May I introduce: Lisa Orchard "The Super Spies and the High School Bomber"

 

The Super Spies and the High School Bomber

By Lisa Orchard 

 

 

What a delight to have one of my daughter's favourite author as a guest on my blog this week. I often have to listen to "Mum, have you asked her when the next book's coming out?"

I'll do that right now ...

1 - The Super Spies series are very successful. When can we expect book #4?

I’m going to start book #4 as soon as I finish my Coming of Age Young Adult Novel that I’m working on. I’ve finished it and I’m in the editing stage right now.

2 - What inspires you when you write for the younger generation?

My inspiration comes from lessons I’ve learned in my own life or something I wish I learned sooner! LOL! I’m hoping that by writing these stories it will help young girls make good decisions for themselves when it comes time to make them.

3 - Tell us about your current project.

My current project is about a seventeen-year-old girl who hasn’t had many advantages in life, but she hasn’t let that stop her from becoming a talented musician. It’s the story of her growth, perseverance, and the difficult choices she has to make in order to see her dreams come true.

It’s for an older age group than my Super Spies stories, but it’s got a great message in it as well. I really love this story and I can’t wait to see it in print!  J

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?

 

 

Author:

Lisa Orchard grew up loving books. She was hooked on mysteries by the fifth grade and even wrote a few of her own. She knew she wanted to be a writer even then.  “The Super Spies and the Pied Piper” is the third book in the “Super Spies” series. Her first book was published in March of 2012 and it has received rave reviews.
  After graduating from Central Michigan University with a Marketing Degree she spent many years in the insurance industry, pining to express her creative side.  The decision to stay home with her children gave her the opportunity to follow her dream and become a writer. She currently resides in Rockford Michigan with her husband, Steve, and two wonderful boys. Currently, she’s working on her fourth novel, a Coming of Age Young Adult Novel. When she’s not writing she enjoys spending time with her family, running, hiking, and reading.

 

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lisa-Orchard/328536613877060?ref=hl

Twitter: https://twitter.com/lisaorchard1

Website:  http://www.lisaorchard.com/

 

 

Purchase Links:

Astraea Press:  http://www.astraeapress.com/#!/~/product/id=13594238

Amazon:   http://www.amazon.com/Super-Spies-School-Bomber-ebook/dp/B008P8O7OY/

Barnes and Noble:   http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-super-spies-and-the-high-school-bomber-lisa-orchard/1112263058?ean=2940014992244

 

 

Excerpt:

 “Sarah, come here! You’ve got to see this!” Lacey yelled.

Sarah whirled around and spotted her sister walking from the den—her eyes were round and full of shock.

“I think all the windows have been smashed. Come and look.”

Holding the towel against her cut, Sarah followed her into the den. “Holy crap!”

She gazed into the room. Shards of glass covered the furniture and the floor. The sun streamed through the window, shining on the jagged bits embedded in the carpet. It appeared as if tiny diamonds were buried within the fibers.

“What in the world happened?”

Sarah shook her head. “I have no idea.”

The shrill ring of the phone made Sarah jump. She dashed back to the kitchen and found the phone where she had dropped it earlier.

“Hello?”

“Sarah?”

“Jackie?”

“Yeah, it’s me.” Jackie’s voice eased some of the tension in Sarah’s body. Jackie Jenkins was her best friend. They had met when Sarah and her sister moved in with their aunt and uncle three months earlier.

Sarah glanced down at her legs and for the first time saw tiny nicks where she had been hit by flying glass. She bent down and examined the cuts further. They were not deep, and were already clotting.

“All of our windows exploded! Do you know what’s going on?” Sarah asked.

“There was an explosion at the high school.”

“There was an explosion?”

“Yep.”

“How do you know? Was it a bomb?” Sarah brushed her hair away from her face and watched as more dust cascaded to the floor.

“I heard it on the police scanner.”

“Was it a bomb?” Sarah asked again.

“They don’t know, but what else causes an explosion?” Jackie said with a voice edged with apprehension.

“Crap,” Sarah gasped, as the energy seemed to drain from her body, replaced with heavy dread. Sagging against the kitchen wall, she clutched the phone as if it were a lifeline. “Uncle Walt.” She choked, and then turned toward Lacey and stared.

 “Sarah? Are you there? Are you all right?” Jackie yelled from the phone.

“Sarah?” Lacey’s lip quivered.

Tears welled in Sarah’s eyes as she spoke to Lacey. “There’s been an explosion at the high school.”

“What? No way!” Lacey shook her head and swung away.

“Sarah, I’m coming over!” Jackie screamed.

 Sarah nodded numbly as she watched Lacey. Her sister’s breathing was labored and her face turned pale.

“I feel like I’m going to faint.” Lacey’s knees buckled and she reached for the kitchen chair.

“Put your head between your knees!” Sarah dropped the phone, grabbed Lacey and helped her to the floor. She gently pushed Lacey’s head down between her knees. Her sister’s face and knees disappeared behind the curtain of her long blonde hair.

“Now, take deep breaths.”

Lacey inhaled deeply and let her breath out slowly. The two girls sat like that for a few minutes, Sarah holding her sister’s head down and Lacey breathing.

“Thanks. You can let go now.” Lacey raised her head and smiled at Sarah.

Sarah nodded and peered into her sister’s green eyes that were so much like her own. “Better?”

“Yeah.” Lacey let out a long shudder. She sat back on the floor. “I’m not ready to get up yet.”

“Jackie’s coming over.” Sarah picked up the phone and pushed buttons with a shaky hand.

“Who’re you calling?” Lacey whimpered.

“Uncle Walt’s cell.”

Sarah listened to the phone ring, as her stomach tightened into a knot. “It went right into voicemail.” She gulped as the enormity of the situation hit her. Fear ate away at her self-control and her stomach clenched tighter. Taking some deep breaths, she wondered what she should do next. Without a doubt, Sarah knew that Lacey was going to lose it at any moment, and someone needed to take charge. “We have to call Aunt June.” The quiver in her voice betrayed the fear she tried to hide.

“I hope he’s okay,” Lacey whimpered and then sobbed as she sagged against the cabinets. Rocking back and forth, she tried to calm herself.

“I’m sure he wasn’t near the explosion.” Sarah cast a sideways glance toward her sister, hoping to reassure Lacey, but her words rang false in her own ears.

“He went to school early today,” Lacey whimpered as she rocked. She rubbed her hands together as if they were cold.

Sarah dialed her aunt’s office and waited for Beatrice, the receptionist, to answer. Pacing, she chewed on her nail. What was taking Bea so long? While Sarah waited, the wails of police sirens and the blare of fire truck horns filled the air as they rushed past. Panic gnawed at her gut. She fought to keep it at bay and won for the moment.

Beatrice answered the phone and informed Sarah that her aunt was with a patient.

“Bea, this is an emergency.” Sarah’s voice cracked. “I really need to talk to her.”

“I’m sorry Sarah. I didn’t recognize your voice. Just a second. I’ll interrupt her session.”

Sarah waited on hold, listening to the elevator music filtering through the phone. She paced and chewed her nails. “Let’s go in the den.”

 Lacey, still wobbly from her near faint, stood and clung to Sarah, as Sarah guided her into the den.

“Turn the TV on and see if there’s anything on the news,” Sarah instructed.

She paced back and forth while her sister stumbled toward the TV. Lacey walked hunched over and slow. With a trembling hand, she finally pushed the power button on the television.

Stifling an irritated sigh, Sarah peered at the TV and caught a glimpse of a scroll at the bottom of the screen. It said Harrisburg High School and Jr. High School closed today due to faculty meeting. Please stay away from the High School. There has been an explosion and emergency personnel need to be able to get to the scene.

Sarah stifled a growl of frustration. That’s it? That’s all they’re going to tell us? She continued her pacing, growing more agitated by the minute.

Sarah chewed on her lip as frantic thoughts ran through her mind. It was her first day at her new school and it explodes? What is going on?

Her aunt’s voice came through the phone. “Sarah? What’s wrong?”

Sarah let out a strangled sob. The sound of concern in her aunt’s voice was enough for her to lose control of her emotions. “It’s Uncle Walt. There’s been an explosion at the high school and all of our windows exploded!” Sarah sobbed. Her best efforts to keep it together were unsuccessful.

 “An explosion? What kind of explosion?”

“I don’t know,” Sarah cried. “I just know there was some kind of explosion.”

A low moan escaped her aunt’s lips. “Oh, no. Walt!”