The Author Of 'Big Little Lies' Is A Busy Lady & I'm Here For It

If you're one of the millions waiting for the second season of HBO's Big Little Lies, get in line. I came late to the party but watched the entire first season in one sitting. While the story, based on the novel by Liane Moriarty, wrapped up nicely, viewers still wanted to know what happens next — hence Season 2. So is Big Little Lies Season 2 based on a book as well? It looks like the author was a big part of the next seven episodes — but not in the way you might think.

It turns out Moriarty did not write a sequel to the first book. However, she did write novellas that turned into the basis for Season 2 scripts. Creator, David E. Kelly, initially said he didn't want a second season of Big Little Lies — until talks of Meryl Streep came to play. She'll be a large part of Season 2, playing Perry's mother who's looking for answers about his death.

"Liane [Moriarty] wrote a novella of stories, and most of them we're using," Kelly told the Hollywood Reporter. "But the genius one was introducing this character who's being played by Meryl Streep. It's a delicious character and I felt bringing her in was both liberating and daunting."

Moriarty's book of the same name hit worldwide success, but it wasn't her first book. She'd already written and published Three Wishes, The Last Anniversary, What Alice Forgot, The Hypnotists Love Story, and The Husband’s Secret — which became a number one New York Times bestseller within two weeks of its release, and remained on the list in the top 10 for over a year. It's no wonder BLL hit as hard as it did. According to her website, the Big Little Lies book debuted at number one on the same list "making Liane the first Australian author to have a novel debut in the top spot in the US." That's when stars of the show, Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon, scooped the film and TV rights and created the show with Kelly for HBO. Since then, it's won multiple Emmys, including Best Limited Series and best actress for Kidman in her role as Celeste — which she totally deserves if you ask me.

The story told in the original book may have tied the ends just so, but Season 2 still comes from the mind of Moriarty. "We go a lot deeper with different characters' emotional arcs this year," Kelly told E! News. "I think the invitation of fun and entertainment will still be there, but definitely an emotional roller coaster ride."

Moriarty said she created Perry's mother with Streep in mind, hoping to add to the shows multiple layers. "I think with any show, with season one you introduce the characters and season two allows you to go so much further…and of course there's the ramifications of what happened at the end of season one," she said.

If it sounds like the dream team of actors, creators and crew might come back for a Season 3, don't get your hopes up. "We wrote season two as if this were the end," Kelley said. Am I allowed to boo?

So maybe Big Little Lies Season 2 isn't based on a book, but it was still created from the author's mind. To me, it's the same thing, except in a tighter, more compact way. If you're a fan of BLL, I'd suggest checking out any of Moriarty's other books to fill the void when your next seven episodes ends. And don't worry — Kidman already snagged film and TV rights to her latest, Nine Perfect Strangers. The crew will be together again — just in a different form.