Lisa Orchard's Blog, page 2

Writing for the Tween Market

Hello Everyone, I hope all is well with you. I’m writing a post for the Emblazoner Blog today and so I thought I would share my thoughts with everyone here as well. Today, I’m talking about writing for the tween market. Here’s the link if you’d like to check it out! http://emblazoners.com/writing-for-th...

First of all, I love this age group! When I look back on my life, I recall my tween years as some of my happiest memories. In fact, my friends and I formed our own detective squad and tried to solve a mystery in our small town. We never did, but let me tell you that was one of the best summers of my life. When I get together with those friends, we always bring up that summer and laugh about it.

When I look back on those years, I chuckle at my attitude. We thought we were invincible and we could accomplish anything! What a wonderful feeling to believe that there are no limitations or obstacles.

So, when I decided to write for this market I wanted to bring that same feeling to my readers. And being an avid mystery fan, it was a natural choice for me to write stories in that genre. However, I had to be careful because I wanted my characters to be good role models too. So, I made sure they didn’t condone or take part in any negative behavior like bullying or teasing. I had to do that and keep the story entertaining. No small task, that’s for sure!

While keeping my stories interesting, I also weave life lessons throughout the books; that way my readers can learn the lesson right along with the characters. Fiction can be a wonderful teacher, and sometimes it’s easier to learn a lesson from a book than it is to learn one from a parent. Sometimes, it’s easier on the parent too. :)

I’m always striving to teach with my stories and the other Emblazoner authors feel the same way. It’s so nice to work with a group of like-minded individuals. We all use different tools to tell our story. For example, some of us use humor, and some use fantasy or history. What’s nice about that is there’s something in our selection for every type of reader. So go ahead and check out our books, I’m sure you’ll find something for even the most reluctant reader! You can find our books here: http://emblazoners.com/our-books/

Thanks for reading my post and if you’d like to share some of your thoughts on writing for the tweens in your life, feel free. We’d love to hear from you!

It's The Emblazoner Opening! Books for Tweens!

I would like to take this opportunity to tell you about a brand new site and give you a chance to win some great tween books!

I recently joined the Emblazon group. As Indie authors, we know the importance of group support. I have been learning all of this firsthand since joining. Let me share with you some details about our group.

Emblazon is a blog maintained and written by a collection of indie and traditionally published authors who care about producing high-quality stories for kids. We have a particular focus on ages 11 to 14. We call them Tweens.

The purpose of Emblazon is to celebrate tween literature. We want to draw attention to this fabulous genre, interact with other enthusiasts, whether child or adult, and encourage new writers.

Emblazon launches its first post on July 10. Please consider helping us spread the word by mentioning us on your blog today or later this week. You may cut and paste from this website and use our attached logo if you wish. All bloggers who participate are eligible to enter our $100 Amazon gift card drawing that will be held the following day.

Click the link to enter!

http://emblazoners.wordpresshttp://ww...

To thank all those bloggers who help us announce Emblazon‘s launch, we will be giving away a $100 Amazon gift card on July 11, 2013, as well as a smaller second place prize.

To enter the drawing, you must post about Emblazon on your blog on Wednesday, July 10, our official launch day. Then tweet your Emblazoners post to @CassidyJonesAdv and include the hashtag #Emblazoners. (Note: You will not be entered into the drawing without your blog post tweet that includes @CassidyJonesAdv and #Emblazoners.)

@CassidyJonesAdv will confirm you’ve been entered into the drawing by “favoriting” your tweet. If your tweet wasn’t “favorited,” tweet it again.

We appreciate your help getting the word out about our new website!}

You can also treat your readers to our upcoming Sizzling Freebies bash that will be hosted on Emblazon on August 1, during which a great selection of ebooks will be free for one day only.

We hope you’ll join us in kick-starting this fabulous new adventure!
Below is yet another way to win copies of some of our tween books!

It's a $.99 Sale!

Hello everyone! I hope all is well with you! To celebrate my new release of "The Super Spies and the Pied Piper" I'm having a sale on the first two books in the series! That's right "The Super Spies and the Cat Lady Killer" and "The Super Spies and the High School Bomber" are on sale for $.99! Below are the covers and blurbs! Check it out!

This book opens in a small town in Michigan where fifteen-year-old Sarah Cole is stuck spending the summer at her Aunt and Uncle’s with her sister, Lacey. She’s not happy with the situation until she befriends a girl named Jackie. The three girls stumble upon the ruthless murder of a reclusive neighborhood woman. One of the officers investigating the crime believes the girls are responsible for her death. Fearing that this officer will frame them for the murder, the girls organize their own detective squad. They become the Super Spies and start their own fact-finding mission. The Super Spies can’t understand why anyone would want to murder the “Cat Lady” until they start digging into her past and discover a horrible crime that happened thirty years ago. They uncover a connection between the two crimes and attempt to bring this information to the police, only to be reprimanded for meddling in the inquest. Not only are the girls upset by the admonition, but they also struggle with the fact that their exuberant investigating could provide a legal loophole allowing the killer to go free. To make matters worse, the police don’t even believe them. Frustrated by this turn of events, the Super Spies realize it’s up to them to snare the Cat Lady killer, or die trying…

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?

"The Super Spies and the Pied Piper" is Available Now!

Sarah Cole and her sister Lacey are at it once again when they learn their missing parents’ cell phone has been traced to Alden, Michigan. When the FBI declines to continue the investigation, Sarah takes matters into her own hands. She calls upon the Super Spies and they delve into the situation. Suddenly, the teens find themselves immersed in small town intrigue and mystery involving a menacing stranger, who Sarah dubs “The Stalker." But when Sarah learns he’s connected to her parents’ disappearance, she’s determined to find out what that connection is. The Super Spies embark on a journey that leads them into a web of corporate corruption at its highest level that leaves innocent victims in its wake. Can they find the proof they need to stop the greedy corporation before it’s too late?

You can find this book on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Astraea Press, Smashwords, and Kobo

5 Stars for "The Super Spies and the Cat Lady KIller" from Ella

The Super Spies and the Cat Lady Killer is a delightful YA mystery which has kept me entranced right from the very beginning. Yes, I know I hardly qualify as the target audience for this novel, but I forget my age when I read books. In many ways, The Super Spies and the Cat Lady Killer is like Harry Potter without wands.

The descriptions were perfect – not too much, but good enough to form a clear picture. I could see the ugly ‘face’ of the Cat Lady’s house, the willow with its drooping branches and the creek flowing nearby. The action moved smoothly on, increasing in pace again and again. Very good voice and clear narrative make this a clever choice for young readers.

Characterization was brilliant. I could picture Sarah and her younger sister – their voices distinct, despite their closeness – and Jackie, Sarah’s fashion-conscious friend. I’m not aware exactly how the details of their appearance came to settle in my brain, but I feel confident I could sketch them, if I could sketch at all. The ‘baddies’ were well described, too, and Sarah’s aunt and uncle were exactly what one would expect a protective aunt and uncle to be like.

I enjoyed the dialogues – clear, flowing, intelligent, and with a sprinkling of humour. This is the sort of book that would encourage any reluctant teen reader to pick up a book again. It’s engaging and fun. The protagonists don’t always follow the rules – what teen ever does? – but their moral compass is solid, and their intentions are always good. They are role models worth following, clever and resourceful, even when their knees shake in fright.

A delectable YA novel, full of fun and adventure, The Super Spies and the Cat Lady Killer fully deserves five shiny stars. Loved reading it. I wholeheartedly recommend it.

It's the Children's Book Giveaway Blog Hop

http://lisaorchard.files.wordpress.co...

Hello Everyone! I’m participating in the Children’s Book Week Giveaway Hop! See the details below and see how you can enter to win!

Children’s Book Week Giveaway Hop
May 13th – 19th
Hosted by
KidLitFrenzy, Mymcbooks
& I Am A Reader, Not A Writer

What is Children’s Book Week?


Established in 1919, Children’s Book Week is the longest-running literacy initiative in the country. Each year, books for young people and the joy of reading are feted for a full week with author and illustrator appearances, storytelling, parties, and other book-related events at schools, libraries, bookstores, museums, and homes from coast to coast!


For more information please visit: http://www.bookweekonline.com/

Celebrate & Promote Children’s Book Week by taking part in The Children’s Book Week Giveaway Hop.

Stop by my blog to see how you can enter to win! http://lisaorchard.wordpress.com/2013...

A Review of "The Super Spies and the Cat Lady Killer" by Ionia

Hello Everyone! This is an awesome review from Ionia from Readfulthings.com. I got teary eyed when I read it. :)


"The Super Spies and the Cat Lady Killer" by Lisa Orchard is a fun, intriguing mystery for lovers of YA mystery and suspense. I don't necessarily think you have to be a young adult to enjoy this story, although there may be times when you want to shake the characters a bit for the decisions they make and the things they get themselves involved in.

If you grew up reading Nancy Drew or Judy Blume, then this book will feel like a return to your childhood. What I found endearing about this novel, was the author's ability to get inside the mind of young teen girls and make the dialogue between them seem believable. A lot of authors attempt this, and few succeed as well as Lisa Orchard has with this book. I like feeling as though I am listening to an actual conversation, and that was easy to imagine while reading this.

The characters are a good match for one another. There is the annoying little sister, the daring and bold friend and the not always certain but still determined older sister. I found them to work off of each other well and the varied personalities added a nice tension to the story even before the real mystery began. I knew pretty early on in this story that i would enjoy it.

The one thing I would like to note, is that visually speaking, I couldn't get a very clear picture of the characters in the beginning. While the author did not waste space giving the reader too much description, she also didn't offer up quite enough in my opinion.If I can picture the main characters within the first few chapters I can relate to them more easily.

Plot-wise, this book moves along at a nice pace, and the eventual resolution to the mystery was not completely expected. This is important to me, as I hate guessing right within the first couple of chapters. The suspense was just right, not too much to be unbelievable, but enough to keep the reader turning pages.

I think these are strong enough characters to lead a series, my only concern would be, how many times can these girls get themselves into such situations before there just isn't any way for the reader to believe that this much could happen to one group of kids? If Lisa Orchard can keep going with this series, while coming up with new mysteries for the group to solve she just mind find herself up there with the aforementioned greats. She certainly has the talent and understanding of how to tell a good story.

I would recommend this book for kids age 12 and over and anyone who enjoys a good mystery. The story is worth the time.

My Thoughts on the Life of Pi Movie

Hello Everyone! I hope all is well with you! A couple of weeks ago, I went and saw the movie “Life of PI” with my mom. I enjoyed it and the special effects were very dramatic. It’s about a young boy who ends up in a life boat on the ocean with a tiger.

I must say their journey was amazing, but the whole time I was wondering what the point of the story was. I didn’t find out until the end. When I did find out what the movie was trying to say, I was surprised by its simplicity.

It was a movie about God. I wasn’t expecting it, because it began as the simple story of a young boy and his incredible journey. The viewer doesn’t realize until the end that it’s about God, at least I didn’t.

God was mentioned throughout the movie and I knew there were inklings of religious overtones weaved throughout it. But at the end the message was so clear and so simple, I felt at peace. There’s no other way to put it.

What I personally gleaned from the movie is that there are many different religions that have their own view of God and his teachings. These different views have a similar thread weaved throughout their stories. And the movie explained these differences in such a way that it makes sense.

When a certain group of people are uncomfortable with a story, or find it unbelievable the storyteller changes it to make his listeners more comfortable. The movie suggests that’s what has happened with all the different religious views that we have. Maybe it’s as simple as the storyteller changing the story to make his listeners more comfortable. Doesn’t this make sense to you? It certainly did to me.

Although the movie doesn’t go into the issue of tolerance of others beliefs, I feel that’s what it’s trying to say.
In my opinion, all of the people in Iraq should watch this movie. It might change their perspective enough to end the war. What do you think? I know it sounds like an overly simplified solution, but sometimes the solution is so simple we can miss it all together.

And while we’re at it, let’s not stop at religion. We could apply this same theory of tolerance in other areas of our lives. For example, in our schools, we could teach our children tolerance of differences; differences in personality, differences in looks, and differences in opinions.

Wouldn’t it be great if we could teach our kids to be secure with their individuality so they won’t feel threatened by someone else’s? That would help with the bullying issues we have in schools right now. Don’t you agree?
Thanks for stopping by and I’d love to hear your thoughts on this! Leave a comment and share your ideas!

Why I write YA

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/

Who's really running the Show?

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. :)