Sarah Kanowski

So when Laura Bell imagined her father, she saw him as Santa Claus, a man who sent presents and lived in a mysterious place far away.

Eventually, the family reunited and Laura Bell and her mum moved to Australia.

Here, Laura Bell became a celebrated artist, a three-time finalist in the Archibald.

She fell in love and her career was soaring until an injury forced her to stop painting and ask some big questions about who she was and what her life was all about.

Laura Bell has now written a book drawing on her experiences.

It's called White Hibiscus.

Hi, Laura Bell.

You come from such an interesting family background or an unusual one.

As I say, your mum is Filipino.

What kind of world did she grow up in?

What stories has she told you about her childhood?

What place did music have in her childhood?

Would that have been Filipino music or American pop songs?

What would she have been listening to?

How did her love of music take her beyond the Philippines, take her overseas?

And yeah, to hear that sounds like there are so many potential risks, ways that could have gone wrong.

But what happened for your mum?

Was it a legitimate ad?

She ended up singing in a hotel bar in Malaysia.

And who joined her there?