Cecelia Ahern -- April 6-10

[Bethanne]

Let's give a big Center Stage welcome to Cecelia Ahern, here to chat about her wonderfully fun books and to tell us about her latest, Thanks for the Memories. 

Before embarking onher writing career, Ahern completed a degree in journalism and mediacommunications. At 21 she wrote her first novel P.S. I Love You, which became an international bestseller andwas adapted into a major motion picture starring Hilary Swank. Her successivenovels Love, Rosie; If You Could See Me Now; and There’s No Place Like Here were alsointernational bestsellers. Her books are published in forty-six countries andhave collectively sold more than ten million copies. She is also the co-creatorof the hit ABC comedy series "SamanthaWho?" starring Christina Applegate. The daughter of Ireland’s formerprime minister, Ahern lives in Dublin, Ireland.

[Cecelia_Ahern]

Hello everybody - just thought I'd pop in and say hello and let you know that I'm here and looking forward to answering your questions on absolutely anything you want!

Talk to you all soon, Cecelia 

---

Bethanne wrote:

Let's give a big Center Stage welcome to Cecelia Ahern, here to chat about her wonderfully fun books and to tell us about her latest, Thanks for the Memories. 

Before embarking onher writing career, Ahern completed a degree in journalism and mediacommunications. At 21 she wrote her first novel P.S. I Love You, which became an international bestseller andwas adapted into a major motion picture starring Hilary Swank. Her successivenovels Love, Rosie; If You Could See Me Now; and There’s No Place Like Here were alsointernational bestsellers. Her books are published in forty-six countries andhave collectively sold more than ten million copies. She is also the co-creatorof the hit ABC comedy series "SamanthaWho?" starring Christina Applegate. The daughter of Ireland’s formerprime minister, Ahern lives in Dublin, Ireland.

---

Cecelia  

[Bethanne]

---

Cecelia_Ahern wrote:

Hello everybody - just thought I'd pop in and say hello and let you know that I'm here and looking forward to answering your questions on absolutely anything you want!

Talk to you all soon, Cecelia 

---

Bethanne wrote:

Let's give a big Center Stage welcome to Cecelia Ahern, here to chat about her wonderfully fun books and to tell us about her latest, Thanks for the Memories. 

Before embarking onher writing career, Ahern completed a degree in journalism and mediacommunications. At 21 she wrote her first novel P.S. I Love You, which became an international bestseller andwas adapted into a major motion picture starring Hilary Swank. Her successivenovels Love, Rosie; If You Could See Me Now; and There’s No Place Like Here were alsointernational bestsellers. Her books are published in forty-six countries andhave collectively sold more than ten million copies. She is also the co-creatorof the hit ABC comedy series "SamanthaWho?" starring Christina Applegate. The daughter of Ireland’s formerprime minister, Ahern lives in Dublin, Ireland.

---

Hello Cecelia! So glad to "meet" you. I finished your new novel last Friday, and I've got loads of questions for you -- but I don't want to hog all of the space from Center Stage visitors. So I'll start small...

WHERE did you get the quirky, intriguing, and nearly magical idea for your plot? I'll allow you to reveal only as much as you'd like to -- but think it's accurate to call it "quirky, intriguing, and nearly magical" -- do you?

Thanks for being here!

Bethanne, your moderator 

Cecelia  

---

[LaurenG11]

Hi! Thanks for taking the time to answer all of our questions!

I finished "Thanks for the Memories" a few weeks ago (got it while in London) and really enjoyed it! I was wondering what made you bring the magical elements into your books. The first two dealt primarily with relationships, whereas the later three, including this one, had more of a magic feel (imaginary friend, city of lost things, and a connection - don't want to say too much for those who haven't read it). What made you think to add the magic? 

I think, in hard times, it's nice to have books that leave us feeling like anything is possible. Your books definitely do that!

[Paul_Hochman]

Hi Cecelia,

What did you think of the film adaptation of P.S. I Love You? The movie certainly sold a lot of books, which is always a good thing!

Thanks!

Best,

Paul

[Cecelia_Ahern]

Hi Bethanne, yes it certainly is quite quirky, intriguing and magical, I'll take all those words as a compliment! I was watching a commercial on television one day and they were talking about the six degrees of separation, you know how we're all connected in so many ways without realising it, and the image they showed was of blood going through a tube and into somebody's vein. It struck me at that moment how it was such an intimate act, how the blood that once rushed around somebody's body could be help save somebody else's life. I thought the fact that it came directly from a heart and then to another, was also quite a romantic thing. So that one image sent my imagination racing on how two people could be connected through a transfusion. How much of who we are is carried in our blood, our passions, our desires, our memories. All of these things are given to the recipient of the donor "Joyce" and she immediately feels connected to her donor. A once lonely and lost woman she suddenly feels connected to somebody else. She wants to find who they are and thank them for all the new memories he has both shared with her and through saving her, has allowed her to make. It's definitely a romantic story. 

---

Bethanne wrote:

---

Cecelia_Ahern wrote:

Hello everybody - just thought I'd pop in and say hello and let you know that I'm here and looking forward to answering your questions on absolutely anything you want!

Talk to you all soon, Cecelia 

---

Bethanne wrote:

Let's give a big Center Stage welcome to Cecelia Ahern, here to chat about her wonderfully fun books and to tell us about her latest, Thanks for the Memories. 

Before embarking onher writing career, Ahern completed a degree in journalism and mediacommunications. At 21 she wrote her first novel P.S. I Love You, which became an international bestseller andwas adapted into a major motion picture starring Hilary Swank. Her successivenovels Love, Rosie; If You Could See Me Now; and There’s No Place Like Here were alsointernational bestsellers. Her books are published in forty-six countries andhave collectively sold more than ten million copies. She is also the co-creatorof the hit ABC comedy series "SamanthaWho?" starring Christina Applegate. The daughter of Ireland’s formerprime minister, Ahern lives in Dublin, Ireland.

---

Hello Cecelia! So glad to "meet" you. I finished your new novel last Friday, and I've got loads of questions for you -- but I don't want to hog all of the space from Center Stage visitors. So I'll start small...

WHERE did you get the quirky, intriguing, and nearly magical idea for your plot? I'll allow you to reveal only as much as you'd like to -- but think it's accurate to call it "quirky, intriguing, and nearly magical" -- do you?

Thanks for being here!

Bethanne, your moderator 

Cecelia  

---

---

[Cecelia_Ahern]

Hello Lauren, thank you so much.

It's not that I've deliberately gone down the "magical" route but I'm extremely pulled to writing about possibilities. I love hearing theories, I love asking "what if..." Part of why I love writing is that it brings me to a whole new world, I can escape into a world that's not mine and I can really create characters and worlds that are totally unique. I also think that when we are happy in our lives, we don't really ask questions, we just live life feeling happy and content. It's only when we are struck by tragedy or when we're feeling lost that we start to search. At the beginning of my novels we see how the main characters have really hit the lowest points in their life; they are lost, they are confused, they are questioning. I believe that when we are lost we will search almost anywhere to find answers, when we are unhappy we are more open and will believe in things we never would have believed in before, and it's through going on these extraordinary "magical" adventures that we discover our true selves and our strengths.

It's important to me to maintain a balance in my novels. Although I'm writing about extraordinary situations, my characters always remain ordinary people. I think that readers will be able to identify with the characters because of their emotions. Emotions are what tie us all together so whether we have experienced the situation or not, we have most certainly experienced how the character has felt.

---

LaurenG11 wrote:

Hi! Thanks for taking the time to answer all of our questions!

I finished "Thanks for the Memories" a few weeks ago (got it while in London) and really enjoyed it! I was wondering what made you bring the magical elements into your books. The first two dealt primarily with relationships, whereas the later three, including this one, had more of a magic feel (imaginary friend, city of lost things, and a connection - don't want to say too much for those who haven't read it). What made you think to add the magic? 

I think, in hard times, it's nice to have books that leave us feeling like anything is possible. Your books definitely do that!

---

[Cecelia_Ahern]

Hi Paul,

I absolutely adored the film adaptation of PS I Love You. I was so so proud of the film. I wasn't involved in the screenplay so I was aware from the very beginning that it was going to be somebody else's interpretation of my story and it could be very different. All that was important to me was that the tone and the heart of the story would be captured, and it most certainly was. Richard LaGravenese who wrote and directed the film did a wonderful job. What people loved about the book was that they could laugh on one page and cry in the other, and Richard kept that wondeful balance by making people laugh at one scene and crying at another. The cast was an absolute dream cast. The incredibly talented Hilary Swank was a wonderful and beautiful "Holly", Gerard Butler was so much like the "Gerry" I had imagined that I felt like I was talking to a ghost at times. Lisa Kudrow, Kathy Bates, Harry Connick Jr, Jeffery Dean Morgan and Gina Gershon...wow what a cast, I'm an extremely lucky girl! Because it was optioned by an American company, I naturally assumed that it would be set in the US but I was delighted that even a part of the film was brought to Ireland. Of course there are changes in the story but I think that's only natural. Film adaptation is an art and you cannot have a story as you see it on the pages, exactly the same on the screen. It's impossible. 

I've seen the film nine times in many different languages and I've cried every single time. It's a very special story for me.  

---

PaulH wrote:

Hi Cecelia,

What did you think of the film adaptation of P.S. I Love You? The movie certainly sold a lot of books, which is always a good thing!

Thanks!

Best,

Paul

---

[sara20]

Hi Cecelia,

Firstly, have loved all your novels! Secondly, how do you see the romantic comedy novel faring during the recession? I imagine it will thrive because women will be looking for escapism. Are your 'older' heroines as popular as the younger ones? Being an oldy myself, I'd like to think my knight was hiding round the corner

Many thanks, Sara X

[Cecelia_Ahern]

Hi Sara,

Thanks so much for your question and for reading all of my books!

I think that regardless of the economic time, the most wonderful thing about books is that they have the power to whisk you away, like a great big tornado, and plonk you into a totally different world, simply by opening a few pages.  Whether you're crammed on a subway in the morning on the way to work, or you're a busy mother who finally gets a second to yourself in the evening. Books are magical in that way.

And while many of my novels have been love stories, the thread which joins them all together is that they've been about women who go on journeys of self-discovery, of self-healing. Particularly in Thanks for the Memories, Joyce has a tragic accident and is forced to look at herself and make some changes. Though I deal with sadness, it's important to me to balance the sadness with humour. While often the novels are dark, I like to bring them towards light, and when my characters start out without hope, I bring them to a place where they finally feel hopeful. It's important to me to have a positive outlook - if we have hope then we can get through almost anything and usually we come out of those difficult times as better, stronger people.

I think that with all the negativity that's hanging around the world, it's important to surround ourselves with hope and positive thinking.

So yes, Sara, I do hope that this book will provide escapism for people. And you're never ever too old to believe in love!

Thanks again, 

Cecelia  

---

sara20 wrote:

Hi Cecelia,

Firstly, have loved all your novels! Secondly, how do you see the romantic comedy novel faring during the recession? I imagine it will thrive because women will be looking for escapism. Are your 'older' heroines as popular as the younger ones? Being an oldy myself, I'd like to think my knight was hiding round the corner

Many thanks, Sara X

---

[Popper19]

Cecelia -

I can't believe I haven't read any of your books yet, I definitely plan on it after reading more about them - first up P.S. I Love You.  I do love the show Samantha Who though and am wondering where you got the idea for it?  Are you involved in all of the episodes creations?  Were you involved in selecting the cast? 

Thanks!!

Becky

[bibliophil]

Hi, Cecelia -- just joined in to add my thanks for the enjoyment I've had reading your lovely books. I first read PS, I Love You in "Reader's Digest Select Editions", a great way to meet the works of authors, & became an instant fan. Now I can't wait to read Thanks for the Memories.

A "?" for fellow scribblers: Can you tell us a bit about how you work out your plots? (E.g., do you have your own special system, different from the texts that discuss plotting...?)

Again, thanks so much for such wonderful writing! Both my parents were "sea-divided gaels", & I'm a 1st generation American who loves Ireland as well as books.

[LaurenG11]

Thanks for answering my question! I really like what you said, about how you maintain a balance in your books. The real emotions are very relatable.

I have another question, if you don't mind. (I've been reading your books since PS I Love You came out, so this is kind of exciting for me!)

How do you create your characters so vividly? Especially in this last book - I adored the father, he was a wonderful character who I could completely see. Was he based off anyone in particular? Is there a part of you in Joyce, or in your previous female leads? 

Also, not related, are any of your other books being  made into films? I heard rumor that "If You Could See Me Now" might be. Which books would you like to be made into films?

[Cecelia_Ahern]

Hi there, thanks so much for the lovely compliment.

I always find that the best thing to do is stay away from the "rules" of writing. Storytelling is a natural thing, if you understand your story and your characters, you really know how to tell it the best way yourself. Often novels that break all the conventional rules end up being my favourite novels. I find that listening to the characters is the most important thing - this might sound odd but they will always know themselves, better than you, and sometimes when you want to send them down a certain path, they'll fight it because they're not ready yet or it's just not right for the story. It's very important to let your story and your characters breathe. 

How I write my novels: I always come up with the idea for my novels first, and then I think about what kind of characters would find themselves in that situation, what kind of character "fits" and by that I mean, can there be enough conflict, can they go on enough of a journey, is their room for them to change and grow and learn. I always know how I want to end the novel, so that is a huge help while writing a novel. I'll also know various scenes or conversations that I want to happen during the book and really it's just a matter of piecing them all together, or more like making sure they all flow together seamlessly. I find that sometimes the spontaneous chapters are always the ones I really pour myself into more, and the ideas that I've planned for months never quite live up to the excitement, as I've already lived them in my head over and over before I even wrote them. Sometimes you can really over-structure a story. I love to write longhand and feel that the words flow so much more naturally rather than typing. This helps the flow of the story for me. I write a chapter, then type a chapter and edit as I go along. I don't force myself to write a certain amount of words per day, I don't even write everyday - I'm an all or nothing kind of writer. I spend a lot of time allowing it to build in my mind, I work it through and then when it's ready I write it in a complete frenzy during the night. This system really works for me.

I hope that answers your question!

Thanks again.    

---

bibliophil wrote:

Hi, Cecelia -- just joined in to add my thanks for the enjoyment I've had reading your lovely books. I first read PS, I Love You in "Reader's Digest Select Editions", a great way to meet the works of authors, & became an instant fan. Now I can't wait to read Thanks for the Memories.

A "?" for fellow scribblers: Can you tell us a bit about how you work out your plots? (E.g., do you have your own special system, different from the texts that discuss plotting...?)

Again, thanks so much for such wonderful writing! Both my parents were "sea-divided gaels", & I'm a 1st generation American who loves Ireland as well as books.

---

[Cecelia_Ahern]

You can ask as many questions as you like!

I'm so glad you like "Henry,"  Joyce's father. I adore him too, he fast became my favourite character in the book and I loved writing every single word about him and every word he spoke. I cried so much when I finished the novel because I found it hard to say goodbye to him.

As I explained when answering somebody else's question, I always come up with my ideas first and then I create the characters, but this is not the case with Henry. I had him in mind for a very different idea, he was actually the star of a different story. However, I decided that I didn't want to take that idea any further but his character stayed with me. When I came up with the idea for Thanks for the Memories I decided to take Henry from the idea that didn't feel complete enough to work on, and I allowed him to live in this story instead. I'm delighted I did that because I really think he steals the show!

Around an area in Dublin, called Drumcondra there is what's called The Monday Club. It's a place where men and women of a certain age gather together for drinks and a sing-song. I met a lovely man who attended this club every monday and he told me that he was "going to the Monday Club on Tuesday night...on account of the bank holiday." This phrase just really stuck with me and from that one sentence, Henry was born. I wanted everything he said to have that kind of a feel, to sound wrong but to be actually right. To sometimes say silly offensive things but not mean it a word of it because he means it in a good way. I injected a little of the essence of my partner's grandfather who used to say things like "Lolly for Dolly," when somebody came into money, or "Ask Maggie" when he didn't know the answer to something. I also remembered how much my Grandfather loved crosswords and would spend all day working his way through a book of puzzles.

Henry isn't one person but he's made up of the essence of a few people that I love. Despite winding Joyce up on occasion, he always seems to calm a situation. He brings humour into the difficult moments and has a wonderful way of seeing the world. It's then that I decided to give him that lovely rhythm of having one leg slightly shorter than the other so that when he walks he's going up and down, side to side, which really calms Joyce everytime she looks at him.

To answer your other questions: There is a part of me in all of my characters, whether they're men, women or children. They come from my imagination and for the year that I spend working with them, I inhabit their heads and try to see the world from their point of view. I think I have a lot in common with the female characters who are on their journeys of self-discovery, I suppose I write about that because that's how I see my journey in life. We are always growing, changing and learning something. We get knocked back by things and pick ourselves up again. I'm fascinated by the human spirit and so I can definitely identify with those characters. Every emotion they experience is an emotion I've experienced. 

Finally, to answer your question about which of my books have been optioned: All of them have been optioned now. Rosie Dunne is with Canyon Creek Films, If You Could See Me Now is with Gold Circle and Simon Brooks Productions, There's No Place Like Here was optioned by Warren Littlefield for Touchstone TV and Thanks for the Memories has just recently been optioned by Parallel Films - the incredible company behind Breakfast at Pluto and Intermissin. I'm extremely excited about all of them.  

Thanks for your questions.    

---

LaurenG11 wrote:

Thanks for answering my question! I really like what you said, about how you maintain a balance in your books. The real emotions are very relatable.

I have another question, if you don't mind. (I've been reading your books since PS I Love You came out, so this is kind of exciting for me!)

How do you create your characters so vividly? Especially in this last book - I adored the father, he was a wonderful character who I could completely see. Was he based off anyone in particular? Is there a part of you in Joyce, or in your previous female leads? 

Also, not related, are any of your other books being  made into films? I heard rumor that "If You Could See Me Now" might be. Which books would you like to be made into films?

---

[Cecelia_Ahern]

Hi Becky, 

Samantha Who? came about with great thanks to PS I Love You. Amy Hartwick, VP of Comedy Development in ABC had read PS I Love You and loved the idea and the characters and she got in touch and asked me if I'd be interested in writing a television show for them. I was so excited I said yes straight away.

I had to be aware of why Amy came to me - she liked my style and my voice. My stories are about people who have been through something tragic in their lives and as a result go on journeys of self-discovery, they are constantly learning about themselves and I was trying to think of how I could sustain this on a weekly basis. That's when I came up with the idea of creating a character who didn't know anything about themselves and so every week they had to discover something about themselves whether it's what they like to eat, or who their family are. The twist was that Samantha has retrograde amnesia and she discovers that she was a really awful person. I loved the idea of her waking up as a good honest person to discover she's been horrendous to absolutely everybody she's ever met, including family and her boyfriend. I thought that not knowing who you were last week could introduce so much comedy material but it also carries a good message about trying to be a good person. People who are bad don't necessarily know that they are, Samantha is given a second chance to really change who she is. 

I created this idea with Donald Todd and he is really responsible for its success and its weekly episodes. He's running the show and keeping it all going. I created the characters and story and the fantastic team of writers are taking a good idea and making it better. I'm a producer on the show and so I get to see all the scripts, outlines and the shows before they go out but really at this stage there is such a fantastic team working on it that they know exactly what they're doing! Christina Applegate, Jean Smart, Kevin Dunn, Barry Watson, Jennifer Esposito, Melissa McCarthy and Tim Russ are all so amazing, I'm so proud of the show.   

Thanks for your question. 

---

Popper19 wrote:

Cecelia -

I can't believe I haven't read any of your books yet, I definitely plan on it after reading more about them - first up P.S. I Love You.  I do love the show Samantha Who though and am wondering where you got the idea for it?  Are you involved in all of the episodes creations?  Were you involved in selecting the cast? 

Thanks!!

Becky

---

[karinlib]

I loved P.S. I love you, it's  a wonderful story.  Personally, I liked the book so much better than the movie.

[Bethanne]

---

karinlib wrote:

I loved P.S. I love you, it's  a wonderful story.  Personally, I liked the book so much better than the movie.

---

Hear, hear, Karin...I can count on fingers of one hand the movies that I've liked better than books. The book is almost always better! 

[Bethanne]

Cecelia, you wrote that "My stories are about people who have been through something tragic in their lives and as a result go on journeys of self-discovery, they are constantly learning about themselves..."

Where does this come from, for you? I don't wish to force you to talk about anything too personal, but I'm wondering about this story impetus. Thank you!

Bethanne 

[Bethanne]

Cecelia, one of the things I truly loved about Henry is that he's so dreadfully flawed and really quite unappealing in some ways -- yet you make him lovable, and Joyce loves him, warts and all. 

I find that Irish writers (most British writers, too) are better at creating flawed-but-lovable characters than American writers. I have some ideas about why, but would love to hear your comments.

Bethanne