19 November 2012

Lisa Orchard Talks about Inspiration

Hello Everyone! I hope all is well with you! My name is Lisa Orchard and I’m a guest of Sherry’s today. Thanks Sherry for giving me the opportunity to chat with everyone. It’s greatly appreciated!

It's a pleasure to have you here today, Lisa, and thank you for sharing the inspiration behind your books.
 Sherry wanted me to share with you my inspiration for my second book “The Super Spies and the High School Bomber”. I know what you’re thinking it’s kind of a creepy title, right? Well…this book is for the Upper Middle Grade/Young Adult Market and I needed a creepy title to get those young whipper snappers’ attention! J LOL!

Anyway, back to the inspiration for the story. J I don’t know if everyone remembers the Columbine Massacre that occurred in April of 1999, but I do. That massacre was a horrible result of boys being bullied. I was sickened by this. I couldn’t believe these boys thought they had no other alternative.
This is when I realized that bullying was a major problem in our schools. Now, there are many books that discuss bullying between students. But what happens when the bully is a coach or an authority figure? How do our young people handle that? We all know this happens. What can a young person do in this situation?

The massacre and these questions inspired my story “The Super Spies and the High School Bomber”.  It’s an action packed story that keeps the young reader guessing. J


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?
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Here’s what Patrice Caldwell from Whimsically Yours said about my story. She gave it 5 out of 5 Owls! J
I loved how every time I thought: oh no, you’re doing the wrong thing, you’re on the wrong track it’s not him/her it’s the other person, they were actually right and I was wrong.  I love it when a book keeps me guessing.
Another thing I loved about the series was the friendship, if you’ve been reading my blog for a while you know I’m a sucker for books that deal with friendships rather than insta-love so no wonder I loved this one.
I recommend the Super Spies and the High School Bomber to girls and boys alike who want a fun, thrilling mystery!  Also once again I really like this cover art.
Here’s what Melanie from Have you heard my Book Review had to say:
Once again Lisa Orchard has hit the nail square on the head! This series of books is perfect for girls or boys but young girls who love mysteries will devour these books. They remind me of an updated Nancy Drew-type of mystery. There is danger, but nothing so bad it would keep girls from enjoying it. The Super Spies retain their charm and personalities in this second book, something that can be difficult to achieve. The story is another one that could be ripped from the headlines. As a matter of fact, it could be a parallel story to the bombing that happened in the little town where I live. The high school here was bombed, but students were in class at the time and it was devastating. Read about the Super Spies and introduce the young lady in your life to a series she'll remember for years to come.
I found no issues.
I gave this one 5 out of 5 books because I love how true to the original story and characters Lisa Orchard kept this one.
As you can see there are a lot of twists and turns and in each story there’s a life lesson weaved throughout it.J “The Super Spies and the High School Bomber” is the second book in my Super Spies series and if you’re looking for an up to date mystery series that are great reads for your teens then check out the Super Spies! The books have received great reviews. The covers and the links are below! Let me know what you think! I’d love to hear from you!
Buylinks for my books:“The Super Spies and the Cat Lady Killer”
“The Super Spies and the High School Bomber”

3 comments:

Catherine Bennett said...

I'm assuming your story required a lot of research (and patience!) I don't have younger kids anymore, but do remember bullying when I was a teenager. Kudos for addressing this problem!
All the Best!
Catherine

Lisa Orchard said...

Thanks Sherry for having me as your guest today and thanks Catherine for stopping by! Your support is greatly appreciated!

SherryGLoag said...

You're very welcome Lisa. :-)