Liane Moriarty is one of Australia's most loved and successful authors, the brilliant mind behind Big Little Lies, Nine Perfect Strangers and The Husband's Secret, and so many other stories that have captivated millions of readers around the world.
Her writing is funny, clever, sometimes dark, and always incredibly observant about the way we live, love and relate to one another. And now she's returning to the world of Big Little Lies with her new novel, Big Little Truths.
In this joyful and fascinating conversation, Jules, a self confessed book lover who treats authors like rock stars, sits down with Liane to go behind the curtain of one of the great writing careers. They begin with Liane's origin story, growing up the eldest of six, and the dad who paid her a dollar a book to write stories as a child, giving her her very first publishing deal. She shares the winding road through advertising and marketing, the sisterly rivalry that lit the spark, and how she finally came to write her first novel.
Liane is wonderfully candid about the craft itself, why she doesn't read her own genre, how she treats writing like a nine to five job, where her ideas actually come from, and the panic of having an idea that's a little too close to someone else's. Liane tells the story of Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon optioning Big Little Lies, what it was like to live with her characters as they came to life on screen, the strange experience of watching someone else interpret your work, and being bored on a set surrounded by Meryl Streep, Laura Dern and Reese Witherspoon.
Warm, funny and full of insight, this is a real treat for book lovers and storytellers alike. Pour yourself a cup of tea and settle in.
Connect with Liane Moriarty:
Website: https://www.lianemoriarty.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lianemoriartyauthor/
CHAPTERS
00:00 — Introducing Liane Moriarty
00:44 — Like Having Beyoncé in the Chair: Jules the Super Fan
01:36 — The Origin Story: Eldest of Six and a Family of Storytellers
02:13 — The Dad Who Paid a Dollar a Book: Her First Publishing Deal
02:28 — Dead Man's Island and the Enid Blyton Influence
03:32 — The Winding Road Through Advertising and Marketing
04:14 — The Sister Who Published First, and the Spark It Lit
07:05 — Why She Doesn't Read Her Own Genre
08:14 — Treating Writing Like a Nine to Five Job
10:00 — Where the Ideas Actually Come From
12:35 — The Panic of an Idea That's a Little Too Close
13:55 — Plotting, Pantsing and Finding the Story
17:23 — The Balance of Light and Dark in Life and Fiction
19:01 — When Your Books Aren't for Everyone
19:39 — Writing So the Reader Feels Okay at the End
22:19 — The Introvert Who Observes Everything
25:41 — Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon and the Call That Changed Everything
27:19 — "If We Option It, Get Excited"
28:37 — Living With Your Characters as They Come to Life on Screen
30:23 — When a Character Is Different on Screen Than on the Page
32:03 — Why Everyone Interprets a Book Differently
34:57 — Bored on Set With Meryl Streep, Laura Dern and Reese Witherspoon
37:02 — Big Little Truths: The Women Are Perimenopausal Now
38:03 — The Deeper Themes: Shame, Individuality and More
38:37 — So What Are the Truths Now?
41:57 — Why the Truth Is Always Changing
42:49 — Two Audiences: The Book Readers and the Show Watchers
49:04 — The Pressure of Success and the "What Does She Do Next" Feeling
51:26 — Why She's Simply Looking Forward to the Next Book
53:04 — Her One Profound Answer, and the Birthday Party Wisdom
56:19 — If She Could Tell Her Younger Self One Thing: Wear Sunscreen
57:32 — Wrapping Up Tea with Jules
Connect with Jules
Credits
Produced by ME Entertainment
Producers: @lisajohnston_, @julessebastian, @Eggoau
Sound Engineer, Video, Editor & Music: Mathew Eggleston – @Eggoau
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