Ep 83: Welcome to the Squad: Naima Brown on The Cruise

We met Naima Brown at the Brisbane Writers Festival, where we saw her on two panels and then fangirled in the signing line. So we were very excited to keep that conversation going on the podcast. *The Cruise* is Mission One in Naima’s Squad series. The squad is a global network of women who have each survived male violence. They tried to find justice “by the book” and found the systems were never built to protect them. Now they carry out missions to take down the monsters from their pasts. Bailey Collins is producing season two of a battle-of-the-sexes reality show when an audition tape arrives from Eli Murphy, the man who harmed her in high school. So she casts him, then fills the five female places with members of the squad. In other words, she stacks the deck. In this episode we talk about: \* **Why this book feels like it belongs to all women,** and why Naima writes “Welcome to the squad” in every copy she signs. \* **Revenge in fiction, justice in life:** “In fiction, I want revenge.” Naima explains why the fantasy part of revenge fantasy is so cathartic, and why the book gives readers somewhere to direct their anger. \* **Chelle’s perfect recipe:** reality TV, cruising and women’s rage, finally given space after years of being told to sit still and be polite. \* **The “mad woman” genre:** why all of Naima’s novels, from *The Shot* to *Mother Tongue* to *The Cruise*, are about women who decide to blow up their lives and start over. \* **Bailey,** a complex, flawed heroine who is still piecing together her own memory of what happened to her. \* **Protection, not just revenge,** and whether forgiveness should ever replace justice. \* **Telling each other the truth.** We revisit a line from the festival that stayed with us: *“Women protect each other when they talk about the reality of their lives.”* \* **Joy as part of the mission:** Gianna, the host of *The Cruise* show, reminds the squad that “joy is the proof that we’re still here”. Naima’s T-shirt said “full of whimsy and rage”, and that sums up this book. Get yours here. At BWF she wore one that says “Stop Killing Women”, and that’s here. **What’s next for the squad:** *The Honey Trap* (Mission Two) is out in June 2027, and you can read chapter one at the end of *The Cruise*. *The Mentor* (Mission Three) follows in 2028. **About Naima Brown** Naima Brown is the author of *The Shot*, *Mother Tongue* and *The Cruise*, the first book in the Squad series. \* Instagram: @naima\_brown\_official \* Buy the book: Allen & Unwin \* Substack: Naima Brown Love talking books with authors like Naima? Join the Between The Lines Book Club to read along with us, meet authors at live events, and connect with a community of readers who see reading as self-care. BOOK MY SPOT This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit betweenthelinesaustralia.substack.com