Lisa Orchard's Blog - Posts Tagged "super-spies"

Hello everyone! I hope all is well with all of you today! I just wanted to take a moment and let you all know that my first book in the Super Spies series is on sale for $.99!

And the second book in the series will be available on July 26th! I will be adding that to the goodreads list as soon as I can!

Just another point all you book lovers should know is that most titles from Astraea Press are on sale at $.99!! So, you can stock up on books at a great price! Check out their website! :)

astraeapress.blogspot.com

You can find me at these social media sites and my website.

website: www.lisaorchard.com

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

twitter: https://twitter.com/lisaorchard1

Hello Everyone!

I'm so excited because today is my release day for my second book in the Super Spies series! Yes that's right! So far you can find it on:

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


Astraea Press: http://www.astraeapress.com/#ecwid:ca...


It will be available on Barnes and Noble it's just not there yet. :)

Here's the blurb!

This book opens in a small town in Michigan where Sarah and her sister Lacey are now living with their Aunt and Uncle. Still reeling from the fact her parents have disappeared, Sarah starts the school year with her new friend Jackie Jenkins. When Sarah learns the school has been bombed, she’s filled with dread. Uncle Walt is a teacher, and he was in the school when the bomb exploded. Taking matters into her own hands, Sarah decides to search for him. The rest of the Super Spies are right behind her. When a fireman chases them away from the school, Sarah becomes suspicious. She decides to investigate. The FBI arrives on the scene. Sarah realizes this bombing could have even bigger implications. Searching for the bombers, Sarah is introduced to the world of terrorism. She fears that the bombing and her parents’ disappearance are connected and terrorists are involved. To make matters worse, the bombers are determined to finish the job. Can the Super Spies find the bombers before it’s too late?

Here's what one reader said about my book she gave it 5 out of 5 bookworms! It's so exciting when a reader enjoys your story! :)


An absolutely amazing book! The whole time it keeps you guessing and thinking about what is going to happen. It also has a little hint of humor. This story of great friends takes you on a mysterious and suspensful journey through a town of weirdos. It was very hard to put down. Every chapter there was a new twist that kept me up late at night reading. The characters were very different some serious, scary, and most of all silly! All ages would love this book and never want to stop reading. The book is a great mystery and almost seems real. If you get scared or disgusted easily I would not suggest this book but if you're like me and are not scared very easily you will love it as much as I do. The Super Spies are like Nancy Drew of the twenty first century but more FABULOUS!!! This book is a must read for all ages.

Hello Everyone! I hope all is well with you! The month of September is almost here and http://readingawaythedays.blogspot.com/ is doing a month long Children’s Book Event.


The event will include interviews with children’s authors, guest posts, giveaways and interviews with illustrators.


Megan will be focusing on books for children from ages 0-11 years. The focus will be on classic children’s boos as well as fairytales. There will also be posts on Roald Dahl, Enid Blyton, and J.K. Rowlings.


Each week I will answer questions that Megan has posed to us authors and post them on my blog. I’m excited! This is going to be fun and the purpose of this event is to encourage young children to read and get them excited about reading. So please stay tuned for details!

The first questions I’ll be answering are:

What is your first memory of reading as a child?
Do you have memories of your parents reading bedtime stories to you? Do you think it’s important to read bedtime stories to your children?

The answers will be posted between September 1st and 9th on my blog at www.lisaorchard.com. I will also post the answers here! I thought all of you might be interested in this event as well! Leave me some comments and tell me what you think! :)

Hello Everyone! I hope all is well with you! The month of September is almost here and http://readingawaythedays.blogspot.com/ is doing a month long Children’s Book Event.


The event will include interviews with children’s authors, guest posts, giveaways and interviews with illustrators.


Megan will be focusing on books for children from ages 0-11 years. The focus will be on classic children’s boos as well as fairytales. There will also be posts on Roald Dahl, Enid Blyton, and J.K. Rowlings.


Each week I will answer questions that Megan has posed to us authors and post them on my blog. I’m excited! This is going to be fun and the purpose of this event is to encourage young children to read and get them excited about reading. So please stay tuned for details!

The first questions I’ll be answering are:

What is your first memory of reading as a child?
Do you have memories of your parents reading bedtime stories to you? Do you think it’s important to read bedtime stories to your children?

The answers will be posted between September 1st and 9th on my blog at www.lisaorchard.com. I will also post the answers here! I thought all of you might be interested in this event as well! Leave me some comments and tell me what you think! :)

Hello Everyone! I hope all is well with you! I’m here today to answer the second question for the Children’s Event that is being hosted by Megan at http://readingawaythedays.blogspot.com/.



So, here’s the question: What was your favorite book as a child and why?


This is a tough question because I don’t remember the title, only the series. I’m sure some of the more mature (wink) authors out there remember the Boxcar Children series?


I loved those books. I would go to the library and check them out and then race home so I could start reading them right away.


Looking back, I realize the reason I liked them so much was because they were stories about four siblings. I could relate to that because I was the oldest of four siblings. Two brothers and a sister just like the Box Car children. I loved their independence and camaraderie!


I loved how they worked together to make a home out of an abandoned boxcar. At that age, I thought it was so cool that they could function without adult supervision. :) I don’t remember the stories now, but I do remember that they always left me with a sense of my own abilities. They filled me with confidence. If the Box Car children could do it, I could too! :)

And I feel that’s what reading should do for kids, fill them with confidence and provide role models for them. :)

So there you have it! :) Thanks for stopping by and reading my post and let’s help support Megan in her quest to encourage children to read. :) Stop by her blog http://readingawaythedays.blogspot.com/ and leave a comment or enter one of her giveaways! :)

Hello Everyone! I hope all is well with you today! I’m still participating in Megan McDade’s Children’s Book Event. You can find it at her blog at http://readingawaythedays.blogspot.com/ . So take a moment and stop by and check out all the giveaways and fun stuff that’s going on over there. :)

The next question that I have to answer is: What was your favorite fairy tale or classic book and why?

Well…the answer to this question is a toss-up between “Cinderella” and “Snow White”. And the reason for this is very simple.

I enjoy stories where the underdog wins. :) In both of these fairy tales I identify with Cinderella and Snow White. Let’s analyze this a little bit. Both women are targeted by stronger females who are in a position of power. In Cinderella, she’s victimized by her evil stepmother, and in Snow White she’s persecuted by the wicked Queen.

I love it that these two innocent victims win in the end. They win by not being manipulative or conniving. I think that’s great! What a great example to set for our children. A person can win by just being themselves! What an awesome message!

So, there you have it. My answer to Megan’s question for this third week in September, so let’s help Megan in her quest to encourage children to read! Stop by her blog and enter one of her giveaways http://readingawaythedays.blogspot.com/

And if you have a tween/teen who you're trying to turn on to reading, check out The Super Spies series! I've been told that teens will turn off the TV to read these books! (wink) :)

Thanks for stopping by!

This is a review from Paperbacks and Frosting! Check it out! It made my day! :)

My review: After reading the first novel in the series I couldn’t wait for more! This book definitely didn’t disappoint. The action kicked in right away and had me on on the edge of my seat through the entire thing. There’s something about the way these books are written that has me biting my nails and feeling nervous for these girls in every situation they get themselves into. I just love the characters in these novels. They have this incredible way of finding their way into extremely dangerous situations, but they do it in such a way that is completely believable. They also each have distinct personalities that I really enjoy reading about. The storyline is very original and it is different from a lot of the books I read and I think that’s part of what made me enjoy this book and the previous one. They’re books that will keep you turning the pages and escaping reality for a couple hours. I read this novel in basically one sitting, I was that hooked! I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for action and adventure! I would recommend this to young adults or adults wishing to relive their childhood a little bit while embarking on a literary adventure! I do think the writing has improved from the previous novel and that the action was even greater. This novel is definitely worth the read and I hope so see much more in the future!

Hello Everyone! Welcome to the Super Spies Halloween Party! We’re giving away a KINDLE FIRE by playing a game called “Bobbing for Books” and here’s how you enter to win!

The first way to enter is by tweeting and Facebook sharing about the event and posting the tweet or share in the comment section below. Each tweet or share counts as one entry. So, the more tweets you do the more entries you have. :)

The second way to enter is by purchasing one of the participating authors books and posting the title and confirmation code in a comment below. This purchase counts as two entries, so if a contestant buys two books, they are entered four times in the giveaway. :)

The winner will be announced on October 30th. I will send them an e-mail and also post on Facebook and Twitter. :)

****Please be aware that the KINDLE FIRE will be gifted from Amazon and sent directly from there. Therefore, if the winner receives a damaged prize, myself and the participating authors are not held liable for any damages. The winner must work with Amazon to get a replacement.

Now let the tweeting and sharing begin! Good luck to all of you! This is going to be a fun party!

Go to Lisaorchard.com to play. It's up on my blog there! :)

Hello Everyone! I hope all is well with you! I’m back after a two week Halloween Party. It was a blast! And I want to take just a minute and thank all the wonderful authors and contestants who participated in our event. I hope you had a great time and we’ll try and brew up some new and exciting events in the months to come. So stay tuned!

The topic that I want to discuss today is cheating. I posted this on my blog yesterday and I thought I should share it will all of you today. :)

From my research, I’m finding that cheating is a way of life in our schools today. At first, I was surprised by this but then I looked back on my own high school days, and realized that cheating was prevalent back then too.

Back in my day, (not so long ago, wink) I remember a certain football player who wanted to copy my answers on a test in health class. The teacher had left the room and there was a debate between all the students. Half of them wanted me to let him copy my answers and the other half didn’t. What a dilemma I was in, because I liked him and considered him a friend, but I didn’t want to get caught cheating.

Luckily, the teacher returned, and the class settled down. I didn’t have to make that decision. But what about kids who do? From what I’ve learned, it’s becoming easier and easier to cheat. It’s almost the norm nowadays. There is tremendous pressure on teens to get good grades and many are taking the quickest route to success.

And it’s hard for parents to caution against the perils of cheating when kids get away with it and are rewarded with good grades. And isn’t that the goal? Good grades?

What makes the process even more difficult is that these students see adults cheating as well. In fact, what do you do when your own school does it? In this article, http://newsfeed.time.com/2011/07/06/i...

Authorities found that educators in Atlanta were changing test answers on students’ tests in order to get a better score. Officials suspect this is a widespread problem brought on by the initiative “No child left behind” where teachers can suffer salary cuts and lose their job if their class doesn’t meet the requirements specified by this initiative.

So what’s the answer to the cheating epidemic that seems to be a problem not only among students but teachers as well?
In my opinion, the problem is that we’ve become a results oriented society. Our society is sending this message and our kids are smart…they’re picking it up loud and clear, and that message is…we don’t care how you get the best score…it only matters that you get it.

How very sad. We’re not doing our children any favors by sending this message. We need to shift that focus from results to the learning process. That’s right. :) We need our kids to be graded on how much they’ve learned or improved and let’s make learning fun again! I mean when they were babies those kids were curious they wanted to learn. Now, that curiosity has been snuffed out because society says you’ve got to learn these specific things and you’ve got to achieve this result. I don’t know about you, but for me that takes all the fun out of it!

I know what you’re thinking, how in the world are we going to do that? That is a good question and I don’t have all the answers, but I’ve got some ideas. :) In my opinion, as parents we need to focus on the strengths of each of our children. And we need to work in conjunction with educators in developing those strengths. I believe that our kids will grow up with healthier self-esteem and more confidence because they were able to develop these strengths.

There’s a great book available written by Jenifer Fox, M. Ed., titled “Your Child’s Strengths” and it’s a great resource for parents and teachers. We need to start there and create an educational environment that allows each child to develop their strengths. By doing this, we’ll eliminate the cheating problem we have in our schools today.
You can find the book in many book stores or on Amazon. Here’s the link.
http://www.amazon.com/Your-Childs-Str...

I know what you’re thinking…that’s going to be hard to do. You’re right it is…we’d have to revamp the whole educational system…but aren’t our kids worth it?

I’d love to hear any other ideas or thoughts on the topic.  Feel free to leave a comment and thanks for stopping by!