Meet Lisa Moule author of The Mother of All Calamities

In our debut spotlight series, we introduce you to your next favourite authors. This month, meet Lisa Moule!

ABOUT LISA

A&U: Who are you?

LM: My name is Lisa Moule.

A&U: What was your favourite book or author growing up?

LM: My parents read me The Faraway Tree along with The Magic Pudding. I also loved Fantastic Mr Fox.

A&U: What did you want to be when you were a child?

LM: I’ve been chasing the thrill of an audience ever since I impersonated my teachers at the Grade 4 camp concert. That chase continued throughout high school where I decided I wanted to be an actor.

It wasn’t until very recently, in my 40s, that I considered writing to be something that I really wanted to do or something I could do.

A&U: What is your Roman Empire? (A thing you think about far too often). 

LM: The tension between freedom and plot. Unreliable narrators. And, is the villain really the hero?

A&U: If you could travel anywhere in the world instantly, where would you go? 

LM: Western Papua. I hear its beautifully untouched and the snorkelling is like the good old days of the Barrier Reef. Also, Spain. I went there in my 20s and never made it back. Also, I’ve never been to Japan, and I love that they’re not obsessed with America like the rest of the world, they’re so distinctly themselves. But at this stage I really just want to get out of my house, so I’ll take anywhere. I want both urban chaos and natural beauty.

A&U: What are you reading right now or looking forward to reading this year? 

LM: Currently reading: Iluka by Cassie Stroud, The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O’Farrell, The Virgin Suicides, Jeffrey Eugenides. And – oh my god – I’ve just discovered Claire Keegan. I’m not sure how I’ve been spending my time without her. There will always be a before and after to this.

ABOUT WRITING

A&U: Tell us about your writing journey; did you always want to be an author? 

LM: Not always. For most of my life I was an actor, and I never thought that would change, but now I’m obsessed with writing. I guess the reality dug in after my thirties. I was so tired of going up for car commercials knowing I’d never get them. I don’t look car-perfect like that.

I began writing as a way of releasing frustration – a type of long form bitching – I found it to be very satisfying! Then I realised when I was people watching I’d been imagining backstory all the time and I’d finally found a use for it. I hadn’t fully realised my own thoughts until I began writing, and that was a revelation. It was like opening a pomegranate and teasing out the seeds.

I did a short course, then a degree at RMIT, and by the end of that I was utterly hooked, getting up very early to unleash everything on the page and spending the rest of the day in a haze taking notes.

After finishing at RMIT, I was lucky enough to get two agent offers in one day, I couldn’t believe it. It felt like two car commercials. Then my agent Samuel Bernard at Zeitgeist, pitched my work to A&U and the rest is history. The process has been a dream, and I am so happy at A&U.

A&U: Tell us about your writing process. Are you a planner, pantser – something in between?

LM: A lot of the joy comes from writing in the moment, which is like being on stage in a flow state. All the planning is done afterwards, when I’m making dinner or on a walk by the river, and even sometimes in my sleep. Once I’m in there my brain doesn’t stop.

Photo credit: Loretta Paine

A&U: Did you have a writing playlist for your book, and if so, what was on it?

LM: I didn’t have a playlist but very often songs came to me when I’m thinking about certain characters. For example, one of my characters, Estelle, is driving in the hills while she’s stoned to ‘April Sun in Cuba’.

A&U: Do you have any special quirks when you write? (A certain mug you must use, a candle you have to light etc.). 

LM: Candles work for me, especially if it’s before sunrise. Bush Magic is a favourite. Scent is transformative and can help me to find a relaxed and joyful headspace.

A&U: If you could give some words of wisdom to yourself from when you first started writing this book, what would it be? 

LM: Go with what makes you laugh. Write into the grey area. Do it for yourself. Persist.

ABOUT THE BOOK

A&U: Where did the initial spark of inspiration for The Mother of all Calamities come from? 

LM: Seeing and feeling how hard it was to be a parent. Hearing the struggles that others went through, even when they disguised it so well.

There was a particular moment that captured my attention: A teacher I knew told me about when she asked a grade one child a question and the child said, ‘Just a minute, I’m talking at the moment.’ And I thought that was pretty audacious.

It’s currently a very difficult time to be a parent. With the advent of technology, the landscape is in flux, and our ideas on what makes an acceptable parent are changing constantly. Parents are scared, teachers are scared, grandparents are confused, and children, in some ways they’re better off and in other ways they’re victims of the moment. It’s interesting to see the results of a culture that values and revers childhood. There’s also an interesting fine line between self-worth and entitlement.

A&U: Share a little bit about your journey to publishing your book. Were you querying for a while? Or did it all happen very fast?

LM: It took quite a few months of waiting, which almost killed me, but I understand this is considered only seconds in publishing years.

My agent took it to a few publishers at a time, and I did get a few rejections, and I had a moment after my third rejection when I thought that it wouldn’t get published but then there was a flurry.

A&U: Is there anything about the publishing process that has really surprised you?

LM: As previously mentioned, I’ve been surprised at how slowly everything works in the publishing industry. It’s taken years to get from the pitch to the published stage. It’s like being two years pregnant. I’m also amazed that so much of the industry is reliant on volunteers. Plus, I’m astonished at the number of professionals it takes to produce a book.

A&U: Is there a part of The Mother of All Calamities that made you cry, laugh, or scream while writing it?

LM: I laughed a lot when I wrote the character Tom. He’s such a lazy idiot, I really enjoyed writing his emails! They came out very easily.

I also love writing chaotic scenes. There’s one particular scene with a bunch of little boys who stay the night at one of the protagonist’s houses, and they are totally out of control. The scene initially went on a lot longer and I had to edit it right back I was enjoying the debacle so much.

A&U: What is one thing you would like people to take away from reading The Mother of All Calamities?

LM: Essentially, my wish would be for people to feel more able to open up to each other about their parenting experiences and recognise that they are not alone. Honesty and vulnerability have the power to build stronger connections.

I’d also love for readers to feel compassion, both for themselves and for others, in reading this story.

The Mother of All Calamities by Lisa Moule is available

now from your book retailer of choice.

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The Mother of All Calamities

by Lisa Moule

A relatable, humorous and heartfelt take on contemporary parenting culture, exposing the cracks behind the Instagram gloss.

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