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gg Audiobook nominated for YALSA award!

Posted on February 3, 2010 by tonyahurley1@aol.com

 

ghostgirl nominated for the Amazing Audiobook Award!  Both gg audiobooks available now for download at audible.com. 

gg audio yalsa

 

 
 

Donation made in name of gg fans

Posted on January 13, 2010 by tonyahurley1@aol.com

Text "HAITI" to "90999" and donate your $10.00

donate

 
 

gg bobblehead!

Posted on December 25, 2009 by tonyahurley1@aol.com

gg bobble

 
 

gg Xmas ornament!

Posted on December 24, 2009 by tonyahurley1@aol.com

gg Xmas ornament by artist Lauren Nemchik:

gg ornament

 
 

Sweet Xmas "Spirit"

Posted on December 13, 2009 by tonyahurley1@aol.com

gg cookies made at One Tough Cookie in New York City and Cakes Haute Couture in Madrid (pictured)!

gg cookies

 
 

gg global

Posted on December 13, 2009 by tonyahurley1@aol.com

ghostgirl has been released in approximately 40 countries to date.  Here is the paperback edition from Indonesia!

gg indonesia

 

 
 

gg fan movie poster by Jarred

Posted on November 30, 2009 by tonyahurley1@aol.com

gg fan movie poster

 
 

Holiday "Spirit!"

Posted on November 12, 2009 by tonyahurley1@aol.com

ghostgirl ads that will be appearing in the "books with bite" gift guide in InTouch Weekly and Life&Style Magazine.

gg guide

 
 

gg fan art by Juan Luis

Posted on November 7, 2009 by tonyahurley1@aol.com

gg juen

 
 

ghostgirl bookstore display!

Posted on November 7, 2009 by tonyahurley1@aol.com

We love posting the most creative bookstore displays!  If you see one or create one, send a pic to contact@ghostgirl.com and you could win a gg prize pack and be posted on the blog!  

gg bookstore

 
 

Winner of the Charlotte Usher costume contest!

Posted on November 3, 2009 by tonyahurley1@aol.com

Morgan Ditty, 16 years old, of Pennsylvania took top prize in this year's Charlotte "ghostgirl" Usher Halloween costume contest! 

char costume

 
 

gg is a "monster hit" in the New York Post!

Posted on October 31, 2009 by tonyahurley1@aol.com

“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.

gg post

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

 

 
 

gg on finale of Ace of Cakes Oct. 29th!

Posted on October 22, 2009 by tonyahurley1@aol.com

Check out the finale of Ace of Cakes October 29th to see just how the six foot ghostgirl cake was made!  The episode will also include the Harry Potter movie premiere cake, so check it out!

Pictured at the ghostgirl: Homecoming launch party: Ace of Cakes' Geof, Duff, Mary Alice and gg author Tonya. The ghostigirl episode will be part of the season finale, airing in October! Thanks to everyone at the New York Public Library - Marie, Chris and Jack, to Vince Clarke and to all who came out!

gg cake

 
 

Halloween Appearance in NYC!

Posted on October 13, 2009 by tonyahurley1@aol.com

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!

gg poster
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. - From www.womanaroundtown.com

 
 

RIP on a gg Pillowcase!

Posted on October 10, 2009 by tonyahurley1@aol.com

A special "home" item to celebrate the release of ghostgirl: Homecoming! Available now at gg's girly goth boutique. Makes a gorgeous gift bag to wrap up the books for the holidays. Simply tie it up with a big, vintage silk bow.**Win your very own gorgeous gg pillowcase gift bag with signed books by posting your wildest dream at www.facebook.com/ghostgirl. 

pillowcases marie

 

 
 

gg TV commercial in Mexico!

Posted on October 8, 2009 by tonyahurley1@aol.com

 
 

Twisted Delight

Posted on October 1, 2009 by tonyahurley1@aol.com

GhostGirl Series, Homecoming

by DELIGHT on SEPTEMBER 19, 2009

ghostgirlAnyone who has felt like a total void, and thought that no one noticed them is going to fall in love with the strange new series, Ghostgirl, from Tonya Hurley.  It is humorous, edgy, dark, and most definitely twisted.  Hurley creates a paranormal world that strangely resembles the world of the living with all of the odd, human quirks of one Charlotte Usher still in tact. Ghostgirl received rave reviews from all over when it hit shelves and in July the sequel, Homecoming, did not fail to please readers and draw them into Hurley’s wonderful, imaginative world once again. Page by page, you will become attached to Charlotte and eager to see what could possibily happen to her next.  Be sure to check out the Ghostgirl website and Tonya Hurley’s website for info on where to purchase and upcoming work.

“Charlotte Usher feels practically invisible at school, and then one day she really is invisible. Even worse: she’s dead. And all because she choked on a gummy bear. But being dead doesn’t stop Charlotte from wanting to be popular; it just makes her more creative about achieving her goal.

If you thought high school was a matter of life or death, wait till you see just how true that is. In this satirical, yet heartfelt novel, Hurley explores the invisibility we all feel at some times and the lengths we’ll go to be seen.”-from the Ghostgirl website.homecoming

 
 

ghostgirl audiobook at iTunes!

Posted on September 14, 2009 by tonyahurley1@aol.com

itunes screen

 
 

Dragonfly Book Reviews

Posted on September 13, 2009 by tonyahurley1@aol.com

GhostGirl: Homecoming

Title: GhostGirl: Homecoming
Author: Tonya Hurley
Published: First published (UK) 2009, by Headline
Format: Hardback
Pages: 304
RRP: £9.99

rating: * * * * * / 5

I was expecting this to be as good as GhostGirl, but in actual fact it's even better!! Charlotte Usher, our heroine, is a great main character. She used to be one of those girls you see in the school grounds by themselves, reading, but she turns into a total heroine in the Afterlife when she chokes on a gummy bear and dies (the first book). I loved Charlotte because she was strong, funny and, in some parts, twisted. 
One of the few bad things I had to say about the original was that it seemed a little odd for Charlotte not to care about her parents when she died. She didn't mention them at all, not even a bit upset because she couldn't see them again, which made her seem a tad insensitive. Tonya Hurley explains the reason for that in Homecoming when we find out Charlotte's parents died when she was small, so she's been an orphan all her life. It was a bit like that really sad X-Factor moment when the audience find out the entrant's brother died from cancer 6 weeks after his wedding (the second 2009 episode). Was I the only person to cry so much at that? I'm glad Tonya Hurley addressed the whole Charlotte being an orphan subject, but it would have been better to find out in the first book, and the ending probably would have been more dramatic too. It's a typical GhostGirl ending - everything's fixed, although there's a sad part :(
It's been aaaages since I read the first book, but I still - mostly - understoodHomecoming, although a few times I was like 'huh?'. I really don't recommend reading this as a standalone, because more than a few events are connected to the first book, and it took me ages to remember what happened.
Tonya Hurley did a great job. It's the same idea as GhostGirl, but it's funnier and is much deeper, even showing the human side of a certain Queen of Mean. The author juggles both humourous and melancholy moments with ease, which makes this book a perfect teen read for any girl. 

 
 

ghostgirl: Homecoming in Alternative Press

Posted on August 30, 2009 by tonyahurley1@aol.com

gg: homecoming ap

 
 

Halloween Appearance!

Posted on August 29, 2009 by tonyahurley1@aol.com

HALLOWEEN  New York, NY Books of Wonder – 4:00 PM

sam

sam weber

 
 

Publishers Weekly picture of the day!

Posted on August 28, 2009 by tonyahurley1@aol.com

pw parker/hurley

 
 

ghostgirl iPod Touch from Comic Con!

Posted on August 20, 2009 by tonyahurley1@aol.com

ipod

 
 

Dead like me - Portland Phoenix

Posted on August 5, 2009 by tonyahurley1@aol.com

Dead like me

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

 

tonya main

"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, theghostgirl 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?

 

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 forghostgirl, 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.

 
 

Audiobook excerpts featured on AOL!

Posted on August 5, 2009 by tonyahurley1@aol.com

Parker Posey Narrates 'ghostgirl,' Now on Audio Book!

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 atRecordedBooks.com or MP3 atAudible.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'

 
 

Publishers Weekly

Posted on July 23, 2009 by tonyahurley1@aol.com

’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.

 
 

Let them eat Cake!

Posted on July 23, 2009 by tonyahurley1@aol.com

Let Them Eat Cake! Tonya Hurley’s Second ghostgirl

by Marie Hansen-Lehmann

ghostgirl-cake

By Marie Hansen-Lehmann

On Thursday July 16th a gigantic cake the same size and shape of a small child was delivered to the Jefferson Market Branch of the New York Public Library. The reason? The release of Tonya Hurley’s newest book in the ghostgirl series: ghostgirl: Homecoming.

After the events of the first novel, Charlotte Usher discovers that the afterlife really isn’t what she thought it would be. There are no angels, no harps, and to make matters worse- she has a job- answering telephone calls from people on earth in need of some other-worldly advice. Stuck with no phone calls and just an endless wait, Charlotte’s afterlife is looking pretty boring until Petula gets put into a coma from a botched pedicure and her sister Scarlet sneaks into the afterworld to try to save her. Homecoming holds the same humor and charm as the first novel and is sure to meet fans’ expectations.

The evening began with Tonya being presented the cake, based on her character by the crew of Food Network’s Ace of Cakes. One can only imagine the shock and awe it was for her to see a life size cake based on her own artistic creation and made by such a talented staff! The cake was approximately six feet long and took fifty-six hours to complete!

tonya-and-vince1Following up was an incredible performance by Vince Clarke (of Depeche Mode, Yaz, and Erasure, shown with Tonya, at left) whose haunting melodies provided an excellent back drop to Hurley’s reading from the new novel. The music was a sneak peek at the soundtrack for the audiobook of the first novel due out this summer and narrated by Parker Posey.

The evening concluded with an author signing, freeghostgirl posters for all in attendance, and of course some of that delicious cake!

Learn more about ghostgirl and Tonya Hurley on www.ghostgirl.com

Look for the Ace of Cakes episode coming to a television near you this October

Photocredit:  Maiya A. Kasprzyk

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Tags: Ace of CakesCharlotte UsherDepeche ModeErasureFood Networkghostgirl,ghostgirl: HomecomingJefferson Market Branch of the New York Public LibraryMaiya A. KasprzykMarie Hansen-LehmannTonya HurleyVince ClarkeYaz


 
 

ghostgirl by Billy Parrott

Posted on June 30, 2009 by tonyahurley1@aol.com

billy parrot art

 
 

ghostgirl!

Posted on June 27, 2009 by tonyahurley1@aol.com

"If Edward Scissorhands and Kim (Winona Ryder's character in that movie) had a baby it would be ghostgirl."

 

http://book-splot.blogspot.com/2009/06/ghostgirl-tonya-hurley-review.html 

 
 

Tonya Hurley talks ghostgirl & ghostgirl: Homecoming!

Posted on June 23, 2009 by tonyahurley1@aol.com

 
 
 
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