Q&A: Lisa Moule, Author of The Mother of All Calamities

Tell us a bit about your debut novel The Mother of All Calamities.

The Mother of All Calamities is a satirical take on the parenting culture and the false perceptions we have of other people. In Greengully, the perfect suburb with perfect parents, nothing is quite as it seems. Chrissy, the teacher who always has the answers, can’t understand why her clueless male colleague just scored the job she deserved. Jenny, the perennial class mum, is desperate to hide her son’s escalating behaviour from the other parents. Estelle insists her daughter Harmony is a delight—despite mounting evidence to the contrary. And Viv, the quiet one, carries a secret so dark it could destroy everything she loves. As friendships strain and facades crack, the school year exposes the lies we tell ourselves and the masks we wear for others.

Where did the inspiration for The Mother of all Calamities come from?

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 reveres childhood. There’s also an interesting fine line between self-worth and entitlement.

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

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.

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

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.

What are you reading right now or looking forward to reading this year?

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.

Buy a copy of The Mother of All Calamities here.