Fatal Distraction: Or How I Conquered My Addiction to Celebrities and Got a Life

"My name is Eliza H., and I am a celebraholic."

So begins this cautionary tale of how celebraholism can ruin one's life-- or at least one's twenties.

Once, Eliza dreamed of walking down the aisle (at the Oscars) and having a meaningful existence (every minute of which would be chronicled by People magazine). But by her twenties, her soaring ambitions have been reduced to friendships with two people who have some small chance at fame: Danny, a gorgeous and sadly untalented actor, and the unscrupulous Dinah, who has no attribute she will not exploit.

Oh, and not to mention a lot of E! True Hollywood Stories and The National Enquirer.

But when her boyfriend dumps her because she has no life, Eliza resolves to try to kick her celebraholism once and for all. Consulting a sham shrink and going cold turkey on People, Eliza seems to be on the rough road to recovery when the unexpected happens: Dinah's boyfriend, white rapper Lylo, is involved in a hit-and-run accident that claims the life of a beloved citizen-- bringing Dinah tantalizingly close to fame...and jail.

Can Eliza get Danny his big break as a cute but expendable sidekick in action flicks? Will she save Dinah from taking the fall? Or will this finally be the opportunity for the Barbara Walters interview she's waited for her whole life? Hip, humorous, and self-aware, Emmi Fredericks's sublimely witty novel, Fatal Distraction, parodies today's cult of celebrity with hilarity and sympathy.

© 2025 Thomas Dunne Books (Ebook): 9781466865457

Release date

Ebook: September 23, 2025