Mark Lamprell is a writer of novels and children’s books published in sixteen countries and twelve languages, including the novels The Full Ridiculous and A Lover’s Guide to Rome. He also works internationally as a writer and director in film, with movie credits including Babe Pig in the City, My Mother Frank, Goddess, A Few Less Men and Never Too Late.
Today, to celebrate the recent release of his novel The Secret Wife, Mark Lamprell is on the blog to take on our Ten Terrifying Questions! Read on …

Mark Lamprell (Photo by Ian & Erick).
1. To begin with, why don’t you tell us a little bit about yourself – where were you born? Raised? Schooled?
I was born in an orphanage in Sydney and won the lottery of life by being adopted into a loving family. I grew up in Sydney and was schooled by the Jesuits.
2. What did you want to be when you were twelve, eighteen and thirty? And why?
At twelve I wanted to be a doctor because my father had died of an asthma attack and I hoped to find a cure for asthma. At eighteen I was studying architecture because it seemed the ideal synthesis of art and science. At thirty I wanted to be a storyteller because that felt like the truest me. I’ve been privileged to do that in film, documentary, novel and picture-book form.
3. What strongly held belief did you have at eighteen that you don’t have now?
That over time people were becoming kinder to each other and the world would naturally evolve towards a perfect version of itself. Ugh. ☹
4. What are three works of art – this could be a book, painting, piece of music, film, etc – that influenced your development as a writer?
My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell. It was the first book that made me laugh out loud; I realised stories could call their readers to action.
The Pietà by Michelangelo. A heart-wrenching masterpiece created by a twenty-four-year-old. Twenty-four! I realised firstly that time is a-ticking and secondly that comparison is the thief of joy. There will always be someone more brilliant than you, but it doesn’t make what you have to offer less valuable.
The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen made me realise the most epic battles could take place in a quiet living room. Life is conflict and conflict is life. Drama is everywhere. It’s the duty of the storyteller to reveal it to the reader/audience and engage them in the experience.
5. Considering the many artistic forms out there, what appeals to you about writing a novel?
Working in movies, I often find myself exhausted by the collaborative process. I have to consider input from producers, directors, studio executives, distributors, exhibitors, marketers and actors. Recently a star sent me eighty-eight pages of script notes about a hundred-and-ten-page screenplay. All that feedback must be taken on board and sometimes I’m left clinging to the thread of the idea that inspired me to write in the first place. For me, novel writing is glorious liberation – it’s just me and the page. Yes, I consider my reader, and the wise counsel of my editor, but it’s a much freer experience.
‘No matter what era, it is never easy to live authentically; there will always be obstacles. The best way to overcome those obstacles is by working together.’
6. Please tell us about your latest novel!
The Secret Wife is set in the 1960s and explores the bond between two ordinary but extraordinary women, Edith and Frankie.
In 1961, on the day that Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human to rocket into outer space, Edith Devine moves into her brand-new suburban home – and meets her new neighbour, Frankie Heyman. Frankie is a glamorous, sophisticated foil to the quiet, clever Edith, and the two housewives become firm friends.
When Frankie’s domineering husband Ralph refuses to let her get a job, Edith hatches a plan to keep her friend’s household running while Frankie secretly goes out to work – and so Edith becomes Frankie’s secret wife.
As Frankie builds a business empire, Edith runs both their homes: dusting, cleaning and cooking her way through the sexual revolution, the summer of love and the second wave of feminism. Throughout the 1960s, the world’s great events seem to be mirrored in the lives of two women – until the day in 1969 when the first humans step out onto the surface of the moon, and Frankie and Edith face a calamitous reckoning …
7. What do you hope people take away with them after reading your work?
Gosh, lots! But here’s the main thing: no matter what era, it is never easy to live authentically; there will always be obstacles. The best way to overcome those obstacles is by working together. We may be flawed and powerless as individuals but once we pull together, we discover our transcendent power.
8. Who do you most admire in the writing world and why?
This expands on an almost daily basis. Right now, it’s Australian writer, Kathryn Heyman. We’re friends but I never knew much about her formative years until I read her extraordinary memoir, Fury. Kathryn suffered mistreatment and endured the kind of injustice that would have destroyed most people, but she resurrected, triumphed and became the hero of her own life. I always thought she was an exceptional human. Now I know what made her so.
9. Many artists set themselves very ambitious goals. What are yours?
Hmm. On a personal level my very ambitious goals are to exercise more, eat well, drink less alcohol and love splendidly. On a professional level I’d love to turn one of my novels into a movie or series so I could explore the same characters and narrative in a different medium. Also, I’d like to direct that movie or series. And if, for example, it happened to be The Lovers’ Guide to Rome, I would like to spend the shoot living in a grand apartment overlooking the Spanish Steps. That’s just in case anyone’s asking.
10. Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?
Nothing wildly original but it probably bears repeating: enshrine writing into your daily activities. Commit to words-per-day or pages-per-day or hours-per-day. Be relentless. Don’t stop until you have a complete manuscript. Also don’t look too far ahead. I spent years not writing a novel because I kept worrying about getting it published; how would I feel if I spent a year writing and it was all for naught? Here’s the thing: no one is going to publish your novel if you don’t write it in the first place. Just get it onto the page, day by day. Focus on the day ahead of you and write, write, write. One more thing: Read. It’s very important to read.
Thank you for playing!
—The Secret Wife by Mark Lamprell (Text Publishing) is out now.

The Secret Wife
In 1961, on the day that Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human to rocket into outer space, Edith Devine moves into her brand-new suburban home-and meets her new neighbour, Frankie Heyman. Frankie is a glamorous, sophisticated foil to the quiet, clever Edith, and the two housewives become firm friends.
Then, when Frankie's domineering husband Ralph refuses to let her get a job, Edith hatches a plan to keep her friend's household running while Frankie secretly goes out to work - and so Edith becomes Frankie's secret wife...
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Midnight With “The Secret Wife”. | Beyond the Flow