Authors In The Limelight: Lisa Orchard

I want to thank and welcome author, Lisa Orchard for sharing her personal writing journey with us on my blog today. Her featured book, The Super Spies and the Cat Lady Killer, can be purchased from Amazon, and other on-line bookstores.

How long have you been writing, Lisa? I've been writing stories since the 5th grade. I've always known that I wanted to be a writer. It's only now, since I decided to stay home with my kids, that I've been able to focus on my passion.

Where did you get your inspiration to write The Super Spies and the Cat Lady Killer? I got the idea from my own exploits as a young teen. LOL! Yes, I wanted to be a detective when I was young and I even formed my own detective squad. Of course, I didn't investigate a murder, but when I look back on my life those years were some of my happiest. I wanted to capture that sense of joy and anticipation that I experienced and share it with young people of today.

I sense a memoir in your future! What sets The Super Spies and the Cat Lady Killer apart from other books in the genre? Hmmm…good question. I would say that it's more than a murder mystery. There are life lessons that the characters learn in the process of solving the murder, and my hope is that the readers learn these life lessons right along with the characters.

As an author, Lisa what is your writing process? Well..I'm going to confess here and say that I'm a "Seat of my Pants" writer. I get the idea and run with it. I've tried the outlining process, and it just doesn't work for me. It stifles my creativity.

How long did it take you to start and finish The Super Spies and the Cat Lady Killer? Well…there were a lot of versions to this story before the finished product. I would have to say that it took me about 18 months to write it. But the main reason for that is that I originally wrote it in first person. Then I had an agent read it and although she declined to represent the story she gave some great advice. She felt it would be better in third person…so I rewrote the whole thing. LOL! I was determined. I'm glad I listened to her, because after that rewrite it was accepted by Astraea Press and here we are today!

I know how you feel I had to do a complete rewrite too! Do you have any advice for other writers?

Yes. Be persistent. There's a lot of rejection in this business, but if you keep writing and sending out queries, you'll get there.

Well said, persistence sure pays off! What's next for Lisa Orchard, the author? My second book in the Super Spies series is scheduled for release in July. It's titled, The Super Spies and the High School Bomber. I'm excited about this one because it's an intriguing story and my beta readers really liked it.

Now that sounds like a plan! Okay, here's one for me, since I'm writing a Time Travel series--if you could go anywhere in Earth's past, where would you go and why? This is a tough question. I guess I would love to travel back in time and talk to Leonardo da Vinci. I'm so impressed with his intelligence and his talent. Then I'd love to talk to Albert Einstein, I'm impressed by his determination. Then I'd like to go and speak with Harper Lee and find out why she only published one book.

I don't think I'd like to stay in any of those times though, I love my modern conveniences!

Book Blurb: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…

 You can find Lisa here:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/lisaorchard1

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lisa-Orchard/328536613877060

Website: www.lisaorchard.com

Buy links:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Super-Spies-Lady-Killer-ebook/dp/B007JZH61K/

Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-super-spies-and-the-cat-lady-killer-lisa-orchard/1109518725?ean=2940014338202