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)
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.