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Author Explores Secret-Blabbing,
BFFs in Latest Tween Novel
Author Christine Hurley Deriso can cite the nano-second that the seed was
planted for her latest novel, Talia Talk.
“Several years ago, I wrote a humor essay for Family Circle about my kids’
challenges completing their chores. It was just silly, funny fare that every
mom can relate to. But my daughter was mortified.”
She recalls that daughter Julianne, who was about 8 years old at the time,
begged her to buy all the newsstand copies so no one would read it. “I said,
‘Um, that would be a little difficult, honey.’”
But Christine made a mental note to never again write about her kids without
their permission.
The main characters in her tween novel can relate. Eleven-year-old Talia’s
mom, Chelsea, is co-host of a chatty morning television show. It’s Chelsea’s
job to talk about her life, which centers around her daughter, so Talia’s
most embarrassing moments are routinely broadcast to an audience of
thousands.
Talia gets revenge when she gets her own microphone via her middle school’s
Oddcast, a combination broadcast/podcast.
“The Oddcast gives Talia a chance to express her own opinions, but she comes
to realize that having a platform requires a lot of responsibility,” said
Christine, a longtime resident of North Augusta. “She’s also dealing with
the typical middle-school issue of having a revolving door of BFFs, so she’s
trying to decide what kind of friends she wants to have … and more
importantly, what kind of friend she wants to be.”
Complicating matters is the fact that her mom suddenly has a social life of
her own; she’s started dating for the first time since Talia’s dad died of
cancer several years earlier. “Suffice it to say Talia has lots to talk
about on the Oddcast,” Christine says.
Christine has forged a literary career exploring the finer—and
funnier—points of tweendom, when kids are on the cusp of their teen years.
“It’s such a dynamic time of life,” she says. “Kids are figuring out who
they are at that point in their lives and where they fit in the world. It’s
a time of high anxiety, but also of boundless dreams.”
She notes that although the subject matter can be weighty, her writing
emphasizes a light touch and a witty perspective. “The most consistent
comment I get in book reviews is my ear for authentic dialogue,” she says.
“I love creating characters with fresh insights and great senses of humor.
But their words always have to ring true.”
She notes that her teenagers, Greg and Julianne, let her know promptly if
she puts words in a character’s mouth that they would never hear their
friends say. “They keep it real,” she says.
Well … when they read her books, that is. Son Greg has been so busy in his
engineering studies at the University of South Carolina that he hasn’t
actually read Talia Talk … yet. “I told him I’d dedicate the book to him on
the condition that he read it,” Christine says with a laugh. “The dedication
tells him to remember our deal.”
Written by
Christine Hurley Deriso
- Category: Juvenile Fiction - Family - Parents; Juvenile Fiction - Social Situations - Peer Pressure
- Format: Hardcover, 192 pages
- On Sale: November 11, 2008
- Price: $15.99
- ISBN: 978-0-385-73620-6 (0-385-73620-7)