Route 1 Rendezvous

Meet high school seniors Allie O'Brien and Ruben Gonzales. She's a top caliber athlete with low-self esteem but high ambitions. He only recently came to the United States from El Salvador after his father was killed in a civil war.

These two teens come from very different backgrounds, yet they have a lot in common. Both are interested in writing, struggling with substance abuse issues, and making dangerous lifestyle choices. Ruben is harboring a secret of world-shaking magnitude.

When their lives intersect at Riverbend High School in northern Virginia, Allie and Ruben are faced with very important decisions, and the choices they make, together and apart, will forever change their futures.

This book travels back to 1989 to explore problems teens still face in our schools today. Rich with history and powerful emotion, it is sure to touch your heart and provide hope for overcoming obstacles in your own life.

One of the obstacles Allie O'Brien faces is that she is a runner with asthma. Strange as it may sound, being a runner with asthma is not all that uncommon. The following world class distance runners have asthma: Jim Ryun (set a world record in the mile run), Mary Decker Slaney (held every American record for women's running from 800 meters to 10,000 meters), Alberto Salazar (winner of the New York Marathon 1980, 1981, 1982; Boston Marathon 1982), Paula Radcliffe world record holder in the women's marathon, Jackie Joyner-Kersee (winner of the Olympic Heptathlon, 1988, 1992), Haile Gabrselassie (held 26 distance running world records), and Galen Rupp (silver medalist in the 2012 Olympics 10,000 meter run).

Praise for Route 1 Rendezvous: "I loved the story-line and characters of John Terry McConnell's novel. I loved the fact that these characters in the story had challenges that teens can relate to in their daily lives." Valerie Wlodyka, high school school librarian, Massachusetts

This book is now available on Amazon.com in book or Kindle form.