We talk to Mia Freedman's favourite author.

Mia Freedman is obsessed with Australian author Liane Moriarty. So are Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon.

But only two of those three women are signed up to act in the movie adaptation of Liane’s book, Big Little Lies — and it aint Freedman.

Liane’s latest book Big Little Lies will go to the top of next week’s New York Times Bestseller List, and Kidman and Witherspoon have already signed up for a film adaptation.

We sat down with Liane to talk about finding inspiration, the differences between writing for adults and children and how to deal with pesky writer’s block.

If you haven’t read her fifth best-seller The Husband’s Secret, drop what you’re doing and get thee to a bookstore.

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Mamamia: Where do you get inspiration for your novels?

Liane Moriarty: From newspaper articles, blogs, television, books I’m reading, overheard conversations in coffee shops, anecdotes from other mothers at school drop-off, family folklore (although as I have two sisters who are also writers, I have to be quick to reserve the best stories), dreams, things my children say, phone calls from friends, personal experiences – I am always scavenging about for material.

MM: Your novels generally contain so many different stories that are interwoven in such a complex way – what is your writing and editing process like? How do you make sure that the story makes sense?

LM: I’m not a planner. I come up with the premise and start writing. It makes it interesting because each day I sit down at my computer and think, I wonder what’s going to happen? It also makes it terrifying because what if nothing happens? I am constantly re-editing what I’ve written as the plot begins to fall into place and I better understand my characters.

MM: Your novels often cover off on heavy themes such as death, grief and divorce/separation. What made you want to write about those themes instead of more lighthearted fiction?

LM: I guess because that’s when life gets interesting. It’s during the dark times of life that our characters are tested and we find things out about ourselves that we would otherwise never have known.

But I do try to balance out those big heavy themes with humour.

MM: Your latest novel, Big Little Lies, really captures the thinking of a domestic violence victims in a very understanding way. How did you research that?

LM: I did a lot of reading, and found it particularly helpful reading first hand accounts from survivors of domestic violence.

MM: Despite the serious subject matter of your books, there’s a lot of humour also interwoven through them – how do you balance that in a way that’s not going to offend anyone?

LM: Well I probably do offend people sometimes but the fact is that life is like that: a mix of dark and light. People laugh at funerals.

MM: You’ve become hugely successful in America – how has that experience been for you?

LM: It’s surreal because it’s all happening on the other side of the world and it all feels like an elaborate practical joke. Even though I receive so many lovely emails from American readers, it really wasn’t until I travelled to the US on a book tour and saw my books prominently displayed in their bookstores that it felt real.

MM: What are the three books that you recommend everyone in life has to read (besides yours)?

LM: I don’t really think there are three books that everyone in life should read, because everyone is so different (my husband, for example, would argue that everyone should read The History of the Folkboat) but here are three books I adore with all my heart:

The Accidental Tourist by Anne Tyler

This book is so special to me because it introduced me to the wonderful and inimitable (although so many of us try!) Anne Tyler. I’ve read all her books multiple times. Set in suburban Baltimore, this is the tender, funny, tragic story of Macon Leary, a travel writer who hates to travel and Muriel, a delightfully eccentric dog trainer.

Life After Life by Kate Atkinson

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 me laughing, dizzy, breathless and exhilarated.

A Tangle of Gold: book three of The Colors of Madeleine by Jaclyn Moriarty

This is the final book in an extraordinary three book fantasy series written by the multiple award-winning writer, Jaclyn Moriarty, who happens to be my sister. She’s so good I can’t quite believe we’re related.

MM: Do you prefer writing adults’ or children’s fiction?

LM: I love the contrast. My children’s books (the Nicola Berry, Earthling Ambassador series) are intergalactic adventures, so I’m creating imaginary worlds, which is so much fun. However, after a few months of spaceships and alien life forms, I’m thrilled to return to the grown-up world of contemporary fiction

MM: What’s your opinion on writer’s block?

LM: Shhhh. I don’t even like to think about it. I think it’s a mistake to label it. Everyone, no matter who, has days where their work doesn’t flow well. But once you give it a label, and say, ‘I’ve got writer’s block’, then it becomes something bigger than it is. It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy, so I refuse to believe in it, because I don’t want it to be real!

MM: Are you a fan of technology when it comes to writing or are you more old-fashioned?

LM: I can’t write long-hand anymore, the words don’t come out fast enough, and I also love that backspace key because as I’m writing I’m constantly hitting delete, delete, delete as I change and restructure my sentences, so longhand feels horribly laborious to me.

MM: What’s the one tool you couldn’t live without when it comes to your writing?

LM: If we take it as a given that I DO have my computer then I would say the one tool I can’t live without is a programme called FREEDOM that restricts my access to the Internet and email for a specified period of time. It’s ridiculous but it’s almost like it makes me write.

MM: What is the best writing tip that you have for anyone who wants to write a novel?

LM: To think of nothing else but the story – not the world of publishing, or what makes a best-seller, or should you self-publish or not, or should it be double-spaced (yes), or should you make it more erotic (probably, if you can! Wish I could) or how will you make sure nobody else steals your ideas (they won’t) – just lose yourself in the pleasure of writing your story. Then edit, edit, edit. THEN and only then should you think about all that other stuff. (Also, see previous answer re: FREEDOM!)

Liane Moriarty’s Big Little Lies can be found in all good bookstores. Have you read it yet?