Rose by Any Other Name

by Maureen McCarthy

  Hang on a minute, Rose.

  I’ve got some real colour in my face after my week away. My eyes flash back at me, my cheek bones are sharp and . . . interesting. I pick up an old lipstick sitting on the bath, plaster a bit on and rub my lips together. There, that’s better. A faint resemblance to Audrey Hepburn, maybe? Yep, for sure there is. Unmistakable. Breakfast at Tiffanys. I laugh to myself. Or maybe breakfast in Brunswick Street on Saturday morning? Why not? I’ll ring and ask. I smile at my own image. I’m tough and shining Rose . . . who sings on her bike.

  Well, okay. I can live with that.

  I decide to take a punt. No harm giving it a go. I’m way too revved up to go to sleep anyway. Whether Roger wants it or not, that piece is calling out to be written. Don’tcha just love the way . . . I turn off the bathroom light, get myself another coffee, wrap myself in a blanket and hunker down at the desk. It’s going to be a late night. But I can live with that, too.

  Maureen McCarthy is the ninth of ten children and grew up on a farm near Yea in Victoria. After working for a while as an art teacher, Maureen became a full-time writer. Her novels have been shortlisted for numerous awards and include: the In Between series, which was adapted from scripts Maureen co-wrote with Shane Brennan for SBS TV; Ganglands; Cross My Heart; Chain of Hearts; Flash Jack; and When You Wake and Find Me Gone. Her bestselling and much-loved book Queen Kat, Carmel and St Jude get a life was made into a highly successful four-part miniseries for ABC TV. Maureen has three sons and lives in Melbourne.