Cover Reveal: Where Are You, Echo Blue?

The cover for my new adult debut about celebrity culture, obsessed fans, child stars and one very unhinged journalist, is here.

Hello!

I’m writing to tell you about the cover for my adult debut, WHERE ARE YOU, ECHO BLUE? which comes out July 16, 2024 (this summer!) from Dutton. You can pre-order it here. But for now, we have a COVER. A beautiful, grand cover that took months and months to get right. I am so excited about it that I can barely contain myself.

Shall we do a few Q&A’s? Okay! Let’s go.

What’s this about?

WHERE ARE YOU, ECHO BLUE? is about the most famous child star of the ‘90s who goes missing on the eve of the millennium and the journalist, who is also an obsessed fan, who searches for her.

Why did did you write it?

I’ve always been obsessed with celebrity culture—not just the celebrities themselves, but the inner workings of Hollywood and the relationships of the players. Writing celebrity profiles was my dream. Then I started interviewing artists, writers and actors for the New York Times like S.E. Hinton, Celine Dion, Tatum O’Neal and Gabrielle Union. But very quickly, something shifted. I became… disillusioned.

Wait, disillusioned by celebrities? I don’t get it.

Disillusioned by the way journalists, e.g., I, was interacting with celebrities. It happened around the time I interviewed Tatum O’Neal. I had been a huge fan of hers in the 1970s, from Paper Moon, to The Bad News Bears, to Little Darlings. Girls weren’t angry in the 70s. Well, we were angry. But we weren’t allowed to show it.

We were supposed to be sweet and cautious and respectful. But movie after movie, Tatum gave girls everywhere permission to be mad. Mad at our failing parents, mad at the shitty boys on our baseball teams who underestimated us, mad at the cliquey girls who didn’t understand us. She embodied the angry girl, the girl who demanded to be seen for her own prowess and power, breaking the mold.

Didn’t she win an award?

Uh, yeah. At 10 she was the youngest Oscar winner for her performance in Paper Moon. Her father, Ryan O’Neal, wasn’t even nominated, and according to her book, A Paper Life, he punched her. I know. It’s horrific. She spent years trying to repair that relationship, even going to therapy with him for a television show The O’Neal’s for Oprah.

Tatum was doing a podcast with her daughter Emily when I interviewed her. She was vulnerable, but insightful, open about her life and wanted to get back into acting. We went out for lunch. We drove around Hollywood. We hung out in the podcast studio. We talked multiple times after that for the interview. She was funny, smart, had a lot to tell me about Hollywood and how female addicts were marginalized while men in Hollywood were given multiple chances to make a comeback and paths to forgiveness. Tatum was a real person.

So what does this have to do with the book?

I started feeling strange about the whole interview process and question my role in all of this: Was it fair to listen to her talk to me about her personal life? Was it fair to ask celebrities personal questions? Was I adding to the dangerous side of fandom by doing this? Was I part of their discomfort?

I thought of other child stars like Drew Barrymore, Lindsey Lohan, Judy Garland, and Miley Cyrus, and how complicated their lives were. That’s when I started writing this book. It’s dual perspective, not just about Echo Blue, the child star, but also about Goldie Klein the journalist who is coming to terms with how the world of celebrity has affected her.

By the way, what’s the story with Tatum now?

If you didn’t know, Tatum had a near fatal stroke in 2020. As she is quoted on the cover of People, “It’s a miracle I’m alive.” I’m not a praying kind of person, but I’m always praying for Tatum. Right now, she seems to be doing well.

Do I really have to pre-order your book?

Fuck yeah! At least I hope you consider pre-ordering WHERE ARE YOU, ECHO BLUE? because pre-orders are so important to authors. It helps the publisher see that there’s interest for the book and then they hopefully put more marketing behind it. Dutton has been incredible to work for, and I can’t wait to see what they do.

If you can’t afford the book or don’t want to pre-order, I totally understand! But please ask your local independent book store, or request it at your library! So if you live in cities across the country—I’m talking to you Austin and you too Los Angeles—please go into local book stores and ask if they plan on carrying my book.

Also! My local bookstore, Watchung Booksellers will carry signed copies of my book. Please order from them if you would like it signed.

Thank you for supporting me always!

-Hayley