There's nothing newsworthy about Cecelia Ahern, but she's one of those people who, after discovering her, you tell your friends about if only to make them feel as lousy about their accomplishments as you do yours. From the above photo, you can see Ahern is pop star cute, but here's the part that made us take notice: At 26 years old, she's written four novels, the first of which was P.S., I Love You. She co-created ABC's hit series "Samantha Who." And her dad is prime minister of Ireland.
So now that you're as nauseous with envy as we were upon reading about her last weekend in a nifty L.A. Times Q&A, we'll share some of the piece that makes her, on top of her talent and fortune, seem utterly charming and likable.
Will you take us through your path a bit? You were, like, born in the '80s and now you're a network TV creator-producer?
Yeah! I was born in '81! I wrote my first book when I was 21. Do you want me to take you right through?
No. I want you to tell me your secrets of success.
With "Samantha Who?" [ABC's] head of comedy development, Amy Hartwick, got in touch after reading "P.S., I Love You." And she asked if I'd like to do a TV show. I knew she'd liked the way I wrote the stories I'd told, and the positive side that comes through, and all my stories about women on journeys about self-discovery -- but every week? So I came on the idea of someone who knows nothing about themselves. . . . I figured out [Samantha] was a terrible person too. That's the twist. She figured out she was a horrible person.
Your sister married young and quite well.
Funnily enough, [elder sister Georgina Ahern and singer Nicky Byrne] were together since they were 14. We were all in school together. They started going out from then. He wasn't in the band, but she encouraged him to follow his dream. The band is still together -- they're called Westlife. It's funny how it works! Everyone in the family seems to follow their passions. Find what you love and work hard at it.
That's a crazy idea!
I left college to write the book. I got my degree but -- and my mom and dad were like great, brilliant, write a book. I had a story to tell for myself. I think a lot of parents would be: "Do something where you get paid, do a proper job." They're very open-minded and that's been very helpful. I could have gotten embarrassed and put my pen down and gotten a job that I'd hated.
Did your father ever worry about what you might write?
No -- he knew I was writing fiction. I told him all along what I was writing, but it was a very private thing. I wrote "P.S., I Love You" in three months. I hibernated and wrote all night and slept all day. They just let me go with the flow. . . . It was a funny time looking back on it. When I got my book deal I rang him up and told him and he said, "What's it about again?" And I said, "It's fiction, don't worry, I'm not revealing any secrets."
So it was concocted in a fit of mania!
Completely! It wasn't planned! But that's what happens when I get an idea. It just overtakes life. The world I'm writing about becomes stronger than the world I'm living in. Everything stops. It's a bit scary.
