Adventures Between the Lines

Editing. Such a quiet task. We sit calmly at our desks, poring over manuscripts, checking proofs, writing cover briefs and wrangling general book-making tasks. But sometimes, just sometimes, we are required to venture out into the real world.

And sometimes even the surreal world...

Rose Chong is a Melbourne institution. Have a desperate need to dress like a French Revolutionary? Want to take a turn about a party as a large fluffy rabbit? Not quite sure what to wear to a super-hero-themed function? Rose Chong is your place.

So why were we there? What could we possibly need in the way of costumery?

For magical reasons.

For fairy tale reasons.

For reasons of great excitement and delight.

*drumroll*

*trumpet fanfare*

*hush descending*

Jodi Picoult and her daughter Samantha van Leer will be arriving on our fair shores next month for a whirlwind Between the Lines book tour all across our wide brown land.

And for one of their Melbourne events - there is a theme. A theme! Everyone loves a theme! *cue theme music*

Enter the magical realm of a Fairy Tale . . . Come dressed as an imaginary magical/fairy tale character and slip 'Between the Lines'.

But Jodi and Sammy can't possibly cart costumes around the world in their hand-luggage. So we were on a mission, a mission to find the perfect Fairy Tale costumes for Jodi and Sammy to wear.

They needed to be fairy-tale related...

But not petrify the audience. Wolf - off the table.

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They needed to be eye-catching...

But appropriate for a Melbourne winter. Frilled-neck siren - regretfully no.

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They needed to not be too serious...

But we try to be fair-minded, so no wolf = no pig.

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They needed to be regal and iconic...

 Just no.

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Do Jodi and Sammy need a familiar?

 

Maybe...? No.

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Things were looking grim.

And then we spied them. The perfect costumes. Just waiting for us.

So, what did we choose?

No spoilers here, people. If you want to know in what fabulous fairytale gear Jodi and Sammy will be appearing, you'll just have to go to their event. IN YOUR OWN COSTUME!

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But like all good fairy tales, we didn't reach our happily ever after without a little trial and tribulation. First there was the Dramatic Reveal where, as if by magic, a skirt disappeared. And *pouffe* an Onion was revealed in all her... glory... standing in a pile of satin in the middle of Rose Chong.*

And as if that wasn't enough, an evil zip conspired to entrap our heroine in a neverending embrace of white lace. Just when it looked as though the enchantment would never be broken, a knight rode up,** her vorpal blade went snicker-snack,*** and the damsel was free to don her own clothes and what was left of her dignity.

All in all, it was a very fine afternoon. 





*Don't worry, Jodi, Sammy, we figured 'staying on' was an important part of the job description, so we immediately relegated the offending item to the NO pile.

**A very lovely lady came out from behind the counter.

*** She really was very handy with a pair of scissors.