Lisa Orchard

Hello, my name is Lisa Orchard and I’m guest-blogging today for Seriously Reviewed. I would like to thank them for giving me the opportunity to introduce my debut novel, “The Super Spies and the Cat Lady Killer.” It’s a Young Adult Mystery and will be available from Amazon in March.

I have been asked what motivated me to write this story. First of all, I love mysteries, and as a young girl couldn’t put them down. I wanted to bring that same feeling of anticipation and joy to other young girls.

I also wanted to write a story about a strong female lead. A girl who is a nonconformist and thinks for herself. One that bases her decisions on her own set of values and her own inner moral code. A character so strong, that when the odds are stacked against her she perseveres and wins in the end.

My lead character, Sarah, is not perfect, but she is a strong girl who strives to right the injustices she sees and help victims who cannot help themselves. She is virtuous, even though she’s rebellious and mischievous at the same time.

As a young girl, the stories I seemed to remember the most are the ones that taught me a lesson. I wanted to write a story like that. One that teaches a lesson the reader can learn right along with the characters. The lesson embedded in this story is a basic one; “you can’t judge a book by its cover.” However, I feel it’s one that needs to be emphasized. I’ve written this story, so the young teen can come to this conclusion on her own, because we all know—you can’t “tell” a teenager anything.

Please read the blurb below describing the story and an excerpt from my first chapter. The book “The Super Spies and the Cat Lady Killer” will be available from Amazon in March.

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.

            Below is an excerpt from my book.

Alarm bells rang in Sarah’s head—this has to be out of character for someone who never leaves their home. She turned back and whispered to the other girls. “Hey!”

Jackie poked her head out. “What?”

“The storm door’s open.”

“So?”

“So…what do I do?”

“Duh…Ring the door bell.”

Sarah shrugged and pushed the doorbell. It let out an irritating buzz and she had the feeling it had been broken long ago and never fixed. She dashed down the stairs.  The cats scattered, alarmed by the sudden activity. Reaching the shrubs, Sarah hid with her sister and Jackie.

            Gasping for breath, Sarah waited for a reaction from the old woman. Her heart pummeled her ribs and she pressed her hand to her chest to calm it.

After a few minutes, Sarah started to pace. “Well…nothing’s happened.” She peeked out from behind the shrub and saw the screen door hanging ajar. “I bet she’s not even home. I’m going to try again.”

Jackie shrugged. “Be careful, remember she’s a witch.”

Sarah shook her head, and then peered out from behind the shrubs. Once again, she climbed the stairs. She was braver this time and it didn’t take her as long to make it to the door.

She looked inside, her heart lurching in her chest. She tiptoed to the picture window and peered through it. Gasping, she ran back to the entryway. Pulling it open, she lunged inside.

Sarah stared, unable to tear herself away.  Shock ran through her body like an electrical current as she eyed the scene before her. The crumpled form of the Cat Lady lay on the living room floor, just inside the door. No life flickered in the old woman’s staring eyes. Her mouth gaped open in a silent scream and her hands were up around her head as if she were warding off blows. Turning away from the Cat Lady’s body, Sarah gagged as the coppery scent of blood assaulted her. There was blood splattered everywhere, on the wall, on the carpet and under the Cat Lady’s body.

Suddenly, Sarah’s throat constricted and she gasped for breath. Fearing she would faint, she stumbled back out the door and collided with Jackie and Lacey on the porch.

Jackie grabbed Sarah’s arm and shook her. “What are you doing? Are you crazy? I never said to go inside!”

Sarah didn’t speak—she just stared blankly at the porch.

Jackie shook her again. “Are you under the Cat Lady’s spell?”

Lacey whimpered. “Hey, Sarah…can you hear me? Sarah?”

“She’s under the Cat Lady’s spell,” Jackie said waving her hand in front of Sarah’s eyes.

“Oh my---,” Sarah moaned and clutched Jackie’s arm.

“What is it?” Jackie shook her again. “Speak…say something!”

“Th-th-the C-C-Cat Lady, sh-sh-she’s,” Sarah stuttered.

“She’s what?” Jackie demanded.

“Sh-she’s dead.

Again, my book will be available in March. It can be found on Amazon.com. If you’re interested in following me, my website can be found at www.lisaorchard.com. You can also find me on Twitter—my twitter identity is lisarochard1.