September 4, 2024 • 10 mins
Acclaimed author and the woman responsible for giving us Big Little Lies, Liane Moriarty has a new book called Here One Moment and she called Clairsy & Lisa to tell them all about it and where the idea for the book came from.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Whenever Leon Moriarty puts out a new book, I always
promise myself I am going to make it last. I'm
going to savor it a bit. I'm not going to
scoff it down in a day. I started here one
moment on Saturday, and I am proud to say that
I've still got just under one hundred pages to go,
so I'm making.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
Progress, pretty good going.
Speaker 3 (00:21):
Leon Moriarty is joining us now.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
Good morning, I'm welcome.
Speaker 3 (00:25):
Good morning. Thank you so much.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
It's so lovely to have you with us about the
release of the new book here one moment, and I say,
I might be overthinking it, leone, but I always think
that when I get, you know, one of your books,
I am I'm a big fan. Let's just get that
out there. And I read it so quickly that somehow
I'm not doing justice to you. You've toiled and you've worked,
(00:50):
and you've blood, sweat and tearsed over this book for ages,
and I can just do it in a night, do
you know what I mean?
Speaker 4 (00:56):
I know, I know, but I'm a reader like that.
My if I'm a very greedy reader, I would prefer
my readers to the because.
Speaker 3 (01:08):
It's strange when they say it's all done.
Speaker 1 (01:11):
Yeah, yeah, Well I am a bit this time. I
feel like I have made some progress. So the new
book here one moment, it raises questions about mortality. Would
you want to know when and how you're going to die?
And if you do know, would you try to change
(01:32):
the outcome?
Speaker 3 (01:34):
Yes, that's right. So it's about a lady on a plane,
a normal domestic flight from Hobart to Sydney, and a
woman stands up and she starts pointing at each of
the passengers and telling each of them exactly how and
when they're going to die, and a lot of passengers
don't take too much notice, and then everybody gets off
(01:56):
the plane. My American publisher wanted to make that clear
it's not about a plane accident. And then most people
sort of put it out of their minds. But then
the first.
Speaker 2 (02:08):
Prediction comes true, leam, Where do you get these ideas from?
Where's the inspiration for that?
Speaker 3 (02:14):
One?
Speaker 2 (02:14):
Just plucked from somewhere?
Speaker 3 (02:16):
So I was actually on a flight myself, on the
exact same flight out of Robert, and the youful thought
came into my head. Every persenger on the pave I
would one day die, and so I was sure it
is true, and I think we tried to pretend it's
not happening. And I was looking at all the passengers,
(02:39):
and I was thinking, will you be the person who
makes it to one hundred and dies peacefully in the sleep,
or will you be the person whose life is unexpectedly
cut short? And then I thought, imagine if that information
was available right now, right and what would we do?
Speaker 1 (02:58):
Because a few people do get you know, they think
they win the Lady the Death Lady jackpot because they
get told they're going to live to ninety two or something.
But for a few of them, it's not too far
in the immediate future. So a few characters do die
in here one moment. Have you ever named a character
you've killed off in a book after someone you didn't
like in real life?
Speaker 3 (03:20):
No, I hadn't. I think that would be too obvious.
I might take a little attribute of theirs and then
happily two of them off.
Speaker 2 (03:29):
Yeah, fair enough, Helen. And I've always been fascinated with
someone like yourself, like Lisa, You're reader a hell of
a lot, and I don't know where you find the time.
But we talked to a lot of musicians who do
fear that they've been influenced by other people's use of
the chords. Do you sometimes write it about a character
or a paragraph or a chapter and ago, well, that's
a bit too familiar. I'll change that a bit.
Speaker 3 (03:49):
Yes. I always worry if it comes too easily. Right, So,
if I think, especially if I think of a plot
and it all falls into place too perfectly, then I
him that I took it from an episode of Law
and Order, I have to throw it away. And I've
heard it, as you said, musicians and also comedians, I
think if they think of a joke too easily, they think,
(04:12):
maybe I'm taking that from somewhere, Lauren.
Speaker 1 (04:18):
To get most of their inspiration from, you know, TV
news and so on, it's all got to come from somewhere.
Speaker 3 (04:24):
You're right exactly.
Speaker 1 (04:26):
I know you've been on a grueling promotional tour and
so you might not get too much time to read
things yourself. But have you read anything lately that you
would recommend. I'm reading the latest Kate Atkinson. I can't
I can't never remember the title, but it's a funny
detective series and I'm loving that.
Speaker 2 (04:45):
Okay, right oerfact.
Speaker 3 (04:48):
I should be promoting my sister, my sister Nicola Murria. Oh, yes,
book just in case Nicholas.
Speaker 2 (04:56):
Listening to the podcast after not happy.
Speaker 1 (04:58):
With the sister next Sunday lunch, she's gonna have an
angry look on her face.
Speaker 3 (05:01):
And you show up, No, Nicholas to get ye.
Speaker 2 (05:06):
With your incredible success and of course being picked up
and made into productions, do you sometimes have that in
mind whilst you're writing or did you just put that
way out and stick with the old formula.
Speaker 3 (05:15):
Yeah, I honestly don't. I'm really not thinking. So. The
main character in this books called Cherry, and she's my
Cherry at the moment. She's not anybody else.
Speaker 2 (05:26):
This is your baby.
Speaker 1 (05:27):
Yeah, but if we may, we must talk for a
moment about Big Little Eyes. It came out ten years ago.
Did you when you put that book out ten years ago,
in your wildest dreams, did you think that we would
now be two series in with a cast that includes
Meryl Streets, and with the audience baying for a third season?
Speaker 3 (05:53):
Baying for not in my wildest dreams. No, even when
Nice when I first met her and I said, I
know not to get too excited until the day they
start shooting. That's what authors always say, and she said, no, no,
if we optionate get excited, but I still didn't until
(06:16):
they started shooting. But I don't think any of them
would have imagined the success either. So it's been fantastic.
Speaker 1 (06:23):
It has been fantastic, And do you know it? Can
you confirm that there is a third series?
Speaker 3 (06:28):
All I can confirm is that I am definitely writing
a sequel to my own book, Little Life, because I
would tend to go when the children were little in
the book, and also in real life, my children were little,
and so now my teenagers. So I'm writing a book
with the dealing with all the teen issues.
Speaker 2 (06:50):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (06:51):
You do act as an executive producer on the series,
don't you.
Speaker 3 (06:56):
Yeah, but it's an honorary. There's something that they say
to you to be nice. I'm not sure. I'm not
sure what it actually means. The credit. I'm certainly not
out there.
Speaker 2 (07:14):
And I know Lisa very well, and I could tell
that she was really looking forward to She was tough
that we were going to be talking to you. I was,
as well, being a huge fan. She was excited and
a little bit nervous. When was the last time you
felt nervous about meeting someone that was working on your
work at an actress or an.
Speaker 3 (07:28):
Actor, it would have to be Meryl Streep. Sure, yeah,
which I feel like was was a big star struck moment.
Speaker 2 (07:41):
What do you say? That's the thing that Meryl Streep.
Speaker 3 (07:43):
Hello, Well, I got in my head I'd heard that
she had had her first grandchild. Yeah, so I was
asking about her grandchild, and she actually showed me some photos.
But obviously I was so intense in my interest about
it that finally she said to me, do you have
(08:06):
a first grandchild yourself? Obviously acting a little bizarrely, but
she I suspects she's used to it. So what did
you do today?
Speaker 1 (08:16):
I just hung out with Merrill Grandmother's Stories. I mean,
it's a stella cast all around, really, you know, apart
from Nicole and Reese, Laura Dern.
Speaker 2 (08:26):
It's just incredible.
Speaker 1 (08:27):
And by the way, it has the best two soundtracks
that I've ever heard. Well, here one Moment might be
the next one to get because the Big, Big Little Lives.
Also Nine Perfect Strangers and Apples Never Fall have all
been made, so this one might be in the future.
Speaker 3 (08:49):
And the last anniversary my second novel has been the
finished filming, and that one's an all Australian car beautiful.
I am filmed in Australia.
Speaker 1 (08:59):
I heard that you were insisting at be filmed in
Australia because it is, you know, quite off. The setting
is quite often another character in a story.
Speaker 3 (09:08):
Yes, yeah, and I don't think settings normally my strength,
but that one was set on the Hawksbury River and
it just felt too Australia anywhere.
Speaker 2 (09:18):
I had to be there.
Speaker 3 (09:19):
I'm glad you put your own.
Speaker 1 (09:21):
Yeah here, one moment is out now. Everyone just simply
must do themselves a favor. Even if this is your
first one, you will go back and start at the beginning.
Let me guarantee you. It's been absolutely lovely talking to you, wonderful,
Thank you so.
Speaker 3 (09:38):
Much, truly lovely talking to you too, Thank you.
Speaker 2 (09:41):
Bye them. Yeah, okay, you can brieve. Isn't it awesome
when you talk to someone that you've so you know,
so you admire them so much. We've had it over
the years. Yes, I'd love to say your reaction.
Speaker 1 (09:59):
I mean, everyone knows I love to read and she
is just so gorgeous.
Speaker 2 (10:04):
Talk about a hot spell that in a career right now,
and that's awesome.
Speaker 3 (10:08):
Going for a while.
Speaker 2 (10:09):
As I've just heard for the last six minutes so
humble as well.
Speaker 1 (10:12):
Everyone wants to make her stuff to TV shows.
Speaker 2 (10:15):
How can you not be thinking about that when you're
writing
Whenever Leon Moriarty puts out a new book, I always
promise myself I am going to make it last. I'm
going to savor it a bit. I'm not going to
scoff it down in a day. I started here one
moment on Saturday, and I am proud to say that
I've still got just under one hundred pages to go,
so I'm making.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
Progress, pretty good going.
Speaker 3 (00:21):
Leon Moriarty is joining us now.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
Good morning, I'm welcome.
Speaker 3 (00:25):
Good morning. Thank you so much.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
It's so lovely to have you with us about the
release of the new book here one moment, and I say,
I might be overthinking it, leone, but I always think
that when I get, you know, one of your books,
I am I'm a big fan. Let's just get that
out there. And I read it so quickly that somehow
I'm not doing justice to you. You've toiled and you've worked,
(00:50):
and you've blood, sweat and tearsed over this book for ages,
and I can just do it in a night, do
you know what I mean?
Speaker 4 (00:56):
I know, I know, but I'm a reader like that.
My if I'm a very greedy reader, I would prefer
my readers to the because.
Speaker 3 (01:08):
It's strange when they say it's all done.
Speaker 1 (01:11):
Yeah, yeah, Well I am a bit this time. I
feel like I have made some progress. So the new
book here one moment, it raises questions about mortality. Would
you want to know when and how you're going to die?
And if you do know, would you try to change
(01:32):
the outcome?
Speaker 3 (01:34):
Yes, that's right. So it's about a lady on a plane,
a normal domestic flight from Hobart to Sydney, and a
woman stands up and she starts pointing at each of
the passengers and telling each of them exactly how and
when they're going to die, and a lot of passengers
don't take too much notice, and then everybody gets off
(01:56):
the plane. My American publisher wanted to make that clear
it's not about a plane accident. And then most people
sort of put it out of their minds. But then
the first.
Speaker 2 (02:08):
Prediction comes true, leam, Where do you get these ideas from?
Where's the inspiration for that?
Speaker 3 (02:14):
One?
Speaker 2 (02:14):
Just plucked from somewhere?
Speaker 3 (02:16):
So I was actually on a flight myself, on the
exact same flight out of Robert, and the youful thought
came into my head. Every persenger on the pave I
would one day die, and so I was sure it
is true, and I think we tried to pretend it's
not happening. And I was looking at all the passengers,
(02:39):
and I was thinking, will you be the person who
makes it to one hundred and dies peacefully in the sleep,
or will you be the person whose life is unexpectedly
cut short? And then I thought, imagine if that information
was available right now, right and what would we do?
Speaker 1 (02:58):
Because a few people do get you know, they think
they win the Lady the Death Lady jackpot because they
get told they're going to live to ninety two or something.
But for a few of them, it's not too far
in the immediate future. So a few characters do die
in here one moment. Have you ever named a character
you've killed off in a book after someone you didn't
like in real life?
Speaker 3 (03:20):
No, I hadn't. I think that would be too obvious.
I might take a little attribute of theirs and then
happily two of them off.
Speaker 2 (03:29):
Yeah, fair enough, Helen. And I've always been fascinated with
someone like yourself, like Lisa, You're reader a hell of
a lot, and I don't know where you find the time.
But we talked to a lot of musicians who do
fear that they've been influenced by other people's use of
the chords. Do you sometimes write it about a character
or a paragraph or a chapter and ago, well, that's
a bit too familiar. I'll change that a bit.
Speaker 3 (03:49):
Yes. I always worry if it comes too easily. Right, So,
if I think, especially if I think of a plot
and it all falls into place too perfectly, then I
him that I took it from an episode of Law
and Order, I have to throw it away. And I've
heard it, as you said, musicians and also comedians, I
think if they think of a joke too easily, they think,
(04:12):
maybe I'm taking that from somewhere, Lauren.
Speaker 1 (04:18):
To get most of their inspiration from, you know, TV
news and so on, it's all got to come from somewhere.
Speaker 3 (04:24):
You're right exactly.
Speaker 1 (04:26):
I know you've been on a grueling promotional tour and
so you might not get too much time to read
things yourself. But have you read anything lately that you
would recommend. I'm reading the latest Kate Atkinson. I can't
I can't never remember the title, but it's a funny
detective series and I'm loving that.
Speaker 2 (04:45):
Okay, right oerfact.
Speaker 3 (04:48):
I should be promoting my sister, my sister Nicola Murria. Oh, yes,
book just in case Nicholas.
Speaker 2 (04:56):
Listening to the podcast after not happy.
Speaker 1 (04:58):
With the sister next Sunday lunch, she's gonna have an
angry look on her face.
Speaker 3 (05:01):
And you show up, No, Nicholas to get ye.
Speaker 2 (05:06):
With your incredible success and of course being picked up
and made into productions, do you sometimes have that in
mind whilst you're writing or did you just put that
way out and stick with the old formula.
Speaker 3 (05:15):
Yeah, I honestly don't. I'm really not thinking. So. The
main character in this books called Cherry, and she's my
Cherry at the moment. She's not anybody else.
Speaker 2 (05:26):
This is your baby.
Speaker 1 (05:27):
Yeah, but if we may, we must talk for a
moment about Big Little Eyes. It came out ten years ago.
Did you when you put that book out ten years ago,
in your wildest dreams, did you think that we would
now be two series in with a cast that includes
Meryl Streets, and with the audience baying for a third season?
Speaker 3 (05:53):
Baying for not in my wildest dreams. No, even when
Nice when I first met her and I said, I
know not to get too excited until the day they
start shooting. That's what authors always say, and she said, no, no,
if we optionate get excited, but I still didn't until
(06:16):
they started shooting. But I don't think any of them
would have imagined the success either. So it's been fantastic.
Speaker 1 (06:23):
It has been fantastic, And do you know it? Can
you confirm that there is a third series?
Speaker 3 (06:28):
All I can confirm is that I am definitely writing
a sequel to my own book, Little Life, because I
would tend to go when the children were little in
the book, and also in real life, my children were little,
and so now my teenagers. So I'm writing a book
with the dealing with all the teen issues.
Speaker 2 (06:50):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (06:51):
You do act as an executive producer on the series,
don't you.
Speaker 3 (06:56):
Yeah, but it's an honorary. There's something that they say
to you to be nice. I'm not sure. I'm not
sure what it actually means. The credit. I'm certainly not
out there.
Speaker 2 (07:14):
And I know Lisa very well, and I could tell
that she was really looking forward to She was tough
that we were going to be talking to you. I was,
as well, being a huge fan. She was excited and
a little bit nervous. When was the last time you
felt nervous about meeting someone that was working on your
work at an actress or an.
Speaker 3 (07:28):
Actor, it would have to be Meryl Streep. Sure, yeah,
which I feel like was was a big star struck moment.
Speaker 2 (07:41):
What do you say? That's the thing that Meryl Streep.
Speaker 3 (07:43):
Hello, Well, I got in my head I'd heard that
she had had her first grandchild. Yeah, so I was
asking about her grandchild, and she actually showed me some photos.
But obviously I was so intense in my interest about
it that finally she said to me, do you have
(08:06):
a first grandchild yourself? Obviously acting a little bizarrely, but
she I suspects she's used to it. So what did
you do today?
Speaker 1 (08:16):
I just hung out with Merrill Grandmother's Stories. I mean,
it's a stella cast all around, really, you know, apart
from Nicole and Reese, Laura Dern.
Speaker 2 (08:26):
It's just incredible.
Speaker 1 (08:27):
And by the way, it has the best two soundtracks
that I've ever heard. Well, here one Moment might be
the next one to get because the Big, Big Little Lives.
Also Nine Perfect Strangers and Apples Never Fall have all
been made, so this one might be in the future.
Speaker 3 (08:49):
And the last anniversary my second novel has been the
finished filming, and that one's an all Australian car beautiful.
I am filmed in Australia.
Speaker 1 (08:59):
I heard that you were insisting at be filmed in
Australia because it is, you know, quite off. The setting
is quite often another character in a story.
Speaker 3 (09:08):
Yes, yeah, and I don't think settings normally my strength,
but that one was set on the Hawksbury River and
it just felt too Australia anywhere.
Speaker 2 (09:18):
I had to be there.
Speaker 3 (09:19):
I'm glad you put your own.
Speaker 1 (09:21):
Yeah here, one moment is out now. Everyone just simply
must do themselves a favor. Even if this is your
first one, you will go back and start at the beginning.
Let me guarantee you. It's been absolutely lovely talking to you, wonderful,
Thank you so.
Speaker 3 (09:38):
Much, truly lovely talking to you too, Thank you.
Speaker 2 (09:41):
Bye them. Yeah, okay, you can brieve. Isn't it awesome
when you talk to someone that you've so you know,
so you admire them so much. We've had it over
the years. Yes, I'd love to say your reaction.
Speaker 1 (09:59):
I mean, everyone knows I love to read and she
is just so gorgeous.
Speaker 2 (10:04):
Talk about a hot spell that in a career right now,
and that's awesome.
Speaker 3 (10:08):
Going for a while.
Speaker 2 (10:09):
As I've just heard for the last six minutes so
humble as well.
Speaker 1 (10:12):
Everyone wants to make her stuff to TV shows.
Speaker 2 (10:15):
How can you not be thinking about that when you're
writing
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