Tonya Hurley

MONSTER HITS

“GHOSTGIRL: HOMECOMING,” by Tonya Hurley
Written with deadpan wit — maybe because our heroine, teen misfit Charlotte Usher is dead — this is a “Wonderful Life”-like tale for young teens and older. Our heroine? A girl forced to intern at a crisis hot line in purgatory as she awaits her afterlife fate. The second of a series, “Homecoming” finds Charlotte trying to guide a fellow teen through the trials of high school.

http://www.nypost.com/p/entertainment/monster_hits_VCtSAy8eGPi7Ak8YkeeyDJ

For Fans of ghostgirl, Fun on Halloween!

New York Times Bestselling author Tonya Hurley will appear at Books Of Wonder, 18 West 18th Street, on Halloween to celebrate the release of her new book ghostgirl: homecoming (Little, Brown). Fans in costume will be eligible for a giveaway of ghostgirl merchandise including: ghostgirl Hot Topic tee shirts, ghostgirl prayer candles and ghostgirl tote bags. ghostgirl: homecoming is the second novel in her popular and critically-acclaimed young adult series chronicling the adventures of Charlotte Usher, a misfit teen who accidentally dies in class, wakes as a ghost only to find the afterlife, unfortunately for her, is a lot like life. The ghostgirl audiobook narrated by Parker Posey with music by Vince Clarke (Depeche Mode, Yaz, Erasure) has just been released by Recorded Books. From www.womanaroundtown.com


http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=158695561178&ref=mf

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=182810507817&ref=mf

Teenreads.com Blog


Tonya Hurley: A Homecoming for HOMECOMING
Friday, October 9, 2009

Today's guest blogger, Tonya Hurley, is a filmmaker, screenwriter, and director, as well as the bestselling author of GHOSTGIRL and its sequel, GHOSTGIRL: HOMECOMING. Below she discusses how a trip back home rekindled some old insecurities from her teen years, and reflects on how much --- or how little --- things have changed since.


I recently went back to my hometown of Uniontown, Pennsylvania, outside of Pittsburgh, to do a book appearance at my old high school and middle school for my latest novel, GHOSTGIRL: HOMECOMING. In the new book, ‘homecoming’ means several different things for the ghostgirl character, Charlotte Usher, and it did for me too. For one thing, it was a literal homecoming since I decided to stay with my Mom in the house I grew up in for the entire visit. Even though this wasn’t a holiday trip filled with family obligations, I still had mixed feelings about being ‘home.’

It wasn’t my first time back, but I’m not a very frequent visitor these days either so small changes in the town, the school, the neighborhood and my one-time neighbors seemed huge. On the way to the appearances, I found myself noticing things that had only barely registered before --- an overgrown front yard here, peeling paint on house shingles there, yellowing curtains in a kitchen window, the hunch in a next door neighbor’s back, the unsteady gait on a once-spry spaniel that used to chase my car down the street. All the real-life evidence of time passing. I looked over at my Mom in the passenger seat and laughed a little to myself. Now, I was driving her to school. Ironically, however, being home didn’t force me to notice or acknowledge changes in my surroundings or in others nearly so much as they did changes in myself. I was very different now.

As we pulled into the school parking lot, those mixed feelings I’d been nursing turned almost to panic. It would feel good to see a lot of the people I graduated with as well as some of the teachers that I had, and of course, my extended family whom I love dearly; but, I also felt that same twinge of nerves --- like I didn’t fit, but on a more grandiose level. I even felt a little guilty, since most of the time I’d attended school here was spent dreaming about leaving. Whether it’s the fact that I have lived in New York City so long and have made my living as a writer had a lot to do with it, but it stirred up even those old feelings of insecurity and doubt.

Out of nowhere, I recalled the day I showed up with purple hair and a fauxhawk. I felt liberated and really enjoyed all the confused faces that I left in my wake. It wasn’t easy --- I don’t want to give that impression. Quite the contrary. My stomach was in my throat. In my town, people just didn’t do this. It was almost as if I had snapped. But, it felt good. I didn’t have to try and fit in anyway and I was letting the world --- well, at least everyone at Laurel Highlands High School --- know it. Now, the outside of me was reflecting my love of music and going to see alternative and punk bands every weekend and I felt, for the first time, comfortable with myself. I even enjoyed people making fun of me. In fact, I tried to push the envelope every day with my outrageous outfits, changing my hair color as often as I changed my moods. It felt good. I suffered for so long and now, now I was myself. In my town back then, no one even thought about coloring their hair, let alone wearing the clothes that I did. It was like I was dressing for a performance every day, expressing myself any way I wanted. I will be honest, I did get ostracized and made fun of, and yes, it hurt. One thing is for sure --- I didn’t want to fit in back then, and I still don’t. I started thinking maybe I’m not all that different at all.

We approached the highschool/middle school complex and I looked it over like an old acquaintance you might see in the grocery store. Tentatively. Apart from a few architectural nips and tucks it was very much the same, except for the metal detectors standing guard at the door, a not-so-subtle reminder of even bigger changes since my days there. I passed through without incident and was greeted by a group of student leaders and faculty, many still-familiar faces, though I hadn’t seen them in years. The entourage grew as we walked down the hall to the gymnasium, stopping occasionally for hugs and handshakes, me smiling through my anxiety. I could hear the tell-tale buzz and chatter that leaked out into the hall as it always does before an assembly is about to start. I’d heard it many times before, except now it was for me.

The 600+ crowd grew silent as I was introduced, and I felt myself being looked over just as I’d scrutinized the school building. But as the applause and cheers rang out, from people I’d known forever and people I didn’t know at all, I felt such a sense of acceptance and support. Welcomed. My anxiety melted away as I saw the pride in the eyes of family and friends and teachers. I came to the microphone and started my little motivational chat about ‘believing in yourself and living your dreams’ and it suddenly had new meaning for me. The students were excited to ask questions about the ghostgirl books and my career as a writer, and I was excited to answer them. “Anything is possible,” I kept reminding the eager faces in the bleachers and it never seemed more true to me.

I’d always imagined my ambitions and dreams as an escape route, and to a great degree they were, but it turns out they were also a way back.

-- Tonya Hurley

http://www.teenreads.com/blog/2009/10/tonya-hurley-homecoming-for-homecoming_09.asp

México:
1 - 'Nocturna', de Guillermo del Toro
2 - 'Ghostgirl', de Tonya Hurley
3 - 'Nueva historia mínima de México', de Daniel Cosio
4 - 'Media noche', de Claudi Gray
5 - 'El vencedor está solo', de Paulo Coelho
(Fuente: Librerías Ghandi)

"Johnny Rotten" and me hanging at the Batcave.

Publishers Weekly
That’s One Dead-On Cake

Last Thursday, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers celebrated Tonya Hurley’s ghostgirl: homecoming, the second book featuring undead heroine Charlotte Usher, at the Jefferson Market branch of the New York Public Library. The highlight of the event: a custom six-foot ghostgirl cake from the bakers at Charm City Cakes (the stars of the Food Network’s Ace of Cakes). The cake itself took 56 hours to create and is tentatively slated to be featured on the season finale of Ace of Cakes in October. Here, Hurley (r.) is joined by (l. to r.) Charm City’s Geof, Duff and Mary Alice.

Scorsese holding my dvd collection and graciously comparing his Italianamerican with my Solo-Me-O.

September 21 Uniontown, PA Wal-Mart / 7:00 PM
September 22 Pittsburgh, PA Joseph-Beth Booksellers / 7:00 PM
October 9 Brooklyn, NY Barnes and Noble Park Slope/ 7:00 PM
October 14 Philadelphia, PA Barnes & Noble / 7:00 PM
October 16 Boston, MA Barnes & Noble (Burlington) / 7:00 PM
October 17 Salem, MA (w/Daniel Waters) Cornerstone Books / 7:00 PM
October 20 - Westbury, NY Borders / 7:00 PM
October 22 - 28 - SPAIN

HALLOWEEN October 31 New York, NY Books of Wonder / 4:00 PM

We have lost a legend.

A prolific writer, director and producer in the 1980s and early 1990s, John Hughes was the guiding force behind some of the most popular teen-oriented comedies of the period, including "National Lampoon's Vacation," "Sixteen Candles," "The Breakfast Club," and "Ferris Bueller's Day Off." Though his stock in trade was broad, he had a particular gift for the speech and emotions of middle-class suburban youth, who were portrayed in his films with a complexity and respect rarely afforded to them in major Hollywood features. R.I.P. - Rest In Pictures...

http://www.ghostgirl.com/died2day/

Parker Posey Narrates 'ghostgirl,' Now on Audio Book!
Posted Aug 5th 2009 1:00PM by Nadine Cheung

If you want something new to rock on your iPod, check out Tonya Hurley's bestselling novel, 'ghostgirl,' now on audio book! In this unconventional coming-of-age story about a teenage ghost, indie movie darling Parker Posey lends her soothing voice for the book's narration and Erasure's Vince Clarke provides original music.

Listen to Parker read Chapter 3, "A Wake," and Chapter 4, "Why Me?" below, and get your copy of 'ghostgirl' on audio book CD at RecordedBooks.com or MP3 at Audible.com. Can't get enough of 'ghostgirl'? Its sequel, 'ghostgirl: Homecoming,' is now available in hardcover at Amazon.com.

Listen to 'ghostgirl' - Chapter 3'


Listen to 'ghostgirl' - Chapter 4'

http://www.bered.com/2009/08/05/parker-posey-narrates-ghostgirl-now-on-audio-book/

Dead like me
Tonya Hurley's high-school afterlife
By DEIRDRE FULTON | August 5, 2009


"Perception vs. reality. In high school, they are pretty much the same thing." So writes Tonya Hurley, author of ghostgirl and ghostgirl: Homecoming (Little Brown), two books ostensibly written for young adults but with elements that are just as appealing to grown-ups. Ghostgirl is Charlotte Usher, a "nobody" who dies in the opening pages of the first book, and needs to learn certain truths — about herself, about love, about popularity — before she can officially move on to the afterlife. The Homecoming sequel, released last month, follows Charlotte through more adventures. With piquant phrasing like "newly acquired shiteous fashion sense," and pop culture references that don't seem forced, the ghostgirl books are part of a growing canon of smart, relevant teenage fiction that doesn't shy away from sex, cattiness, and adult fears that afflict not-quite-adults. Indeed, it's no coincidence that several of these books address death head-on; the post-death experience gives authors the opportunity to explore teen angst in an exaggerated form, to tackle its melodrama. A high-schooler dealing with an unrequited crush might as well be dead, after all.
We caught up with Hurley — who's working on her next novel, Lovesick — via email. She'll elaborate on these topics and more at Longfellow Books on Friday, August 7 at 6 pm.

What do you like about writing young adult fiction?

Media•Education•Elementary and High School Education•more >>
Teen years are the most formative in anyone's life, socially. I think we're all stuck there to some extent, insofar as our insecurities are born there, our personalities are cultivated there. It's the best of times and, for a lot of us, the worst. It can be cruel but it's really where you learn to survive. It's the time when you find out who you are, who you want to be, and who you don't. It's the most fertile territory imaginable for a writer. It fascinates me.

Several popular young adult books on the market right now are about death [Jay Asher's Thirteen Reasons Why,Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games]. Why do you think this is? Why was it an effective narrative choice for you?

I think death is an exciting topic for creating a story because it is fantasy, and yet it is based on reality...let's face it, none of us are getting out of here alive. Most of us have very strong beliefs about what happens after we die, but no one really knows for sure. As for ghostgirl, I wanted to take the who idea of feeling invisible to the extreme, and so I thought, what if she dies at the beginning of the book and still tries to get the guy and the attention. ghostgirl is about ghosts but it is not really a 'ghost' story in the traditional sense. For ghostgirl, death turns out to be a lot like life.

Who is your favorite character in the ghostgirl books, and why?

It is really hard for me to pick a favorite. Charlotte is most like me on the inside and Scarlet is like me on the outside. I think everyone needs a Piccolo Pam in their life. I love Petula and The Wendys because it's cathartic to write about girls like that but even with those characters, I try not to write them as stereotypical snobs. They see being popular as their obligation, their job and they know what they have to do to maintain their status. The Dead Ed characters were the most fun to create — all the cautionary-tales-for-teens-type stuff. It's all kind of ridiculous, yet it's relatable. I believe one reviewer said the books and the characters were hysterically tragic. I quite like that.

Narrated by Parker Posey with original music by Vince Clarke!

Available for digital download at audible.com and CD and cassettes are available at recordedbooks.com

Authors:

Dave Barry
Alain De Botton
Lilian Jackson Braun
Jimmy Buffett
President Jimmy Carter
President Bill Clinton
Patricia Cornwell
Clive Cussler
Tonya Hurley
Caroline Kennedy
Senator John McCain
Stuart Woods

http://www.booksforamerica.org/supporters.html

The Food Network show Ace of Cakes will be presenting everyone at the Jefferson Market Library ghostgirl; Homecoming event on July 16th with a 3 D ghostgirl cake! The event will also include a reading by me set to music by Vince Clarke, a big ghostgirl giveaway, and a signing!

Where: Jefferson Market Library in the West Village, NYC
Time: 5:00 p.m - 7:00 p.m.
Day: July 16

Come for an RIPiece!

Here is the audiobook - narrated by Parker Posey with music by Vince Clarke!
It will be available at recordedbooks.com in July and audible.com and iTunes shortly after!