Big Little Lies author Liane Moriarty confirms sequel book with time jump

While rumours have continued to swirl for quite some time now about the future of the TV series, we have some major good news for fans of the original novel.

Chatting exclusively to RadioTimes.com about the release of her new novel, Here One Moment, Moriarty revealed that an anticipated book sequel to her original Big Little Lies novel is currently in the works.

She said: “With Big Little Lies, all I can tell you is I’m writing a sequel to my own book, following on from my own story.

"Because I wrote Big Little Lies when my children were little and the children in the story are just starting kindergarten and now, of course, my children are all teenagers so they’re providing a wealth of teen material.

"So, I’m writing a sequel with all the children as teenagers so now the women are the parents of teens.”

So, will there be a significant time jump? “Yes, yes exactly,” she explained.

As so much of the novel and the resulting TV series centred on Witherspoon's Madeline, will this new sequel novel focus on a specific character? “Not honing in on anyone in particular," Moriarty said.

"It’s still early stages so I can’t really tell you anything much except that they’re parenting teens. I’ve got them [all the main women], they’re all there for sure.”

When pressed on whether there will be any new additions to Big Little Lies in the novel or in a potential third season of the show, Moriarty said: “Only that in the new novel, I’d be putting in new characters.”

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While the third season of Big Little Lies has not been officially greenlit as of yet, there's been plenty of buzz around it recently after Nicole Kidman said in June of this year (via Variety): “We’re moving fast and furious. Liane [Moriarty] is delivering the book. We’re in good shape.”

While writing the sequel novel after the success of the acclaimed series can't be an easy feat, Moriarty does admit that she's "really separating" her ideas of the world of the novel and the TV series.

She explained: "And then, if they want to adapt the book, it’s up to them to put it back in Monterey and do all the things they need to do to turn it into a television series. I will admit, though, that because of the series, I totally forgot one character that I had in the book.

"In the book, Madeline has another child called Fred and when I picked up the book to read it, I thought ‘Oh, that’s right – Fred’. I’d totally forgotten him and I was thinking to myself that maybe I should do something maybe sort of meta and have Fred in his bedroom and say ‘Fred just stays in there playing video games all day long, it’s like he never existed’ or something like that. I’ll have to bring him in [to the new novel], it has to follow on completely from the novel. That’s the best thing.”

Could Fred perhaps make an appearance in a potential season 3 of Big Little Lies? Moriarty jokes but says: “They can’t put Fred in the show because where was he?”

While we don't yet know if season 3 of the TV series is a-go, we certainly know that Moriarty's sequel novel will definitely go down a treat with fans.

Unlike the series, Moriarty's original novel was set in Sydney's Northern Beaches and not in Monterey County, California. But, as in the series, we follow Jane, Madeline and Celeste as the core group of women who all have young children and start to bond.

With some new characters on the horizon and an all grown up bunch of kids, we can only imagine what Moriarty has in store for the women at the centre of this twisted tale – we can't wait!

Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty is available to purchase now. Big Little Lies is available to stream on NOW.

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