God withholds no good thing from those who walk uprightly. This verse is a reminder to me that anything that I pray for and do not receive is not good for me, and that I only desire it because I have a limited understanding of what is best for me. God knows what is best, and as long as I am walking with Him, He will not withhold anything good from me. So whenever God closes a door in my life, I recall Psalm 84:11 and find great comfort and peace within its promise.


Lorilyn: Who (or what) is your greatest encourager when you write and why?


Stacy: I have a wonderful support system of family and friends who encourage me in my writing. What encourages me the most, though, is the world of Montgomery Lake High that exists within my mind. It is like God has put this world in my head, and these characters are so real to me, and I write to express what is within me: a message of faith to reach out to the youth.


Lorilyn: Is there anything else that you would like your readers to know about you that would give us even more of a glimpse into your personality and passions?


Stacy: “Passionate” would be the best word to describe me. When I'm into something, I'm into it with my whole heart. I love my life and think God has blessed me with the best friends, best dog, best job, and the best mother in the entire world. Writing is my favorite pastime. I have learned a lot about conquering fear this past year. The ocean moves me. 

I love North Carolina and feel like a part of my heart is there. I love to learn and figure out how things are connected. I see deeper meaning in everything. I believe love is the answer to life's toughest questions. I have "songs" with the majority of my friends and hope the lyrics always mean something to me. My faith is in Jesus Christ, and I'm in love with Him. I have a strange fetish for football movies. I am an avid skier. I have a lot of hope and believe nothing is impossible with God.

 You can find Stacy's latest book When Darkness Tries to Hide on Amazon by clicking here

LORILYN INTERVIEWS Shellie Neumeier About Her New Book “Driven”

I met Shellie Neumeier through the John 3:16 Marketing Network and am excited to introduce her here. She is coming out with a new YA Novel, Driven. 

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Lorilyn: Tell us about your latest book Driven.  Do you have a favorite passage you'd like to share?

I can share the back cover blurb: “Robyn can’t help but notice the handsome new guy at her school. She ignores, however, the arrival of another being at Brookfield Central High School—a demon assigned to destroy her…

Robyn loves her friends, enjoys her youth group, and looks forward to meeting cute Caleb Montague. But when a caustic news reporter challenges her school’s prayer team, Robyn must choose: defend their right to meet on campus and pray for whomever they wish or back down at the principal’s request.

Now she must learn what God wants her to do. And she had better learn fast because there’s a supernatural enemy in town whose sole mission is to stop her—no matter the cost.”

Lorilyn: And how about the first couple paragraphs…

Shellie: “From a comfortable height above the trees, Sebastian circled the abandoned paper mill, drinking in the atmosphere of dereliction and decay surrounding the property. This place has more character than most of the humans I know. Half broken windows winked like the evil eyes of wayward souls, while snow drifts gathered in the corners. The wind toyed with the snow, whipping trails that could chill his feet and ankles. If he had feet and ankles, that is.


“Slipping through a second-story window, Sebastian watched a rat scurry across the dusty floor in a dash for the shadows. Like an angry cloud—black as asphalt, thick as cigar smoke—Sebastian floated after the rodent, watching with mild interest as it raced for another shadow and nearly collided with an old tom cat whose eyes glowed brightly with hunger. The tom sprang, but


“Sebastian turned away. He didn’t have time for these cat and mouse games today, no matter how much he enjoyed them. He had a bigger game to consider, and as he moved over the room, he thought about the girl he’d come to destroy.”

Lorilyn: Also, please share some of your writing goals.  What's next for you?

Shellie: I’m thrilled to say I’m under contract with my mid-grade chapter book to be released in 2/2012 (MuseItYoung Publishing) entitled The Wishing Ring. My twelve and nine-year-old helped develop the plot, which makes the story one wild and imaginative ride. 

I’ve also teamed up with Lisa Lickel in writing a romance novel. I enjoyed writing the young adult sections. But my favorite project is another YA novel written about a young boy with special needs. After a fit of rage, he finds himself struggling to survive life in a treatment center.  It’s been eye-opening writing that piece.

Lorilyn: What do you hope readers will get from reading your book?

Shellie: Hopefully, my readers will come away with a renewed sense of power. A sense of I-can-do-that, whatever “that” may be in their lives. And of course, I hope they come away having enjoyed a great ride from the story.

Lorilyn:  On a random note, if you were an animal, which one would you be, and why?

Shellie: Hmm. I’d love to be a Jaguar, filled with grace and speed; or a she-lion, fierce in her cub's protection; but my husband likens me to that dog on UP (the one that says “squirrel” with energized distraction).

What Others Are Saying About Driven

Driven is a new take on the age-old battle of good versus evil. Gripping from the first page, this is one book you won't want to put down. ~Leanna Kay, co-creator of www.samiesisters.com - a place for Christian girls to grow in faith.

Driven is a breathtaking book of tension, intrigue, and heartwarming emotion. From the moment I began to read until the very last word, I couldn't put it aside. It held me enthralled! ~Lindsay Below, Head Over Hand-Bought Heels

In the tradition of This Present Darkness and The Screwtape Letters, Driven pulls back the veil between worlds and reminds us that our struggle is not against flesh and blood but against Satan and his minions. But the journey of Robyn and her friends against both physical and spiritual enemies also illustrates the more exciting truth: that ultimate victory rests with our God. ~Anne Mateer, Wings of Dream, September 2011.

You can purchase Driven from Amazon by clicking here