In this episode, Professor Anita Heiss joins The Conversation Room host Sarah Malik to discuss her latest novel, The Paradise Pact, a delicious romance following three First Nations friends in their fifties on a girls' trip to Hawaiʻi.

Abbey is recovering from heartbreak after a relationship with the well-meaning Robert, who'll happily drive her to a protest but won't join the march. Anita discusses writing romance through a First Nations lens, centring older women as desirable, vulnerable, funny, and complex, and what it means to have the courage to be loved for your full self. For exclusive content, subscribe to: sarahbmalik.substack.com

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In this episode, acclaimed writer Fatima Bhutto opens up about growing up inside Pakistan’s most famous political dynasty - often compared to the Kennedys. At just 14 years old, Fatima’s life changed forever when her beloved father, Mir Murtaza Bhutto, was assassinated outside their Karachi home.

Drawing from her memoir, The Hour of the Wolf, Fatima speaks candidly about trauma, secrets and the loneliness that can exist behind public fame. She also reveals, for the first time, her experience surviving a secret decade-long coercive control relationship with a charismatic and controlling man.

And she shares the story of the unexpected companion who helped her find love and healing: Coco, her fiercely loyal Jack Russell terrier.

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic abuse call 1800 RESPECT.

For more special content subscribe to: sarahbmalik.substack.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.