Prolific author and screenwriter Cecelia Ahern chats to Elle Gordon about her latest book, family and what really makes her tick.
Cecelia Ahern is a storyteller. From the moment I meet her, I am swept up by her effervescent conversation. She has a knack for drawing you into what she is saying. Surely, it is this skill that has made her a successful author.
To date, Cecelia’s books have sold over 25 million copies in more than 40 countries, and translated into 30 languages. Alongside this writing career, Cecelia has created, produced and written TV series such as Samantha Who? as well as working on film adaptations of her novels PS I Love You and Love, Rosie.
Right now, the TV adaptation of her short story collection, Roar, is on Apple TV+. However, we meet to talk about her latest novel, In a Thousand Different Ways. It’s the story of Alice, who sees the best and worst in people; a thousand different emotions visible to her, so she knows exactly what everyone around her is feeling. This is distracting her from her her own journey to find herself.
As her 19th book hits the shelves, Cecelia says, "It is an exciting feeling. I am particularly excited about this novel because I feel like it is the best novel I have ever written. It is a very special book. But I also know that for me, without fail, the real moment of excitement and adrenaline is when I am writing it. Now I am just hoping it at this point that it will get into the hands of the people who will enjoy it. It’s like, 'I have done my best with the book and it’s just about trying to get it out there.’"
As a prolific writer, I am interested to know what her writing process is like. She smiles. "The way it works is that I have an idea and then the character comes and that informs the story. It builds and grows from there. But the seed is always the story, the plot. So, I wanted to tell a story about colours and somebody who is so empathetic and sensitive that she can know how somebody is feeling just by looking at them.
"I suppose the reason I introduced colour is because we have a lot of empaths in the world, but we also have many people who don’t feel that way, so I found that colour could be a good way to explain how mood can travel; how feelings can travel and how words can have an impact.
"If you are looking at a red mist travelling from one person to the next, it shows how your words can affect an entire room. I wanted to write about someone who was highly sensitive, but I wanted it to be a visual thing. So that sat in my head for about two years. To have an idea is not enough. You always have to add, ‘Who is this person? What are they going through and what is the story?’"
Does she build a clear idea of the character to the point of what they look like or what they wear? "For me, what my characters look like is never important. It is more like I am in their head, and I am telling you what they see. That is kind of how I write it.
"The reason I went back to this story was that when I was pregnant, I started suffering from aura migraines. I had never had them before or even heard of them, but I got a real fright when I got one because I got stroke-like symptoms. I was seeing all this colour. Of course, it’s not the same thing but I need a way to be like, ‘OK, so what is my ‘in’ to a story?’ And that was my in. This isn’t some supernatural or magical thing; this is something that can be described as neurological or hormonal. So, it took that personal experience to give me a way in. It gave me a sort of human connection to the story."
What is it that allows her to create these books that resonate with readers? "I think I read people and observe people and can sometimes see or understand something that others might not. Even though I am talking continually right now, I am usually not a talker and I think when you listen, really listen, there is a totally different language that we use that isn’t just speaking. I listen and I watch, and I notice things."
Where does she write? "It changes as the years go by. I have three kids so my writing hours have always changed. This novel was written through that horrible second lockdown. I was writing, and I think I was feeling super sensitive myself. I was post-natal, peri-menopausal and in the pandemic. So, it was a crazy time, but I think I was seeking a sort of balance in myself.
"Alice was feeling stuck in life and trying to find some relief and I think we all were in that moment, so I suppose that is reflected in the book. I have an office at home so this was written in the moments I could capture. I was home-schooling and I had a baby so it really was about grabbing moments to write."
Do you have conversations about what you are writing with your three children, Robin, (13) Sonny (10) and Blossom (3)? Cecelia laughs, "Especially my three-year-old! She is all chat and then of course, she will repeat to everyone else, ‘My Mummy is writing about this now.’ So, I am like ‘Oooh Blossom…secrets, secrets.’ But it is really lovely if the kids are sitting in a room with me as I write. I think all children are natural storytellers because they have such creative minds."
Speaking of childhood creativity, your oldest daughter Robin, apparently keeps you laughing? "She set up an Instagram account dedicated to trolling me (her bio is ‘I hate Cecelia Ahern’) when I post things that I’m particularly excited about. Which I find hilarious. I love her humour, I love that she doesn’t take me too seriously. Her comments make me laugh so hard."
Does she think her writing style has changed over time? "My books have naturally evolved from me writing at 21 years of age to 41 now. There is a big difference between PS I Love You and this novel. I would say what hasn’t changed is the heart of them and that they are mostly about women.
"A lot of my characters are going through difficult moments in their lives and we meet them when they are forced to examine some sort of great change in their lives and I suppose I want to bring them on a journey of healing and bring them to an uplifting place. That has been my thing and will never change, I think. A woman overcoming challenging moments to become the next version of herself. But obviously language, description, the depth that I would go to, a lot of that has evolved and improved since I was 21."
What is she most looking forward to now? "I absolutely love signing thousands of my books in the warehouses and knowing that they’re on their way to bookshops and then to people’s homes. It’s so satisfying and incredible to see the book in bulk! If you flick through my Instagram, you’ll mostly see pics of me over the years sitting/lying/posing on the pallets. Those are some of my favourite days out.
"I love the warehouses, I love a hi-vis jacket, I love it all. Another side to the publishing industry that is so important. I’d drive those pallets to the bookshops and to people’s homes if I could!"
