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ghostgirl: Homecoming

In ghostgirl: Homecoming, the relationships formed and lessons learned in ghostgirl are put to the test in the run-up to the Homecoming Dance, especially for “ghostgirl” Charlottle Usher as she struggles to fit into her new role in the afterlife and deal with a roomie who seems to have ulterior motives in striking up a friendship with the new girl in limbo.

Heaven couldn’t be a phone bank, could it?

Charlotte Usher discovers that the afterlife isn’t quite what she pictured when she’s forced to intern at a hotline for troubled teens. Before she can officially cross over, she’ll have to be a source of guidance for one such teen. The problem is she doesn’t have much advice to offer since dying hasn’t exactly boosted her confidence level.

But when Hawthorne High’s leading, love-to-hate cheerleader Petula and her gothic little sis’ Scarlet find themselves suddenly resting-in-peace in comas, Charlotte’s opportunity to save them will prove to be the risk of a lifetime — for all of them.

New York Times bestselling ghostgirl author, Tonya Hurley, has credits spanning all platforms of teen entertainment including: creating, writing and producing two hit TV series, writing and directing several acclaimed independent films, developing a ground-breaking collection of video games and board games and creating and providing content for award-winning websites. Ms. Hurley lives in New York with her husband and daughter. Her Web site is ghostgirl.com.

ghostgirl: Homecoming is set to be published today, July 1. Like the first book in the series, the hardcover will feature die-cut, acetate, foil, and embossing, and the interior will be printed in two colours.

Recommended Reading Level: Young Adult (12+) for mild sexual content, Goth Chic-style violence, and occasional adult language.

Order now at Amazon.com:
ghostgirl
ghostgirl: Homecoming
ghostgirl (Kindle Edition)
ghostgirl: Homecoming (Kindle Edition)

ghostgirl and ghostgirl: Homecoming are distributed by Little, Brown and Company, an imprint of Hachette Book Group USA, and Headline Publishing (UK). For more information on the book series and its author, visit ghostgirl.com and the website of Tonya Hurley.

ghostgirl speaks

An audiobook edition of the first ghostgirl novel follows in the wake of ghostgirl: Homecoming‘s publication, to be released at recordedbooks.com in early July and then at audible.com and iTunes.

The unabridged audiobook, six hours long on five CDs or cassettes, is narrated by Parker Posey (Blade: Trinity, Superman Returns) with original music by Depeche Mode, Yaz, and Erasure founder Vince Clarke.

Ever feel invisible? — Charlotte Usher did. Ignored by classmates, overlooked by teachers, beneath contempt of the popular and unnoticed by the guy of her dreams, she barely registered on the map at Hawthorne High — the kind of girl no one would ever miss if she died tomorrow. And then she did. The End? Not exactly.

ghostgirl is the story of a misfit teenage girl who dies in a freak accident, “wakes up” as a ghost in a parallel world only to find that she still needs to go to class, i.e. Dead Ed, a “finishing” school for other departed teens waiting to cross over. Worst of all, she is still obsessed with all the issues of her previous life, especially her fantasy of befriending Petula, the most popular girl in school, and going to the big school dance with Petula’s hot boyfriend Damen — a desire so powerful it transcends death itself. For Charlotte, resting in peace is apparently not an option.

In this critically-acclaimed best-seller, Tonya Hurley has created a funny, romantic, and bittersweet story that puts an original spin on the teen world view and the universal issues that define growing up — love, loyalty, friendship, rejection, competitiveness, individuality, and most of all, self-acceptance. Narrator Parker Posey delivers Hurley’s deliciously dark and insightful tale with a reading to die for.

There will be a ghostgirl: Homecoming and ghostgirl audiobook launch party at the New York Public Library’s West Village branch in New York City on July 15th at 3:00, featuring a reading by author Tonya Hurley and live music by Vince Clarke.

Recommended Reading Level: Young Adult (12+) for mild sexual content, Goth Chic-style violence, and occasional adult language.

Order now at Amazon.com:
ghostgirl
ghostgirl: Homecoming
ghostgirl (Kindle Edition)
ghostgirl: Homecoming (Kindle Edition)

Pre-order at RecordedBooks.com:
ghostgirl (CD + Cassette)
ghostgirl: Homecoming (CD + Cassette)

ghostgirl and ghostgirl: Homecoming are distributed by Little, Brown and Company, an imprint of Hachette Book Group USA, and Headline Publishing (UK). The ghostgirl audiobooks are distributed by Recorded Books. For more information on the book series and its author, visit ghostgirl.com and the website of Tonya Hurley.

gg’s girly goth boutique

Charlotte Usher is a geek with a dark streak, and she has the haunting fashion sense to match. Visit gg’s girly goth boutique and you, too, can dress like the antiheroine of ghostgirl and ghostgirl: Homecoming.

The ghostgirl fashions are bold in design, yet subtle enough that you won’t feel like a walking billboard for the ghostgirl books. Most of the shirts, like the one above, discretely display the ghostgirl logo only on the bottom hem. The tote bag goes one further and has the logo printed on its inner edge, “ensur[ing] that you have cool style on your bag as well as in it”.

Exceptionally well-made, the t-shirts are 100% cotton, heavyweight and pre-shrunk, and look even better in person than they do online, especially the Girly Goth Tank. “In true ghostgirl style,” the online shop says, “it features a beautiful skull, satin bra-straps and bows.” The tank top’s fabric is also lightly ribbed, a detail that isn’t evident in the product photo. Whether you’re into the goth scene or just really like pirates (or ghostly pirates!), this versatile top, “edgy and feminine all at the same time”, will easily find a place in your wardrobe.

Inspired by spell and votive candles, the ghostgirl pillar candle is a work of art. The glass jar’s glossy, wrap-around sticker features an intricate pink, black, and white portrait of Charlotte, her tiara accented with sparkling rhinestones. Beneath Charlotte is the inscription “true love burns forever”, while on the back of the candle, under the question “Ever feel invisible?”, is an amusing revision of the classic children’s prayer Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep:

Now I lay me down to sleep
I pray the Lord
my soul to keep
And if I should die
before I awake
I pray the popular
attend my wake

Directions for using the candle are simple: Light for Love and Adoration. The candle wax is a ghostgirl-appropriate black and is unscented, though it looks like it should smell of licorice.

The current jewel of the ghostgirl collection is the cleverly named “unbrella”, which can be seen as a metaphor for both geek isolation and peer scrutiny, the transparent plastic bubble simultaneously creating a cocoon and goldfish bowl effect. As the product description points out, “This invisible unbrella may be see-through, but all eyes will be on you when you pop open this retro-inspired piece.” The Ever Feel Invisible? slogan is printed around the perimeter in a striking black font, alternating panels with the ghostgirl logo.

It will be interesting to see what the second wave of ghostgirl merchandise brings. A pewter-and-crystal recreation of Charlotte’s RIP tiara would be a wonderful new accessory, especially when paired with the umbrella.

Order directly through the ghostgirl.com website. The Oval Tee and Face Tee shirts are also available at select Hot Topic stores and through hottopic.com.

While waiting for your order to arrive, treat yourself to a quick Get An Afterlife! makeover. Upload your photo and gg-ize it to send to your friends and use as your Twitter, MySpace, and Facebook picture.

Order now at Amazon.com:
ghostgirl
ghostgirl: Homecoming
ghostgirl (Kindle Edition)
ghostgirl: Homecoming (Kindle Edition)

meet ghostgirl’s maker

The much-anticipated sequel to the New York Times bestseller ghostgirl, ghostgirl: Homecoming, hits bookstore shelves today. Author Tonya Hurley gives us a peek behind the dark curtain of ghostgirl by answering a few questions about the series.

ÜberSciFiGeek (ÜSFG) What was your inspiration to create ghostgirl, first as a Webby Award-nominated website and then as a series of novels?

Tonya Hurley (TH) Initially, I created the ghostgirl story and characters as just that. Then, I decided to develop them on my own while I was writing and producing a television series, and the way to do that was to start a website. It was my escape, basically, a place where I could develop the characters with no pressure. After a while, thousands of teens started flocking to the site and it grew by word of mouth. Since it’s such a visual story, I wrote it as a screenplay but I had to leave so much out that ultimately I thought a book would be the best way to tell the story the way I saw it in mind. It took years, but I stuck with it because ghostgirl is a real labor of love for me.

(ÜSFG) In high school, were you a geeky outsider like Charlotte, a rebel like Scarlet, or a member of the popular crowd?

(TH) I was a rebel, no doubt, at least on the outside. When I was in middle school I was so concerned about what everyone else thought and then once I got to high school, I rebelled big time. I was in a punk band, dyed my hair and went to see bands every week. I was fed up and wanted an outlet and music was that outlet for me. I do think there’s a Charlotte in all of us, no matter what we project on the outside.

(ÜSFG) Since music plays such a large part in ghostgirl, what tunes would you pick as personal theme songs for Charlotte, Scarlet, Damen, and Petula?

(TH) It’s impossible for me to sum them up in a song; it’s one of the reasons why I reference so many in the books. If they were to put together a playlist however, The Cure, Death Cab for Cutie, She & Him, The Smiths, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Killers, The White Stripes (anything Jack White does), Bat for Lashes, and Jason Schwartzman would definitely be on it. I love bands from every decade, basically, and my hobby is to discover new bands on the web. I am a real student of music.

(ÜSFG) Is there any possibility of a ghostgirl film or television adaptation, and, if so, who would you like to see play the main characters?

(TH) I hope there is one day. I’d prefer to see someone new that nobody knows, an up-and-comer playing Charlotte. That would be appropriate I think.

(ÜSFG) Will there be further ghostgirl books, both novels and tie-ins such as a full-colour art book that expands upon the line art you inserted in the novels’ chapter headings?

(TH) I am working on the third novel now, which I love. I hope to expand ghostgirl, to give her and her world more life on and off the page. Stay tuned.

Tonya Hurley is a New York Times bestselling author and creator, writer and producer of animated and live action hit television series, groundbreaking videogames and award-winning websites for teens. She has also written and directed several acclaimed independent films, which have been selected for the LA Independent, TriBeca and Edinburgh film festivals and also broadcast on PBS and IFC. Hurley was nominated for the prestigious Rockefeller Foundation Award in Film.

YouTube Interview with the Author: ghostgirl: Homecoming, Tonya Hurley

Order now at Amazon.com:
ghostgirl
ghostgirl: Homecoming
ghostgirl (Kindle Edition)
ghostgirl: Homecoming (Kindle Edition)

Weta News: July 2009

from Weta:

Hey Weta fans,
July — how on earth did that come around so fast? Comic-Con looms 22-26 July — a crazy busy time of the year for popculture and collectibles. We have been announcing all sorts of goodies over the last few weeks, and the most exciting so far is The Art of John Howe — Sculptures from Middle-earth, which we are hugely proud of. Get yourself a book signed by Alan Lee, who managed to sign a limited number of his Lord of the Rings Sketchbook when he had a book signing event at the Weta Cave recently. And believe you me — there will be plenty more very shortly! Enjoy!

In the News:
The Art of John Howe — Sculptures from Middle-earth

More News:
Celeb spotting at the Weta Cave?
Happy winner of signed art books in Hawaii
Weta Cast Episode X now live!
Guillermo del Toro booksigning huge success
Lots of media at the Weta Cave

Comic-Con Updates:
Comic Con Update – Pacific Disaster
Comic Con Exclusive: The Texas Rose
Unique signed books available at Comic Con
Dr. Grordbort’s Art Book — First Edition

New Product in the Shop:
Lord of the Rings Sketchbook — Signed by Alan Lee
Alan Lee, the Oscar-winning conceptual designer for the Lord of the Rings movie trilogy, discusses his approach to depicting Tolkien’s imaginary world. The book presents more than 150 of Lee’s celebrated illustrations to show how his imagery for both the illustrated Lord of the Rings and the films progressed from concept to finished art. In addition, the book contains 20 full-color plates and numerous examples of the conceptual art produced for Peter Jackson’s film adaptation. Alan signed a limited number of these for us at his recent book signing at the Weta Cave. Get your copy now!

Hot Tip — Want to listen to the Weta Cast? Don’t know how?
A podcast, like the Weta Cast, is like a recorded radio program stored on our website. All you need to listen to it is your PC and a pair of headphones or speakers. If you can get sound from your PC, you should be able to listen to the Weta Cast. And it’s completely FREE! Here’s a quick link to the page where all the episodes can be downloaded. Just click on the one you’re after — if all is well, it will start downloading and you can just click the Play button. The podcasts have “(mp3)” in their names. There are also PDF files with Show Notes (photos, links and more information) about these episodes. These will open with your default PDF viewer, like Acrobat. If you try it and like it, you can also subscribe to Weta Cast updates. Good luck!

This is how you find us online!
http://fans.wetaNZ.com/Magnus/ | Twitter: @wetaworkshop | Facebook: Weta Workshop

Birthday Wishes for Felicia

from The Guild:

No rest for the celebrated. Felicia Day, who turns [mumbles] today, is hard at work on Season 3.

Remember to check out the Knights of the Guild podcast for some great interviews, updates from the cast and crew, and some great discussions.

Some of the loyal Guild fans from our community have hijacked Felicia’s personal blog to wish her a happy birthday.

Lastly, none of this could be possible without our venerable leader, whose tireless efforts to entertain have been enjoyed by millions of viewers. We, at The Guild, find that working with Felicia has been blissful, and fun, and fulfilling because she inspires us all to work hard and make things happen even when it’s seemingly impossible.

From the cast and crew of The Guild, we would like to wish Felicia the happiest of birthdays.

Happy birthday, Red.

Happy Birthday, Felicia Day!

It’s Felicia Day‘s 30th birthday today. Webmaster Edgar Garcia posted a surprise birthday message for The Guild star on her official blog:

A handful of guild fans decided to band together to wish you, Felicia, a special happy birthday. Then forced me at nerf gun point to hijack your website and post it. I SWEAR! Without further ado, please enjoy this little video, put together and edited by The Guild and Felicia super Brazilian fan Dani.

Edgar and the Guildies from the Community

Best wishes (and virtual cupcakes) from ÜberSciFiGeek, as well!

Authors@Google: Seth Grahame-Smith

Author Seth Grahame-Smith visits Google’s Santa Monica, CA office to discuss his book Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. This event took place on May 15, 2009, as part of the Authors@Google series.

Order now at Amazon.com:
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

Note: A Pride and Prejudice and Zombies film is now in development!

Buffy vs Edward (Twilight Remixed)

In this remixed narrative, Edward Cullen from the Twilight series meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It’s an example of transformative storytelling serving as a pro-feminist visual critique of Edward’s character and generally creepy behavior. Seen through Buffy’s eyes, some of the more sexist gender roles and patriarchal Hollywood themes embedded in the Twilight saga are exposed — in hilarious ways.

Jonathan McIntosh (Team Buffy)
rebelliouspixels.com

Bridget Regan Fans Hope to Bring Some “Wonder” into Her Life

Artist Phil Jimenez portrays the many incarnations of Wonder Woman since her creation in 1941

The Wonder Woman film has been languishing without a star for too long (Joss Whedon penned a script years ago but it was reportedly “thrown out” despite industry acclaim). Still in early development with a planned 2011 release date, one actress after another has been rumored to be attached to the film without any official confirmation. With the rest of the Justice League making (big and small) screen appearances in recent years, now would be the perfect time for the third corner of the DC Holy Trinity (Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman) to make her appearance. So, why hasn’t she? According to a Justice League movie site and IMDb both the Justice League and Wonder Woman films are slated for a 2011 release, set to battle against Marvel‘s The Avengers for moviegoers’ attention. While The Avengers has been pushed back to 2012, it’s still very much a happening thing. So where is DC? Where is our JLA and our WW?

One rumored problem was the lead actress. Megan Fox broke fans’ hearts when, hot off her Transformers success, she dissed the Amazonian princess as a “lame superhero”. Then Jessica Biel (Blade: Trinity) carefully avoided stepping on toes by saying that if the script and the character development was right she’d be “into that kind of thing” but then declined anyway. Australian fashion model turned actress Megan Gale was also “confirmed” by several websites as attached to the role, but in the year and a half since that announcement nothing else has been whispered. So, what’s the problem?

Diana Prince has gone through a lot of changes over the decades. Having been almost continuously in print since her creation in 1941, she’s run the gambit of personas. She’s really toughened up over the last two decades, though, shedding the campy image that dominated the 70s and 80s, due largely to the JLA cartoons. She kicks butt with the best of them now, so whoever gets the role of the Amazon Princess needs to be able to lay down some serious justice.

In reviewing the female action heroes (and actresses who played them in recent years), one unbelievable waif of a girl after another is presented. Wonder Woman needs to be just that — a Woman. A real-life, honest-to-goodness adult woman who has curves and charm, not just some stick-like Hollywood hottie. While actresses such as Mila Jovovich and Jennifer Garner are very believable action heroes, neither would be a good match for Wonder Woman. Talented movie chameleon Charlize Theron might be able to pull it off because she seems to magically become whoever she wants to be, but would she be interested in a role that could lead to sequels?

There is one actress who comes to mind who has both the curves and kicks. In the syndicated action fantasy series Legend of the Seeker, star Bridget Regan has proven that she has the acting and karate chops, as well as the beauty, to pull off the role of Amazon Princess Diana.

The right woman for the job? Bridget Regan's fans seem to think she's perfect for the role.

Each week, in her role as Mother Confessor Kahlan Amnell, we watch Bridget as she kicks, punches and stabs the bad guys, sometimes even from horseback. She’s believable doing it because she really is doing it. She reported in a recent interview that the New Zealand stuntmen encourage her to hit or kick them as hard as she can, and she certainly seems to enjoy herself doing it. She’s gorgeous, talented, looks great in a corset, and can pull off a roundhouse and look mean doing it. On top of her fighting skills and great looks, she’s got charm. One minute she’s casting a glare that could freeze you in your tracks and the next she’s flashing a smile that melts your heart. Fans are so certain that she’s a perfect fit for the role of Wonder Woman, they’ve started a petition at Petition Spot to try to help get her an invitation to audition for the role. The latest rumors are that producers are getting serious about it, and Wonder Woman is supposed to get fast-tracked. Perhaps casting Bridget Regan in the role will be a boon for the production considering how popular Legend of the Seeker is at the moment. I can’t think of anyone else I’d rather see in the role right now so I’m totally rooting for her. Go sign the petition and spread the word.

Good luck, Bridget!

Dave and Tom at San Diego Comic-Con!

Safety Geeks: SVI

Are you a Dave and Tom fan, or a fan of their Koldcast web series Safety Geeks: SVI? Tom recently announced that he and the other actors from Safety Geeks: SVI will be at San Diego Comic-Con this year! Here’s your chance to meet-and-greet with your favorite Professional Occupational Safety Hazard team.

Here’s when and where to find them:

Thursday July 23rd from 3 to 7pm at Autograph Booth AA14
Friday July 24th from 3 to 7pm at Autograph Booth AA11
Sunday July 26th from 2-5 (Booth to be announced)

Vote for Dave and Tom’s “Star Wars: The Fate of the Duel” at Atom’s Star Wars Fan Film Awards

Every year, Lucasfilm and Atom.com partner to bring you the very best of fan-made Star Wars films. While judges carefully select the winners for categories such as Best Make-up, Best Parody, Best Special Effects and other technical based attributes, the fans have an opportunity to pick their favorites. The Audience Choice Award voting begins on July 1 at Atom.com. This year, one of my favorites has been entered in the contest, Dave and Tom‘s Star Wars: The Fate of the Duel. If you haven’t already seen it, or you just can’t get enough of it (like me), make sure you watch and vote!

Star Wars The Fate of The Duel Letterbox Version

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