Please welcome Lisa Orchard. One of my APsistas whom I just adore. Being with Astraea Press is truly one of the most rewarding parts of my job.
Hello! My name is Lisa
Orchard and I’m guest blogging today. I want to thank Bri for allowing me to
visit. Since Bri is kind of a sassy
lady. J I thought it would be appropriate to mention another woman who is
considered sassy as well. Her name is Gloria Steinem. She’s a pioneer in her
field and recognized as a leader of the women’s liberation movement, and guess
what? She’s also a writer!
According to Wikipedia,
Steinem actively campaigned for the Equal Rights movement in addition to other
law and social reforms that promoted equality between women and men. Her
actions helped strike down many long-standing sex discriminatory laws, such as
those that gave superior rights in marriage and denied women equal economic
opportunities.
In 1972 she became the
founding editor and publisher of Ms. Magazine, which brought feminist issues to
the forefront of society and the media, quickly becoming the movement’s most
influential publication. This pioneering woman definitely has some sass!
Speaking of sassy women and
sassy characters, check out the blurb and excerpt below from my debut novel,
“The Super Spies and the Cat Lady Killer.” These young girls fit into the sassy
category also.
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…
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.”
Thanks for hosting Bri! I appreciate it! :)
ReplyDeleteThe Super Spies is a terrific book! I loved it! My only question is, what happened to all the cats? :)(In my imagination,the main characters found homes for all of them...)
ReplyDeleteThe police took them to the Humane Society, where they all eventually found homes! :) Thanks for reading my story! I'm glad you liked it! :)And thanks for stopping by today!
DeleteGloria Steinem was one of my heroes. And I'm sure the Super Spies will be trailblazers, too!
ReplyDeleteI love her too! She just keeps on going doesn't she! Thanks for stopping by Patty! It's greatly appreciated! I hope all is well with you!
DeleteEvery neighborhood has a cat lady. This sounds like a great story. Congratulations on your new release and many sales.
ReplyDeleteThanks Cheryl! I appreciate your comments!
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