Monday, 31 March 2014

In the Limelight with MG Author Sharon Ledwith...

Here's the deal:  Multi-published author SS Hampton Sr. has hijacked my blog to pin me down for an author interview. Since Mr. Hampton (a.k.a. Stan) is so persuasive, I conceded to undergo his interrogation...er interview questions. Take it away, Stan...

Sharon Ledwith, hello! So, who are you, and where do you come from?
  Hey, Stan, glad to be here! Oh, such a complicated question. How long do we have? Seriously though (and I rarely am!) I’m a middle-aged broad who writes for the middle-grade/YA genre. Guess you could say I’m going through my second childhood! I come from my parents—mom still has nightmares to this day—via Streator, Illinois USA while my father was under contract by the government to teach meteorology. That makes me a dual citizen. Currently I reside in the wilds of Muskoka, a tourist area deep in the heart of central Ontario, Canada. Cue the haunting cry of the loon…

Lol, the loon! So, why did you become a graphic artist? Was it difficult to give up that career field for writing (I assume you write full-time)?

Well someone has done his homework! I’ve always loved art throughout school, and wanted to parlay that into a solid business career. Plus I didn’t want anything to do with math again! I took the graphic technician course in college which allowed me to work in the printing trade. This was before computers took over, so everything was done by hand. Um, yeah, slow process, but worth it if you applied yourself and worked hard. My hubby and I started Box Office Graphics in the early 80s and we saw so many changes in the industry which included fax machines, computers, and the internet. The graphic businesses that didn’t change fell by the wayside. We sold our business in 2004, and have never looked back. BTW—our former business is still going strong after 30 years! And NO, it wasn’t difficult to give up that career at all. Somehow I knew deep inside I would be pursuing a full-time career as a writer. After all, something had to be done to stop the voices from talking in my head!
 
Where and how did you meet your husband? Was he aware that he was courting a soon-to-be writer with all of her quirks? I generally assume all writers have their quirks – I know I do.

Poor hubby. I met him at the first job I was hired at straight out of college—a graphic trade shop that specialized in plastic container packaging. Call him my soul mate or a misguided fool, I knew from the moment I met him that we were destined to be together. I believe he was aware of some quirky karma, ’cause he never gave up the chase, even when the odds were against us. I also believe writers should use all their quirks to their advantage!
 
Any friendly words of advice for writers, particularly when a future spouse “comes a’calling”? Or perhaps for the future spouse who discovers their love interest is a writer?

Run, spouse, run! Kidding. My advice would be to never stop investing in yourself. Invest in the best. That’s in yourself, in your readers, and in your partner. Your readers deserve the best of what you have to offer them. Surround yourself with the best possible team (this includes spouses). Never stop learning. As you grow, so will your readers, so be prepared for this. Oh yeah, and never give up. That’s a given and should be part of any author’s credo.

How did your family and friends react to you becoming a writer?

Say what? You want to be a writer? Good for you! Ten years later…you’re still writing? Anything published yet? No? Humph. Maybe you should get a REAL job. Um, yeah, tried it, didn’t like it, went back to writing, and got published. Yay me! Once I signed the contract, I was cast in a different light, and everyone was supportive and happy for me. You should have seen the release party I threw – hot damn it was fun and VERY satisfying!
 
 I find it interesting that the inspiration for The Last Timekeepers of Atlantis came to you in a dream, that you believe in Atlantis, and you burn incense when writing. You didn’t mention what types of music you like, or favorite artists. So, not to resort to labels, but are you perhaps, something of a “New Ager”?

Yes, very much so. I’m quite a spiritual person and believe we’re all here for a reason and purpose. This comes out in my stories. I don’t want to come off as preachy (in fact I can’t stand it when other people try to shove their beliefs on me) so I try to inject humor whenever I can in my stories. I think we all learn best when there’s laughter present. And if you want a real laugh, when I first started out writing I listened to the soundtrack of Braveheart (sigh) a lot, as well as some native drum instrumentals, Enya, and Enigma. Now I hardly listen to music while writing.

Braveheart, eh? And Enya and Enigma—some of my favorite music too. Just a comment here: I like the first sentence of the opening of your blurb – “Children are the keys to our future.” Truthfully, I have always believed that. Might that have something do with the intended audience of Middle Grade/Young Adult readers regarding Last Timekeepers?

Oh definitely! But it is true – children are the keys to our future. It’s up to us adults to supply kids with good role models, people to look up to, and to aspire to. We need to be the best we can be, and offer children a new hope for a better tomorrow. I mean, how else can we pass along our knowledge and understanding to a new generation if we don’t show up in this life?

Would you please share the blurb from your newest book?

Would be honored, Stan. Here’s the blurb from my newest release, and the prequel to the Last Timekeepers series, Legend of the Timekeepers:

There is no moving forward without first going back. Lilith was a young girl with dreams and a family before the final destruction of Atlantis shattered those dreams and tore her family apart. Now refugees, Lilith and her father make their home in the Black Land. This strange, new country has no place in Lilith’s heart until a beloved high priestess introduces Lilith to her life purpose—to be a Timekeeper and keep time safe.
Summoned through the seventh arch of Atlantis by the Children of the Law of One, Lilith and her newfound friends are sent into Atlantis’s past, and given a task that will ultimately test their courage and try their faith in each other. Can the Timekeepers stop the dark magus Belial before he changes the seers’ prophecy? If they fail, then their future and the earth’s fate will be altered forever.

Here's the LINK for more information on the book.

Thank you for allowing me to take over your blog today! Are there any parting words you would like to share with us, Sharon?

Absolutely! I was once asked by another interviewer to share what inspires me to write, and why am I doing what I do? The truth is that I want to be the change I would like to see in this world. Yes, I stole that from Gandhi, but those words have been my mantra, and have guided me to write stories I would have loved to read as an adolescent. My hope is to give my target audience (upper middle-grade and lower young adult) the kinds of stories the world needs now—force readers to ask why they are here on earth at this time, and what is their major purpose. I guess I’m looking for ways to make the world a better place. I also want to make people laugh out-loud while they’re reading my books, and leave them wanting more when they turn to the last page.

Thanks so much for putting up with, er interviewing me today, Stan, and loved your well-researched questions! Cheers!

Check out The Last Timekeepers series Facebook Page. BUY LINKS Musa Publishing - Amazon Link - Barnes & Noble - Kobo

And now, here's a little something about my interviewer:

Much of SS Hampton, Sr.'s writing is drawn from his extensive military career, including his historical short story The Sentinels.

December 1941 – the German offensive has ground to a frozen halt before an ominous forest encircling Moscow, and a German patrol seeks to discover what secrets the forest hides…

December 1941, and fresh Siberian troops from the Soviet Far East have launched savage counter-attacks against the German invaders. The Eastern Front is torn open with German units driven back, overwhelmed, or isolated. An exhausted Waffen SS infantry platoon outside of Moscow needs to know what the Siberians, hidden in a dark forest before them, are up to. A small patrol is sent into the snowy, otherworldly forest...

To read an excerpt from The Sentinels please click HERE.

SS Hampton, Sr. is a full-blood Choctaw of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, a divorced grandfather to 13, a published photographer and photojournalist, and a member of the Military Writers Society of America. His military career began in 1974. He retired on 1 July 2013 from the Army National Guard with the rank of Sergeant First Class; he previously served in the active duty Army, the Army Individual Ready Reserve, and enlisted in the Army National Guard in October 2004, after which he was mobilized for Federal active duty for almost three years. Hampton is a veteran of Operations Noble Eagle and Iraqi Freedom.

His writings have appeared as stand-alone stories, and in anthologies from Dark Opus Press, Edge Science Fiction & Fantasy, Melange Books, Musa Publishing, MuseItUp Publishing, Ravenous Romance, and as stand-alone stories in Horror Bound Magazine, The Harrow, and River Walk Journal, among others. He is also a published photographer and photojournalist, and a member of the Military Writers Society of America.

After 12 years of brown desert in the Southwest and overseas, he misses the Rocky Mountains, yellow aspens in the fall, running rivers, and a warm fireplace during snowy winters. As of December 2011 in Las Vegas, Nevada, Hampton officially became a homeless Iraq War veteran.

To learn more about SS Hampton, Sr. or read excerpts from his books please click a vendor's name. Musa Publishing - Melange Books - MuseItUp Publishing Amazon Author Page - Amazon UK Author Page - Goodreads Author Page

Monday, 24 March 2014

What Authors can learn from the Great Law…

RF Stock Photo 19797845
In a nutshell, here’s the rule to the Great Law: If you do what other successful authors do, over and over again, nothing can stop you from eventually enjoying the same rewards that they do. But if you don’t do what successful authors do, nothing can help you.

So, success is not an accident. Sadly, failure is not an accident either. You succeed, over and over, until these behaviors become a habit. Likewise, you fail if you don’t do what successful authors do. In either case, nature is neutral. Nature does not take sides. Nature doesn’t care. What happens to you is simply a matter of law—the law of cause and effect.

In Buddhism it is simply stated: Good deeds bring good results. Bad deeds bring bad results. Your own deeds bring your own results. Easy-peasy, right? Well, not so easy for many of us wanna-be bestsellers. But, if you want to be the kind of writer you desire to be, then start by following what your ‘role model’ author does, and over time and effort, you’ll reach the same heights as he or she or they have. It’s not a quick rich scheme. It’s not even a plan for being an overnight success. It’s a hard and messy and nerve wracking journey. And it’s WORTH it, if that’s where you’re heading. I hope to see you on the road less traveled in the near future!

Who are some of your ‘role model’ authors? What are you doing that they’re doing? Cheers! 

Monday, 17 March 2014

Middle Shelf: A Top Shelf ezine for Lovers of Middle Grade Fiction…

I’m doing the happy dance because the fantastic group of middle grade authors called EMBLAZONERS I’m a member of, are featured in the March/April issue of Middle Shelf! If you don’t know much about Middle Shelf, here’s something to pique your interest:

Middle Shelf is a digital-only magazine featuring the best books for middle grade readers. Each bi-monthly issue includes author interviews, reviews, excerpts, and photo essays.”

Did I mention that SUBSCRIPTIONS ARE FREE! Another reason to hop on the middle grade reading train!

The kind folks at Middle Shelf—an off-shoot of the larger Shelf Unbound company—offered the Emblazoners a great discount for our advertisement. This is where having a group of indie authors is a great advantage—the ad was more than any one of us would spend individually (even at the discount) but together, it was something of a no-brainer! Plus the Emblazoners are in the process of building some brand recognition for our group, so if you have a chance, please surf by our website and subscribe to our recent catalogue. Plus, you’d get to see what other great things we’re doing, and perhaps find your next favorite MG author!

This is a quote from Middle Shelf’s premier issue last fall:
“Good books have the power to entertain, to spark imaginations, and to transform lives, which is precisely why Middle Shelf came into being. We want to connect middle grade readers to the very best books, whether they’re on the bestseller lists, published by small or indie presses, or self-published.”

Check out Middle Shelf’s Facebook page to keep current with news about middle grade books and authors, and if you’re an author, to see how to advertise with them. Cheers, all! Middle Grade Books Rock!

Thursday, 13 March 2014

In the Limelight with YA Fantasy Authors Lisa Fender and Toni Burns…

I want to thank and welcome authors (and sisters), Lisa Fender and Toni Burns for sharing their personal writing journey with us on my blog today. Their book, Fable – Book 1 of the Lorn Prophecy is available for purchase from Amazon, and other major on-line bookstores. 

BTW—I’ve read Lisa and Toni's fabulous fantasy and found Fable entertaining and well worth the investment. Plus, they have a kick-ass cover! Cheers, ladies!

So, how long have you two been writing, Lisa and Toni?

Lisa—We both started writing as kids, but life kind of got in the way. I started up again thanks to the encouragement of Lizzie T. Leaf. She and I met for coffee several times and she told me to “just go for it”. The first book I attempted was a murder mystery, but I couldn’t get into a psycho’s head. After ten chapters, I put it away. Then I got laid-off from work and decided I had no more excuses not to follow my dream. Fantasy was my love, so when I sat down to write about five years ago, I came up with the Djenrye world.
Toni—I joined my sister in her journey with Stevie about three years ago. With a background in administration/secretarial, she asked if I would help edit the book. Within a year we discovered that we wrote great together and the rest, they say, is history. A little side note—when Lisa and I write we are more like an old married couple than sisters. We tend to finish each other sentences and come up with words at the same time.

Lizzie T. Leaf is a wonderful author in her own right and it certainly seems like she gave you some great advice! Where did you get your idea and inspiration to write Fable—Book 1 of the Lorn Prophecy?

Lisa—Like I said, I love fantasy, but was pretty burnt out on the typical vampire, werewolf, fairy stuff others were writing. I came up with the idea of using a folktale character—a genie, but not that kind that comes out of a bottle. More along the idea of all myths having some truth behind them. So the Djen were born—a race of people whose powers can be misinterpreted into ‘fairytales’.
As concerns the heroine—she’s right out of my head and my experiences. Being adopted myself, I wondered what would happen if I found my birth mother. Would she be rich, beautiful, whatever…Stevie’s journey mirrors mine in that she is learning who she is and where her destiny lies.
Toni—I’m along for the ride.

Talk about writing what you know! What sets Fable—Book 1 of the Lorn Prophecy apart from other books in the same genre?

Toni—Fantasy stories have been around longer than the written word. Most are myths and hero’s journeys. In this way, The Lorn Prophecy is similar. The difference is in our creation of a whole new world that is connected to our mundane world (Terra-hun as the Djen call it).
Lisa—Djenrye is a world without pollution, commercially processed food, industrial machinery, or other forms of raping the land (mining, clear cutting, swath burning, etc.). The Djen use all that they take and have a respect for life and nature. They are a part of it, rather than thinking they have dominion over it.
Toni—It is a pristine world, but not without conflict. Otherwise, it would be a boring story. Right, sis?
Lisa—(chuckles) Oh yeah.

And a boring story it is NOT! As collaborative authors, what is your writing process?

Lisa—I start out with the outline of the story. I wrote Fable as a rough draft (the same with Fated and Lore—which we are working on now). Then, Toni and I go through the draft line by line, page by page, chapter by chapter and refine it based on our critique partners.
Toni—We have found that we work as a great sounding board with each other. Lisa will write something and I’ll ask, “what about this”. Then, she’ll play on my idea with “sounds good, but how about if we also”. Through this process of back and forth we come up with ideas complete unique to what either of us started with.

Interesting process, ladies. Sometimes I wish I had a sounding board! How long did it take for you
to start and finish Fable—Book 1 of the Lorn Prophecy?

Lisa—Four and a half long years.
Toni—The good news is that Fated only took about a year.
Lisa—We’re getting better all the time.
Toni—or improving with age. Tee heehee.
Lisa—something like that. (Smiles)

LOL, you two do work well with each other! Do you have any advice for other writers, Lisa and Toni?

Lisa—I teach a class for new writers at the Englewood Library. It drives me absolutely crazy to read self-published works and find that the authors have no knowledge of basic creative writing skills. It makes all self-published books suspect.
Toni—If you are going to self-publish, make it a professional product. Do what my sister and I did: take classes, work with critique partners—listen to them!—and hire a professional editor—and listen to his/her recommendations, too. Additionally, we were very blessed in meeting Springlea, owner of a small publishing company in Colorado called Grumpy Dragon. She was a wealth of information and help in showing us how to layout our books to give them a traditionally published appearance.
Lisa—Writing you do out of love and a desire. But, you have to treat it like a business if you want to do more than just share your stories with your family and friends.

Sage advice for sure! What’s next for Lisa Fender and Toni Burns the authors?

Lisa—We are refining my first draft of Lore (Book 2 of The Lorn Prophecy); I am writing Lineage (Book 2 of The Djenrye Chronicles); and we plan to create at least three books in The Lorn Prophecy series…
Toni—probably more, as long as the books are getting…
Lisa—and compendium novels (The Djenrye Chronicles) to come out between each of the main books.
Toni—And…as we write, we keep coming up with more ideas. Maybe we can dust off Lisa’s old murder mystery and put our Detective Wood in the middle of that one!
Lisa—ha, ha, ha, ha.

Sounds like you both will be busy for quite some time! Okay, here’s one for me, since I’m writing a time travel series—If you could time travel anywhere into Earth’s past, where would you go and why?

Lisa—That is a really tough question. Maybe back to the time when women were warriors and leaders of their tribes. Perhaps the Bronze Age in the British Isles. I am a Goddess at heart!
Toni—Boadicea rocks! Lisa’s response would be close to my own. I am also a sucker for ancient Greek culture, where women could hold land and power.

You also have a chance to win a copy of Fable. Just leave a comment below with your email address or a way to reach you. We will do a drawing and pick one winner to get the book and some swag to go along with it!

A little taste from Fable – Book 1 of The Lorn Prophecy. I hope you enjoy and decide to give it a read!

Stevie Barrett lives an ordinary life in Golden, Colorado, where nothing remarkable ever happens. That is until right before her high school graduation, when Stevie’s life takes a bizarre turn. Her best friends, Jack and Alyssa, want to be supportive, but are confused by the events plaguing Stevie. 

Stevie’s mom is attacked by men with glowing gold eyes. A strange being spies on Stevie, hidden in shadow. She has waking visions of a people called the Djen and their archaic world. And when her and her BFFs don’t think it can get any weirder, Stevie heals a stranger with a touch. The abilities build until they are a tidal wave awakening within her and threaten her sense of reality. 

Her efforts to understand what is happening lead her and her friends to discover a group known as the Rebellion. These warriors from another dimension are hunting her. Their leader is a man bent on destroying Stevie and possessing her legacy. In order to stop him and save everyone she loves, Stevie and her friends must embark on a quest to find and return Tecton, one of the five Orbs—relics—of the other plane she comes to know as Djenrye. The journey will alter everything she believes, propelling her into another world and another life.




With any of those you can reach us!

Lisa & Toni - Thanks again Sharon for having us on your blog! You are an awesome person, writer, and author. Not to mention, an honorary Djen!

Monday, 10 March 2014

MG/YA Author Susan Kaye Quinn's Faery Swap Blog Tour...

March 3rd - March 21st
A little about Faery Swap...  KindleNookPrint
Warrior faery princes can be very stubborn. Especially when they possess your body. Fourteen-year-old Finn just wants to keep his little sister out of Child Protective Services--an epic challenge with their parentally-missing-in-action dad moving them to England, near the famous Stonehenge rocks. Warrior faery Prince Zaneyr just wants to escape his father's reckless plan to repair the Rift--a catastrophe that ripped the faery realm from Earth 4,000 years ago and set it adrift in an alternate, timeless dimension. When Zaneyr tricks Finn into swapping places, Finn becomes a bodiless soul stuck in the Otherworld, and Zaneyr uses Finn's body to fight off his father's seekers on Earth. Between them, they have two souls and only one body... and both worlds to save before the dimensional window between them slams shut.
NOTE TO TEACHERS: Check out the Virtual Author visit video and Common-Core-Aligned Teacher's Guide for Faery Swap here.
2 minute book trailer
Excerpt
[Author's Note: Faery Swap is told in alternating points of view, between Finn, the human boy, and Zaneyr, the faery prince who tricks him into swapping places.]

Finn's Excerpt:
He looked up at the blanket of haze hiding the sun. The sky had been blue when he had dropped off Erin. How long had he been out? He wrestled his arm around to look at his watch
8:44
The second hand was dead still, frozen between the five and the six. Whatever McFreaky did to knock him out broke his watch, too. The watch his mom gave him. She had strapped it on his wrist that day he was late for the bus and told him that being on time was important. Part of growing up. She drove him to school. The wreck happened on the way home.
It was the last thing she ever gave him. And McFreaky broke it. Finn clenched his fist and slammed it into the grass.
Then the grass punched him back.
The hit to his shoulder was so hard, it flipped him onto his back. A tinkling of glass sounded all around him.
“What the…?” Finn scrambled to sit up. The grass couldn’t have punched him. That didn’t make any sense. Something under the grass then. He jumped up to his feet and stared at the ground, frozen, waiting for it to move again.
Nothing happened.
Finn stomped his foot on the grass where he’d been lying a moment before, just to be sure. The grass kicked back, knocking him off his feet and landing him with a thump on his backside. The tinkling glass sound rushed up, like a thousand tiny voices laughing.
“Ahhh!” Finn jerked up off the ground. A narrow dirt path was just a dozen feet away, so he ran toward it. Tiny insects rose up wherever he stepped, making the tinkling sound, then falling back down. He teetered on the safety of the path, which seemed clear of the insects. The path was just wide enough for a sheep to pass. A very small sheep.
What was this crazy place?

Zaneyr's Excerpt:
Zaneyr peered at the young sister of Finn. He vowed to respect that kin bond, as a brother would. It was the least he could do, having banished her brother to the eternal changelessness of the Otherworld. And perhaps the House of Finn would serve as good a hiding place as any.
She awaited his answer with an impatience too large for such a small thing.
“No, lass, you cannot stay home with me.” He gestured to the loud guardian of the stone structure. “You need to stay here. But I will be back at the appointed time for you.”
Erin’s shoulders sagged with defeat.
“But I think I will return home now.” Zaneyr looked around at the many dwellings that crowded the path. “Which one would that be?”
Erin fixed that glare upon him again. “I memorized our address, already! When are you going to stop quizzing me?”
“It is the sickness,” Zaneyr said with a smile. “It is stealing my memory like a thief.”
“Dude, you are sick.” She suddenly shot her hand toward his face. Reflexively, Zaneyr leaned away, but she managed to land a tiny, warm hand on his cheek. He froze. What sort of magick was she working by touch? Then he remembered she was only a child, and a human one at that. It had been so long since he had felt the warmth of any touch.
The tension flew away.
“You’re not running a fever.” Her face was a picture of seriousness. “But I should go home with you.”
“Erin!” the woman called again, closer now. “You all right, love? I’m closing the gates.”
“You are summoned. You must go.” Zaneyr glanced again at the dwellings, stacked like cubes on top of one another. He pointed to one. “Is that our home? I don’t believe you truly recall.”
Erin’s shoulders drooped again. “It’s 842 on Earls Court.” She speared his chest with a small finger. 
Don’t forget to come back and get me.”
“I could hardly refuse an order so imperiously given.”

Blog Tour Giveaway
$25 Amazon Gift Card
Signed Paperback of Faery Swap
Two Faery Wands
ENTER TO WIN

Susan Kaye Quinn is the author of the bestselling Mindjack Trilogy, which is young adult science fiction. Faery Swap is her foray into middle grade, which is her first writing love. Her business card says "Author and Rocket Scientist" and she always has more speculative fiction fun in the works. You can subscribe to her newsletter (hint: new subscribers get a free short story!) or stop by her blog to see what she's up to.
Faery Swap
Kindle | Nook | Print
Fourteen-year-old Finn is tricked into swapping places with a warrior faery prince and has to find his way back home before the dimensional window between their worlds slams shut. 

Monday, 3 March 2014

Introducing MG Author Lisa Orchard’s The Super Spies Series…

The Super Spies and the Cat Lady Killer
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…


The Super Spies and the High School Bomber
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
Sarah Cole and her sister Lacey are at it once again when their missing parents’ cell phone is 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 finds out 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 the Super Spies stop the greedy corporation before it’s too late?


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.

Learn more about Lisa Orchard on her WEBSITE. Stay connected on FACEBOOK and TWITTER.