Lisa Orchard's Blog - Posts Tagged "astraea-press"

Hello Everyone! I hope all is well with you! I just wanted to let everyone know that I’m going to be on the radio tomorrow at 5:00 PM EST! I’m really excited about this! You can call in and ask me any question you want! Here’s the link! http://www.blogtalkradio.com/webbweav...




I’ll be talking about “The Super Spies” series!

So call in and chat with me! I'd love to hear from you! Below is the cover of the first book in the series!





The Super Spies and the Cat Lady Killer

Hello Everyone! I hope all is well with you! I've got a new dessert that is a family favorite for the holidays. I thought I'd share it with you! :) So, check it out and let me know what you think! I'd love to hear from you!



LORNA DOONE DESSERT

1 package Lorna Doone Cookies (or any shortbread cookies will do)
Add melted butter to cookies (approximately ¼ to ½ cup)
1 7 oz package of chocolate chips
2 Tablespoons of Sugar
2 ½ Tablespoons of water
4 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 egg whites

Crush the Lorna Doone cookies and add melted butter to the crust. Put crust in 10” baking dish and bake at 350 degrees until crust starts to brown. Remove from heat and cool.

Combine chocolate chips, sugar, and water in double boiler until blended. Remove from heat and add egg yolks, beat after each one. Add vanilla and chill slightly. (I usually stick it in the refrigerator until the pan feels cool approximately 10 to 15 minutes.)

Beat egg whites until stiff and fold into chocolate mixture. Spread over cookie crust and top with whip cream.

I usually double this and put it in a 9x13 dish.

Hello Everyone! I hope all is well with you today! Some of my esteemed colleagues and I are participating in a Thanksgiving Blog hop! There are prizes galore so stop on over at my blog, here's the link: http://lisaorchard.wordpress.com/2012...

You could win an autographed paperback of "The Super Spies and the Cat Lady Killer"! And that's not all! There are other prizes too! So click the link above and check it out! You'll be glad you did! :)

Hello Everyone I hope all is well with you! I've gotten together with some amazing authors and we've decided to celebrate Christmas by doing a Holiday Giveaway! What are the prizes you ask? Well...three lucky winners will receive a $10.00 Amazon Gift Card...and...one copy of each of our e-books.

Cool wouldn't you say?

So if you want to check out the books and enter for your chance to win click the link below:


http://lisaorchard.wordpress.com/2012...

All the books and rules on how to enter are there!

Here are the covers! Check it out! You could win!

Hello Everyone! I hope all is well with you! It is finally the New Year! I'm excited for this year because I've got so many ideas that I hatched in 2012 that are taking shape in 2013. I hope 2013 is your best year yet! And I hope it's the best year yet for me too! :)

To start off the New Year I have priced "The Super Spies and the Cat Lady Killer" at $.99! :) So, if you're planning on getting a copy...now's the time to do it!





Here are a few Amazon Reviews that rave about the story!

5 Star Amazon Review:

This book was a great suspense novel, but also very funny and touching in parts. I am an adult, and I would have loved having books like this around when I was a young adult. I am ready to read the second book by this gifted author, and I can't wait to share this book with young readers!


5 Star Amazon Review:

Finished this book in one day! Amazing! Great job keeping the story going and developing the characters. Will definately order the next book in the series!


5 Star Amazon Review:

WOW! I am so glad I read this book! Lisa does a great job making the characters relate-able to people of all ages! Jackie and Sarah are fun, but believable teenagers!!! It is so hard to find good books for kids that have real life dialogue that the whole family can read. Books that have good characters and enough plot to allow for conversation afterward. I loved that I could have my family read this book and it started some very interesting conversations about "what would you do".
I love giving books as gifts and with this book, I know that it is well written and fun, I don't have to worry that parents will be offended by the content.


So there you have it! A great first book in the Super Spies series! And you don't have to just take my word for it. :) Check it out for yourself! :) And remember it's only $.99! :)

This is a great time to get this book for your tween/teen who got an e-reader for Christmas. :)

Here's the Amazon Link:

http://www.amazon.com/Super-Spies-Lad...

It should be up on Barnes and Noble soon! Those changes take a little longer.

Hello Everyone! I hope all is well with you today! I am refreshed after all the holiday festivities and I hope you are too.

I’m back today and I’d like to just touch on some of the teen issues that I’ve discussed in the past, for example, bullying behavior, teen depression, and teen pregnancy. What I’d like to touch on is a possible solution to these problems.

All of these behaviors are a result of pressures that the young adults feel during these tumultuous years. These years are filled with new challenges and new emotions and this is the first time teens are testing their boundaries. These are exciting and frightening times for them.

So, it’s not surprising that they make some incorrect choices. :) In the past, I’ve said that parental involvement and keeping kids active in sports are ways to combat some of these negative choices. I still believe that parental involvement is very important in developing positive behaviors, but what about the kids who aren’t interested in sports? Some kids just don’t have any inclination in that direction.

Well, I’ve thought about this and I’ve discovered a solution. :) You knew I had one didn’t you? What about volunteering? That’s right. I came across a wonderful organization that encourages teens to volunteer and I’m very impressed by it.

In fact, I’m working with them on a project and I’m very excited about it!

But, there will be a whole blog post about that as soon as we get all the details ironed out. :) So stay tuned for that. :) The organization is called VOLUNTEENATION and here’s the link to their website. Check it out! http://www.volunteennation.org/ .

This is a national organization which means they have volunteer opportunities all throughout the United States.

I’m sure you all have heard one of the best ways to combat depression is by helping others…I believe this applies to teenagers as well and that’s what volunteering is all about.

What I love about this organization is that teens are working with other teens in a positive situation. They aren’t at home closed off in their rooms brooding about their problems. Volunteering takes their focus off of their problems and gets them moving in a positive direction. In my opinion, this might lead to more fulfilling friendships because teens are working together toward a common goal.

Another positive effect this type of organization has is that there are certainly instances where teens can utilize/learn leadership skills as well as team building skills. :) Skills that are necessary for the working environment.

Maybe if we got our kids involved in volunteering we’d have fewer disasters like Columbine and Newtown. Something to think about my friends.

Check out Volunteenation’s blog. Here’s a post about how teens can support the Newtown victims. http://www.volunteennation.org/blog/c...

I can’t say enough about this organization; it’s getting teens headed in the right direction.

Hello Everyone! I hope all is well with you! Astraea Press is celebrating their two year anniversay! And guess what? They're giving away two free books everyday for the whole month of February!


Isn't that awesome?

So, to get your free books click this link and follow the directions on the blog!

http://astraeapress.blogspot.com/

My book "The Super Spies and the Cat Lady Killer" is free today! So hop on over and get yourself a copy!

The second book in the series, "The Super Spies and the High School Bomber" will be free tomorrow! So stop on by and check it out!

Hello Everyone! I hope all is well with you! Happy Valentine’s Day! It’s that day when you do something special for the one you love.

As I write this post, I think back on all the Valentine’s Days in my past. I remember in High School we used to buy roses from the student council and give them to that special someone. It was something we looked forward to on a cold, snowy day.

Now, I enjoy getting a card from my hubby and I enjoy giving him one. But the real joy I feel is when I go to my kids’ Valentine’s parties. They are so excited! And I remember the feeling I got when I was a youngster and I would go to my school party. Beforehand, I carefully selected the perfect Valentine for each friend and signed my name on the back. I carried them to school with an air of anticipation, excited to give as well as receive.

As I think about all of this, memories of my childhood parade through my brain. I remember playing kick the can with the neighborhood kids until it was too dark to see. I grew up in a small town and there was no fear of abductions or strangers walking in the dark. Everyone knew everyone else.

I smile as I think about where my “kick the can” friends are now. Some still live in the same small town and others have scattered to the four corners of the Earth. I wonder what they're doing now. And I hope their lives are everything they hoped they would be.

As I dwell on these thoughts, I wish for those simpler times when we didn’t have to lock our doors at night. Now, I won’t let my kids run around the neighborhood in the dark without me or my hubby being there.

I loved growing up in a small town until my teens when I found the familiarity all too oppressive. Everyone knew everyone else’s business. I felt suffocated and had the itch to leave. I did leave and moved to a bigger city and I’m glad I did. I’ve experienced more things and accomplished more things than I would have if I had stayed.

I look at my kids and I hope that I’m creating happy memories for them. I want them to look back on their lives with joy and contentment. I know they’ll have struggles like we all do, but I hope they’re few and far between. :) I hope they have a lot of good “kick the can” memories like I do.

Who would’ve thought that Valentine’s Day would’ve sparked a trip down memory lane? Thanks for stopping by and if you’d like to share some of your own “kick the can” moments, feel free to do so! I’d love to hear from you!

Hello Everyone! I hope all is well with you. I’m Lisa Orchard the author of the Young Adult Mystery/Thriller Series, “The Super Spies”. I must say I’ve been very happy with my new series. The first two books made it to the Amazon Bestseller’s list in January and that was a great start to a New Year.

I had arrived! I made it! I’m in control of my destiny. I thought this way for the first week of January as I worked and slaved to finish the third novel in the Super Spies series. Then it slowly dawned on me…who was really in charge…

My cat. That’s right, my cat Lilly. She was a stray that wandered into our garage one cold November evening. My husband told me she was there. “She must have smelled the chicken on the grill,” he said with a nonchalant shrug.

I wandered down the stairs to get a look at her. She ambled out from under the car…all big eyes and tiny meow. A little Tiger kitty.

“We can’t leave her in the garage!” I exclaimed, horrified. I picked her up and rushed her into the house where we promptly fed her and doted on her.

We had to keep her segregated from the other cats because they weren’t as excited about a kitten as the rest of the family. So, Lilly, I promptly named her, has her own room. She gets to hang out with the rest of the family in our bonus room. We bought her a kitty condo along with her own litter box and food dishes. The other cats can no longer come in the bonus room unless they can get along with Lilly. One cat has been able to do that and the other one sits outside our makeshift gate stalking her. Angry that she’s left out. I don’t blame her, I’d be angry too, but she’s got to learn to get along with Lilly, this is non-negotiable.

Lilly has become part of the family. The boys rush home from school to play with her. She’s that cute. Even then…I didn’t realize that she’d taken over our lives.

It wasn’t until after Christmas break when the boys went back to school and I wanted to work that I realized who was really running the show. I’d sit down at my computer…ready to pound away at the keys when Lilly would jump up on my desk and demand attention.

I’d stroke her soft, little ears and then put her down on the floor. She’d wander away only to return minutes later, demanding more attention. She’d sit in front of the monitor and give me that plaintive meow that she has. I would pet her and again put her down on the floor. This would go on until, exasperated, I’d give up and move to the couch. She’d follow me with that soft step that cats have and climb on my lap.

Where I’d pet her until she felt she’d had enough and would move to the other end of the couch where she would clean herself and give me smug looks. Then…and only then…could I work. This has been the morning routine ever since the boys started school.

I realize now that I’m not in charge. Lilly is running the show. When we’re watching TV and she wants attention, she’ll sit in front of it, blocking everyone’s view until someone moves her…and she gets the attention she wants.

Isn’t she smart? Getting everyone to work around her and operate their lives according to her terms. We didn’t even know we’d been manipulated. Wow! I need to take lessons from my cat. :)

Hello Everyone! I hope all is well with you, my name is Lisa Orchard and I’m the Young Adult author of the Super Spies series. I’m here to share with you why I chose to write for the Young Adult Genre.
First of all I love this age group! When I started writing “The Super Spies and the Cat Lady Killer”, I looked back on my own life and realized my teen years were some of my happiest times. It’s that time in your life when everything is possible and I remember how excited I was to explore all the possibilities I could imagine. I wanted to bring that same feeling of joy and anticipation to my readers.

It’s also a time in your life when you develop your strongest bonds. There’s a lot going on during those tumultuous years and teens go through many changes. They learn a lot about themselves as they grow and challenge their boundaries.

In my story “The Super Spies and the Cat Lady Killer” my lead character Sarah develops a strong bond with her new friend Jackie. In the story, an innocent game of Truth or Dare turns dangerous when Sarah is dared to go up on the Cat Lady’s porch and ring her doorbell. Sarah discovers the dead body of the old woman and shows it to her sister, Lacey, and Jackie. Suffice it to say the girls are found at the crime scene of the Cat Lady’s murder and the story takes off from there. The relationship between Sarah and Jackie is strengthened by the setbacks that they experience as they try to snare the Cat Lady Killer. Sarah’s relationship with her sister also takes on a new dimension as she realizes that not all relationships are the same and she gains a new perspective about her sister as the story develops.

Not only are relationships evolving during the teen years, but there are added expectations as well. With all the pressures on young people today there are times when a teenager is going to make the wrong decision. There’s a lot of angst about making a bad decision at this age, and the reason for this is that it’s the first time young people will be making some of the decisions that they have to make. It can be overwhelming. In my stories my characters sometimes make bad decisions and I did this on purpose, because I wanted to illustrate to teens that they can survive a bad decision. They will have to suffer the consequences of those decisions, yes, but those consequences are not permanent. :) Good news, wouldn’t you say?

So there you have it, my inspiration for writing my stories in the Young Adult Genre. :) So, check out my books and let me know what you think! I’d love to hear from you!

“The Super Spies and the Cat Lady Killer”




Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Super-Spies-Lad...

Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-s...

Astraea Press: http://www.astraeapress.com/#!/~/prod...

“The Super Spies and the High School Bomber”



Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Super-Spies-Sch...

Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-s...

Astraea Press: http://www.astraeapress.com/#!/~/prod...

You can find Me at these Social Media sites:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lisa-O...

Twitter: https://twitter.com/lisaorchard1

Website/Blog: http://www.lisaorchard.com/