Cecelia Ahern

BIO

Before she embarked on her writing career, Cecelia Ahern completed a degree in journalism and media communications. At 21, she wrote her first novel, P.S. I LOVE YOU, which became an international bestseller and was adapted into a major motion picture, starring Hilary Swank. Her successive novels --- LOVE, ROSIE; IF YOU COULD SEE ME NOW; and THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HERE --- were also international bestsellers. Her books are published in 46 countries and have collectively sold more than 10 million copies. She is also the cocreator of the hit ABC comedy series "Samantha Who?", starring Christina Applegate. The daughter of Ireland's former prime minister, Ahern lives in Dublin, Ireland.

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AUTHOR TALK

January 2006

Inspired by her fascination with children and their imaginary friends, bestselling author Cecelia Ahern has written IF YOU COULD SEE ME NOW, her third novel in less than two years. In this interview Ahern explores her recurring themes of self-discovery and self-healing, and underscores the sense of universality she wishes to convey to her audience. She also comes to terms with the "fairy tale" label placed on her books and attempts to pick a "favorite" amongst them.

Question: Your novels have been described as modern fairy tales. Do you agree?

Cecelia Ahern: It was a phrase I had to think about for some time before eventually accepting it. My opinion of a fairy tale was of a story that lacked realism, in which female characters are "rescued" by men, whisked off their feet from the boredom of their mundane lives, proposed to, and brought to a castle where they would live happily ever after. This is not the case with my books. I want them to be about strong women. They are about real people with ordinary, everyday struggles who are faced with having to embark on a journey of self-discovery.

As soon as my characters begin to grasp who they are, and how and why it is that they've reached this point in their lives, then they realize they must heal themselves. Self-healing is extremely important in my stories, and while there are strong male characters in the books, they aren't the handsome princes that have come to save the day. Their role is to help the characters help themselves. People learn about themselves through interaction and through their relationships with others; obviously nobody can do it alone, so the love interests are instrumental in helping the characters look at themselves and their own behavior but then eventually helping themselves.

How a good fairy tale will make you feel after you've finished it is full of hope --- the hope that no matter what we're faced with, we can get through it. While the books don't always end on a "happily ever after" note, they do reach a point where they realize they have the strength, confidence, and ability to continue. And that is the modern twist.

Q: There is a mystical quality to this book with the character of Ivan. What led you to creating this character?

CA: I'm very interested in the idea that we are not alone on this earth. I write books about lives, and in our lives are men, women, children, animals, and the others we feel around us. I'm aware that many people are turned off when this subject is broached but it's as simple as when, after losing a loved one, people openly admit to feeling that their loved ones are still with them. I toyed with that idea in PS, I LOVE YOU, in which Gerry maintains contact with Holly after he dies through a series of letters he had left behind, and then I went one step more with IF YOU COULD SEE ME NOW.

I'm intrigued by the idea that children of a certain age suddenly begin to have imaginary friends without knowing that a similar thing is happening all around the world. It also intrigues me that as adults, we are so high and mighty to think that our children aren't in fact seeing someone that we just don't see. What makes us so sure that we are right?

Children believe so intently that there is somebody with them. Extra places must be set at the dinner table, doors must be kept open, etc. To children, it's real. In talking to people who used to have imaginary friends, I was so excited to hear that they could remember what they looked like. These people actually had an image of a friend, not just an invisible space and a made-up name.

I wanted to write about this kind of unusual character who is seen by some people and not by others --- and the people who do see him are those who aren't believed and trusted quite yet in their young lives. I wanted to investigate how this would impact his life. I wanted to question what it is to be human if you're only recognized by a small proportion of people and considered invisible by the others.

Ivan is considered by the world to be an "imaginary friend," but to himself and others like him, he is merely a normal person who walks, talks, lives, and breathes. He's also simply in the business of making friends and guiding children during an important time in their lives.

IF YOU COULD SEE ME NOW is as much about Ivan as it is about Elizabeth. He is as lost in his life as she is. His role is to be there for others, to get so close to them that he knows everything about them, and then put himself through the preparation of leaving them again. Nothing in his life is solid, not even the belief in his existence, and I so much wanted to examine a wonderful character like this. His meeting Elizabeth was a joy to work on as we could see him learning more about who he is, what he wants in life, and where he wants to go. Ivan is one of my favorite characters that I've created so far.

Q: One of the themes of IF YOU COULD SEE ME NOW is letting go, and the same can be said for both your other novels, but in different ways. What draws you to this theme?

CA: I suppose I'm drawn to the idea of people in the world who don't know very much about themselves --- of people who are afraid to find out about who they are, what they really want, and where they really want to be. As a result of his unawareness, you get trapped in a world and in a life that you're not satisfied with. Elizabeth, for example, carries out the daily routine of life in order to maintain control, because to change --- to step out of the box --- would cause her to question why she is the way she is, and then she would have to deal with the consequences. It's easier for her to ignore the big questions and concentrate on the mundane. I think that people often become distracted by who they think they are supposed to be instead of being who they really are.

In my books, we meet the characters who, as a result of various consequences, are forced to question themselves. Discovering who they are allows them to let go of all the weight on their shoulders and finally move on. A certain freedom comes to those who know who they are and what they believe in, because when you let go, it's easier to move on.

Q: So much has happened in your career since the publication of PS, I LOVE YOU... Please fill us in!

CA: Since writing PS, I LOVE YOU, I've embarked on a series of crazy promotional tours all around the world. I released ROSIE DUNNE, which also reached number one in Ireland, the UK, and Germany, and I was lucky and extremely grateful to win a Corine Award for it in Munich in September. I wrote many short stories and contributed to many anthologies around the world. PS, I LOVE YOU is still in pre-production stages with Warner Bros., and I'm very excited that the option was renewed and plans are still to go ahead. IF YOU COULD SEE ME NOW was recently bought by Disney to be made into a musical starring Hugh Jackman, which I'm very excited about; I'm a huge fan of musicals (and Hugh Jackman!).

I've had two years of wonderful opportunities, doing what I love to do for a living. I've traveled to many countries where I've met great people who have fantastic words to say about my books and interesting stories to share. It's all been a fabulous experience, which is very important; but most importantly, I feel my writing has taken a great leap --- I'm more passionate about books and writing than ever, and I'm very excited to see where my new years of experience will take me!

Q: How do you think life in Dublin shapes your stories?

CA: I always say that it really isn't important where my books are set because their themes are so universal: the characters could be you, your best friend, or your neighbor. I don't think that slight culture changes really affect people's enjoyment of the novels, nor do they alter the cores of the stories. PS, I LOVE YOU was set in the suburbs and ROSIE DUNNE took place in Dublin city. However, the hearts of the stories were of a grieving widow and, in ROSIE DUNNE, a single mother with a secret love --- both of which can be understood practically everywhere. They do, however, contain typical Irish humor: whenever something negative happens, there is always somebody quick with a smart remark to relax the mood.

In IF YOU COULD SEE ME NOW, Ireland plays an important role. Set in Co. Kerry, a beautiful county in the southwest of Ireland, it's a place full of color and magic. My family and I vacation there every year, and I have many memories of it. I felt it was perfect for the story of IF YOU COULD SEE ME NOW, as it's almost like another character. In each scene in the book, the weather, the setting, the mountains, lakes, trees, and wild flowers all help set the tone. It's full of color: when weather is windy and raining, it's dramatic and so it's perfect for Ivan's playful nature and Elizabeth's feeling of being suffocated in such a small (fictional) town where everybody knows everybody's else's business. Yet, while it is clearly set in Ireland, again, the story is a universal one of two lost souls coming together to find themselves. That can happen whatever corner of the world you're in, rolling green hills or no rolling green hills.

Q: Do you have a favorite of the three you've written thus far? If so, which one, and why? If not, how do you feel about each?

CA: PS, I LOVE YOU will always be very special to me for obvious reasons. It's the book that started it all off for me. It made me see how getting trapped in a world of characters I've created can give me and others so much joy. I think PS, I LOVE YOU is the kind of story that led people to write to me and let me know that they've been through similar circumstances. Grief is something we all have to experience; it's something we all have to struggle to deal with, and so it's a story that thankfully touched not only my heart but others' hearts too.

ROSIE DUNNE was a joy to write. After working so intensely on PS, I LOVE YOU, I wanted to try something so very different, which I think I achieved. It was a challenge to write it in the format that I wrote it in, and I'm glad that it was successful. Rosie, as a character, is so different from Holly, and I fell in love with her. But while writing IF YOU COULD SEE ME NOW, the same feelings I had while writing PS came back to me. Because I returned to the usual format, this book seemed to flow more naturally, and Ivan became a favorite character. I loved the bright Kerry summer setting, as well as Ivan's attitude toward life and the magical feel of the book. I loved its positivity and all the possibilities it discussed. I liked broadening the boundaries and writing about a realistic world, but one in which all the laws and rules of the universe are changed. That theme is something I felt I connected with more than anything else I'd worked on, and I have taken that concept to my fourth book too.

Unlike working all night on PS, I LOVE YOU, I worked all day, during the light bright hours, on IF YOU COULD SEE ME NOW. From the moment I started writing it, I was so excited for people to read it. And now the time has come! Although in saying that, every book I'm working on at any time is always my favorite, and the fourth book I'm currently writing is by far the best...

Copyright © 2006 Cecelia Ahern. All rights reserved.

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