Author Cecelia Ahern on her PS I Love You inspiration
Author Cecelia Ahern has 22 novels to her name, has sold over 25 million copies worldwide, and has seen two of her novels adapted for the big screen. Yet the 43-year-old Dublin-born writer has had her share of ups and downs on the path to success.
As we crown her latest title, Paper Heart, our September book of the month, Cecelia tells woman&home about her early shot at stardom, and the mark it left.
Early ambitions
“In the 90s, it seemed like there was a new pop band turning up every week – particularly in Dublin. Band manager Louis Walsh – probably best-known as an X Factor judge – was a big presence in the Irish music industry and would send me to various auditions,” says author Cecelia Ahern.
“I had been singing and dancing professionally all through my teenage years, so had got to know Louis. He was also the manager of my brother-in-law’s band, Westlife. Nicky Byrne is married to my sister Georgina.
“On the way to a dance class, Louis called and asked me to pop over and perform backing vocals on a U2 charity song at Windmill Lane studios. I was only 16, which seems crazy now. I continued to seek out opportunities.
“After auditioning for one band and not making it, Louis said he had me in mind for a Eurovision group he was putting together – two boys and two girls. Think Bucks Fizz meets Steps. We were called Shimma and entered the National Song Contest in the hope of representing Ireland.
“A brilliant Irish band called Who’s Eddie? wrote our song, When You Are Near, and we recorded it at Pete Waterman’s studio, rehearsed our dance at Pineapple Studios and signed up with Polydor Records.
“It was so exciting and there was so much hope for us. We did all the interviews and press, and then finally performed in the hope we might get to take part in Eurovision 2000.
“Unfortunately, we came third. It was the first time anyone saw us live, and though the experience was nerve-wracking, the big party afterwards made up for it.
“Just taking part in the lead-up to Eurovision was great fun, as it’s an institution in Ireland, especially having won it for three consecutive years in the 90s. We performed as a band a couple more times, but were released from our contract six months later.”
Cecelia Ahern (second left) as a teenager with her bandmates in Shimma
(Image credit: Cecelia Ahern)
“Nicky recently found a video of Shimma performing. It had been on YouTube but then disappeared. Back then I didn’t want to watch it.
“While I was trying to establish myself as an author, it kept popping up and I found it so cringey, but now it’s been rediscovered, I love to show my kids – especially as I’m wearing a cropped top. It’s such a 90s look with the trousers – very Britney Spears.
“This all happened in my first term of college – probably over a matter of months. But as soon as it was over, I carried on with my journalism course.
“It was a couple of days before the end of college that I had the idea for, and started writing, PS, I Love You.”
Rediscovering my sparkle
“I look back now and it’s like there are two versions of me. Once the mini pop career ended I retreated into myself. The performer had gone. I didn’t even like the idea of anyone looking at me – not even at karaoke.
“I changed as a person. I went through a little wobbly patch at 19 and locked myself away, trying to figure things out. As I became more introspective, I started to understand people more, and that version of me became the author.
“So, while I feel like I lost my sparkle for a while, I found it again in writing.
“It was a sliding doors moment. And although it wasn’t autobiographical, PS, I Love You was very much the journey I was on. It was about a character, Holly, who had lost her identity and didn’t know where she was going – and she was grieving. By the end of it, Holly found her way and I had found a new career. It was unexpected and amazing.
“Everything changed for me then. When I think back on what I was like when I was younger, I realise I have always been a dreamer with big hopes and ambitions.
“I don’t think that aspect of me has changed – which I’m pleased about – but if I was to say anything to the young Cecelia in the photo, it would be, ‘It’s OK, it will work out. Not in the way you think it will, but it will all be fine.’”
Paper Heart by Cecelia Ahern
Cecelia Ahern’s brand new book is out now
Pip lives in a small, fragile world. After having her daughter, Bella, at 16, she’s been living with her parents, smothered by an overbearing mother, working at a local petrol station and dreaming of a future she’s unsure she can ever create. But when an encounter with an astronomer leads to an unlikely friendship, Pip starts to wonder if she’s folded herself too small, like the origami she crafts quietly in her room. Is there more to life, and can she find the courage to open up to new possibilities? A moving and beautiful novel.
To learn more about global bestselling author Cecelia Ahern and the 22 books that she’s written, visit her website or follow her on Instagram.
