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Liane Moriarty on the flight that sparked her new book: ‘The thought came into my head that every single passenger on this plane was one day going to die’

"I’m so sorry. I forgot. Have you been sitting here all this time?” These are author Liane Moriarty’s first words on video call to me. It’s really only a few minutes, but she is graciously contrite. “I was just in the middle of cooking halloumi,” she says, “and suddenly thought, ‘Oh my goodness, I’m meant to be on Zoom’.”

The bestselling author of Big Little Lies tells of her Irish Catholic upbringing in Australia and how her latest novel was inspired by her reflections on mortality after a cancer diagnosis Author Liane Moriarty describes herself as a sceptic who is desperate to believe in the supernatural. Photo: Über Photography "I’m so sorry. I forgot.

Have you been sitting here all this time?” These are author Liane Moriarty’s first words on video call to me. It’s really only a few minutes, but she is graciously contrite. “I was just in the middle of cooking halloumi,” she says, “and suddenly thought, ‘Oh my goodness, I’m meant to be on Zoom’.

” Moriarty is just back home in Sydney, with her husband and two children, after a book tour of Australia “so everything’s all up and down”. Join the Irish Independent WhatsApp channel Stay up to date with all the latest news.