The vintage cars hired to collect guests snaked down the canopied driveway to the palatial mansion on Pittwater for the unveiling of Blaze Australia. The grand old house, regarded as something of a mausoleum by the locals, had been transformed. It, and the defunct private zoo in the still lavish gardens, had been turned into a scene from Arabian Nights. Ali had argued, cajoled and finally convinced Manny to expand the budget for the launch party, persuading him that the attendant publicity would give them the equivalent of a major outlay on advertising by gaining free exposure in the media. She had hired Tracey Ford as Blaze’s public relations manager. Tracey was to be responsible for the magazine’s public image, its social functions and media events and she was to act as Ali’s personal publicist. The theme for the launch party was A Thousand Nights in One, an exotic blend of oriental romance and Arabian ambience.
