Cecelia Ahern is an Irish novelist whose debut novel, PS I Love You was published in 2004, when she was just 23. Her books are now published in over 40 countries and have sold over 25 million copies worldwide. Her latest novel, Into The Storm, was published last month by Harper Collins…
ON HOME I’m such a homebody. I love Ireland. Whenever anyone asks me where my favourite place in the world is, it’s somewhere that has reminded me of home. Th e weather here suits me. I love a bit of rain. I love fresh air. This is where I’m meant to be. I live in Malahide in Dublin, where I was born and bred. It’s a lovely village. When I travel and tell people that I live in the same place I was born, they think it’s very unusual. They can’t believe I live in the same village as my mother and sister and that my kids go to the same school that I went to.
ON FAMILY There are two and a half years between me and my older sister Georgina but I never really felt like there was a big difference. She’d always call me her “big little sis” because she hated doing English essays and she’d slide hers under my door and I’d help her out. She’d say, “thank you, big little sis”. She was better at conversation and being more grown-up and I’d do cartwheels and entertain, but we helped each other out, as if we were the same age. I think that’s a sister thing.
ON ROOTS My dad’s parents are both from Cork. Whenever Cork are playing GAA I support Cork, but we never went there on holidays. Kerry was our place, that’s like my second home and I feel like my roots are there. But family blood is Cork – stubborn, strong, Cork! My mum grew up on Jones’s Road beside Croke Park; both my parents grew up in Drumcondra. I’m all of those places really. I am a mix of everybody. My mum is a Kelly and I think a large part of me is Kelly. The Kellys are eccentric. My daughter told me that I love talking to strangers and my grandma used to do that too.
ON WRITING I write in the attic of my home with lovely light coming in. It’s all white – white desk, walls, shelves, I hate anything to catch my eye. The only colour is from my books and art. The sculptor Orla de Brí is a friend and I love her pieces. I have one that I got instead of an engagement ring. That was what I wanted. From here I can see the sky and the tops of the trees. When I’m writing I always light a Jo Malone Lime, Basil and Mandarin candle. I met Jo Malone on a TV show, and she told me that every time I light the candle I’m triggering my brain, telling it I want it to create, and it immediately opens itself up. It’s nice to have an atmosphere in the room, to make things gentler, so you can just fall into your story.
ON SUCCESS Success is that moment when I’ve done the school run and I come home to a quiet house, put the kettle on, and know there are hours ahead of me to do something I love doing, that I’m going to disappear into this world, and it’s my job. When we were on the set of PS I Love You we went to Whelan’s and my mum came with me and that “Galway Girl” song was playing on a loop and there were loads of extras, a huge crew, excitement on the street, and Hilary Swank was in town, and my mum just looked at me and said, “Look what you started”. I love the way she said that because I didn’t feel that it was my movie, but I did feel then that I had started it.
ON BOOKSHOPS I love getting lost in a bookshop, particularly Malahide Bookshop. Many of my favourite books have ended up being ones that I’ve discovered in a bookshop, taking my time to look through the shelves.
Into The Storm (Harper Collins, €15.99) is out now.
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