ESTHER IS NOW FOLLOWING YOU

A funny, fresh and deeply affecting story about celebrity, fandom and what happens when it all becomes a bit too real.

It's 2011 and Irish thirtysomething Esther is living her best life, according to her Facebook posts. She's living in London, working in finance and married to easy-going Johnny. What's not to like? There's only one problem: it's all an illusion. The job in high finance is in a dank basement with brown walls inputting code, listening to her office mate Francesa drone on about her children, her relationship with Johnny is waning and life in London isn't nearly as exciting as she makes out. Even her stand-up comedy act is falling flat. The only thing keeping her going is Canadian comedian Ted Levy and the fan site in which his adoring superfans parse his every move. On paper, he shouldn't draw such adoration. He's quite short and his comedy routine doesn't crackle, but to Esther and thousands like her, he's just perfect. Onto his occasional appearances with model/actresses, they can project all of their hopes and fears. They can peer at his trainers, gawp at his stick-thin girlfriends and pry into his private life to their hearts' content. For the 'Tedettes', fandom offers them connection, the hope that they aren't entirely alone in the world. Except only Esther is mad enough to take the plunge and make her dreams a reality. When a sudden tragedy strikes, Esther is on the first plane to Toronto, Ted Levy in her crosshairs. All she has to do is to leave her bewildered husband behind, invent an entirely new backstory, move in with his sister and act like a lunatic to make it happen. Simple. But Esther is about to find out that the gap between dreams and realities is more of a chasm, and that, in spite of the mess she's left in her wake, there are still people who love her and are looking out for her. IRL. In the territory of Baby Reindeer but from the stalker's perspective, "Esther is Now Following You" is a thrill ride that gives us a ringside view of the unique appeal of fandom and obsession. It peels off the layers of madness and adoration and reveals its all-too-human side. Deeply painful, incredibly insightful, funny and surprisingly kind. Tanya Sweeney is a journalist/columnist with the Irish Independent. Originally from Dublin, she lives in Kildare, Ireland with her husband and daughter. Tanya started writing for her local West Dublin newspaper at the age of 11, reporting on Dublin Zoo, the Coca-Cola factory and 'backstage' at McDonalds. She later moved to London to complete a Master's in journalism at the University of Westminster. From freelancing as a music supervisor for Film Four and working in PR/Communications for MTV, to later becoming an A&R scout for Warner Music, Tanya worked across the music, film and TV industries in various roles before returning to Dublin, where she then became a music journalist at Hot Press magazine. For the last 15 years, she has been a columnist in a number of Irish newspapers and magazines, among them the Dubliner, STELLAR, U, Irish Tatler . She was previously a columnist for the Irish Times Magazine, and had written a personal column on pregnancy for the newspaper. She is currently a journalist and Weekend magazine columnist at the Irish Independent, and is a regular contributor on Irish radio & TV. Tanya also has a Master's in screenwriting.