'Dark Glasses'

by Tony Edwards

Publication date May 12^th 2008

Lizzie Beckman craves fame at any price but, when her idea for a fake but very public suicide is totally ignored by the press, the 20 year old reluctantly turns to her father's publicity consultant.

Toby Stone, a Knightsbridge PR man with a well-deserved reputation for master-minding some of the most original and creative press publicity stunts either side of the new millennium, quickly realises that promoting Lizzie Beckman presents a daunting challenge. She is completely without talent.

But she's young, attractive and full of confidence and Toby comes up with a unique plan to spin the media spotlight in her direction, launching Lizzie as an expert at doing what she does best -nothing. 'Doing Nothing for Charity' - remaining motionless for an agreed period - puts her firmly in the frame for national newspaper and TV coverage.

And her career takes a new turn when she discovers a new and unexpected talent which she puts to work when she takes her place as one of six 'guests' at 'The Manor', a reality TV show set in a supposedly haunted Sussex mansion.

As Lizzie Beckman's celebrity status grows, the fabricated hype and phoney flim-flam of the professional PR machine moves in to top gear with a well orchestrated disappearance, following a series of publicity stunts involving the dazzling Stuart de Lacy and a hot air balloon. And that's when Lizzie confronts some important decisions in her life.