Topaz Takes the Stage - Tapa blanda

Topaz L'Amour is thrilled: her hard work at Precious Gems Stage School is paying off, and she's beaten hundreds of hopefuls to a role in a play.

But when the leading lady refuses to attend rehearsals and is sacked by the director, it looks as if the production is doomed. Worse still, Topaz has to share the part with her arch-rival Octavia Quaver from Rhapsody's Theatre Academy. Will the play be ready on time? And if it is, who will be chosen for the opening night ...?

Helen Bailey was born and brought up in Northumberland, a county she still regards as home.

Barely into her teens, Helen invested her pocket money in buying a copy of The Writers` and Artists` Yearbook and spent the next few years sending short stories and poems to anyone she could think of. Much to her surprise, she sometimes found herself in print.

After a degree in science, Helen worked in the media and now runs a successful London-based character licensing agency handling internationally renowned properties such as Snoopy, Felicity Wishes, Dilbert and Zorro.

With her dachshund, Rufus, and her husband, she now divides her time between London and Broadstairs on the Kent coast.