Becky Holloway is a young, smart, ambitious, and goal-oriented figure skater. She can accomplish great things in life...as long as she keeps all of those gifts focused on the right path. But her modest beginnings in picturesque 1941 Stratford, Ontario, might be setting her up for a life of closed doors.
Peter Austen is a successful British actor, who quickly develops a love affair with Becky. Their summers together introduce her to the gay scene and the edgy, bohemian lifestyle of the newly arrived Shakespearean actors. But a season with the Canadian Players pulls Peter to Toronto, leaving Becky to her own devices.
As a result Peter is thrown into the arms of a famous, aging, Toronto diva, with whom he falls hopelessly in love. She toys with him, but rejects his repeated proposals and drives him into depression. However when his career takes a sudden turn and he becomes an overnight sensation, she is suddenly desperate for Peter. When her efforts to make him fall back in love with her fail, she conceives a shocking, devious, vengeful plot to erase him from the world's stage, reflective of one of Shakespeare's own tragedies.
Based partially on real-life events, Final Curtain is a thrilling tale of theatre drama and figure skating. Watch closely as author Avonelle Edwards pulls back the curtain to reveal the offstage lives of performers, in all of their glamor and gore.
About the Author: Canadian author Avonelle Edwards grew up in Stratford, Ontario, where she studied at Hamlet School, Stratford Collegiate Vocational Institute, and Wells Academy. After training at Stratford Figure Skating Club, she began her professional ice skating career by joining Ice Capades. Following seventeen years of touring with various ice shows, she retired to become active in the theatre as a performer, set designer, producer, and director. Edwards produced and directed James Baldwin's, Amen Corner, the first play comprised of an all-black cast. This experience led to her becoming a television game show hostess. Later she became an interior designer and was also the founder of Mexitan, which introduced the first all-natural suntan and sunscreen product.
Edwards previously authored the nonfiction book, The Black at the End of the Tunnel; a research article, "The Rest of the Story;" and the screenplay, Above the Rainbow. She currently lives in picturesque Safety Harbor, Florida.
