Liane Moriarty: My books are about secrets & lies! | Now To Love (2024)

A long flight delay and a fixation on death, inspired Liane Moriarty to write her latest novel Here One Moment.

Told from varying perspectives, the novel delves into the idea of fate and destiny – ideas that were at the forefront of her mind after she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2021 and her father died – but ideas that Liane ultimately doesn’t believe in.

Living in the present and accepting what we can and can’t control is how the author lives her life.

Here, she talks novels, the next series of Big Little Lies and her relationship with her beloved sisters…

Where did the inspiration for Here One Moment come from?
I came up with the idea during a long flight delay. All the passengers had boarded the plane when the pilot asked for our patience as there was an issue that needed to be resolved. The upshot was that we were stuck on the tarmac, seatbelts buckled, waiting, waiting, waiting for an excruciatingly long time.

I was travelling on my own and had no book to read and that’s when this cheerful thought popped into my head – every person on this plane will one day die. But when? And how? I looked around at my fellow passengers and thought, Will that little girl live until she’s 100? Will that young man have his life cut short? What about that beautiful flight attendant?

It occurred to me that somewhere in the far-off future the answers to all those questions would be available. I thought, What if that information was available now? What if someone walked down the aisle telling every passenger how and when we would die? And what if those predictions came true? When the flight finally took off and passengers applauded with relief, I knew I had a good opening scene for a novel.

It’s very hard to imagine reaching a kind of acceptance of my fate, although I know many people do, and face a terminal diagnosis withstrength, grace and humour.

Do you believe in the concept of fate?
No, I think nothing is predetermined and our destinies are constantly changing, depending on the decisions we, and the people around us make.

Would there be certain conversations with loved ones you’d want tohave or let life take its course?
I’m sure I would want to make sure I hadsaid everything that needed to be said.

Why are you so interested in secrets and lies?
My books do often seem to be about secret and lies. Tiny secrets we keep from the people we love. Huge secrets that weigh on our minds. Secrets that should be shared. Secrets that should be kept forever.

How do you inspire each other?
We encourage each other in any way wecan, especially when it comes to dealing with deadlines, criticism, editingand so on.

What’s the one thing that keeps you awake at night?
Worries about mychildren.

What’s the book you wish you’d written?
Life after Life by KateAtkinson. I had such a sense of movement when I was reading this book, it was as though the author was spinning me round and round leaving melaughing, dizzy, breathless and exhilarated. I don’t really wish I’d writtenit because I would not then have had the pleasure of reading it.

Which book evokes childhood memories for you?
The Magic Faraway Treeby Enid Blyton. The slide through the centre of the tree that was the mostmarvellous thing.

What’s on your reading list right now?
I just finished Sandwich byCatherine Newman and absolutely loved it. It’s about a 54 year old woman sandwiched between adult children and elderly parents. Very funny and sweet.