All her life, Suzanne M. Hurley had a secret.
She loved to write, about anything and everything.
Suzanne Hurley was born in Peterborough, Ontario, where she spent most of her childhood immersed in The Hardy Boys and Agatha Christie novels. Secretly she wrote stories about murders and dead bodies and detectives who painstakingly uncovered the truth. She attended Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario where she continued devouring every book she could get her hands on in the mystery genre, branching out into women’s fiction. Secretly, she wrote pages and pages about women facing challenges and overcoming them. As a youth minster in a parish and a chaplain in a high school, a ministry that she loved with all her heart, she began to write about teens’ struggles, challenges and ways to overcome problems. Eventually, combining her love of mysteries, women’s fiction and teenagers, her secret burst forth in a series of novels that embraced her passions. To date, Suzanne has written eleven novels. She is currently writing the sixth book in her mystery series, has written three women’s fiction novels and two young adult books.
No more secrets for her. She loves every minute of it.
Her latest young adult novel is The Teddy Bear Eye Club.
For More Information
- Visit Suzanne M. Hurley’s website.
- Find out more about Suzanne at Goodreads.
- Contact Suzanne.
Q & A with Suzanne Hurley
Tell our readers about The Teddy Bear Eye Club.
I wrote this book from my heart, inspired by the many teenagers I worked with over the years as a youth minister in a parish and a chaplain in a high school. It is about five teenagers – all coping with various self-esteem issues – and how they learn to accept and love themselves and move forward into living lives that are happy and fulfilling. There is fourteen-year-old Mayah – a tall, lanky redhead coping with adoption issues and believing her parents lied to her. Then there is Kitty, whose mother is trying to shape her into someone she isn’t. Freddy is the good student and athlete perceived as stuck-up and Danni hates her weight, feeling she is just too darn fat. This book shows their journeys individually and collectively and how they learn to love themselves – just the way they are.
You have a beautiful cover, how does it relate to your book?xx
I absolutely love my cover – both the images and the colors. I am lucky enough to have creative Trisha Fitzgerald as my designer. She works hard to depict my story in a beautiful and artistic picture form. Here she has the main character Mayah, with the long auburn hair, hovering above Celeste, who is bald. Mayah’s hair loving pours protectively over Celeste, with love and compassion. I find the cover very tender, endearing, warm and loving.
Tell us about Mayah Lewis.
Mayah is a fourteen-year-old, six foot tall, redhead who is not only uncomfortable with her gangly height, but also angry at her adopted parents, feeling they lied to her about her biological mother. Angry, she moves in with her aunt and with the exception of writing for the school newspaper, cuts herself off from all her friends. That is, until she meets Celeste Daniels. Celeste has cancer, but refuses to be defined by a disease. Her courage, enthusiasm and ability to stand up for what she believes in, inspires Mayah to reach for the stars and begin living again.
Tell us about Celeste Daniels.
Celeste is also fourteen and the new kid at school. She loves life and oh yeah, has cancer and a bald head. But nothing, especially a disease, is going to keep her from living her life on her own terms. She is enthusiastic, outspoken, champions the underdog and is a real inspiration to everyone she meets. Celest is someone who touches your heart and changes you forever.
Which character was the hardest to write?
Celeste was the hardest character to write for she is inspired by two students I knew, as well as my own mother. I wanted to give these beautiful, courageous ladies justice, for she is an amalgamation of all three of these wonderful people. I struggled hard with what she said and did and how she lived her life, to truly depict people who have touched my heart forever.
This is a young adult book, will you write in other genres?
The Teddy Bear Eye Club is my eleventh book and actually my second Young Adult Book. My first young adult book is entitled ‘To the Stars’ and is about a young girl coping with her father’s death. I have also written a mystery series about Samantha Barclay – a high school psychologist who always seems to find herself in the middle of dead bodies, mysteries, and drug deals. I have also penned four stand-alone women’s fiction novels and one prayer book. The prayer book is a collection of all the prayers I wrote for teenagers, while working in a high school.
Who is Suzanne M. Hurley?
Hmmmmm… a huge question. I’m a person of great faith who loves life – loves the joy and excitement that each day brings. I also love to write stories straight from my heart, that hopefully find a home in a reader’s heart.
Where does your passion to write young adult books come from?
I worked with teenagers for over twenty-five years and love every one of them. When I first began working in a high school, I thought of the many things I hoped to share with them. Instead, what happened was – they taught me so much about love and life. I love their laughter, joie de vivre and enthusiasm, and my young adult fictional characters are rooted in the hundreds of teenagers who hung around my office over the years. They are my inspiration in every way and I thank them for sharing their lives with me.
What can readers expect from Suzanne M. Hurley in the next five years?
Well, definitely more books. Since writing is my passion and something I love to do, I will continue to write the stories stored in my heart. I am currently writing the sixth book in my Mystery series. This is a series about Samantha Barclay, a high school counselor, who always manages to find herself in the midst of dead bodies and horrific situations. Also, since my heart dictates what I write, who knows what genre will turn up in bookstores. I am open to everything.
Where can readers find you now?
I love to hear from readers, and they can find me at:
My website – www.suzannemhurley.com
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/suzannemhurleybooks
Twitter – https://twitter.com/suzannemhurley
Blog – http://suzannemhurley.blogspot.ca/
Depressed, fourteen-year-old Mayah Lewis hides from the world, until she befriends new girl, beautiful bald-headed Celeste Daniels.
Everything begins looking up, until one day, Celeste disappears.
For More Information
- The Teddy Bear Eye Club is available at Amazon.
- Pick up your copy at Barnes & Noble.
Discuss this book at PUYB Virtual Book Club at Goodreads
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