Cecelia Ahern chats with the Book Finds team about her latest book, THE TIME OF MY LIFE which released last week. She also talks about where she finds inspiration, how motherhood changed her for the better and her busy, busy life!
Tell us the story behind the story. How did THE TIME OF MY LIFE come to be?
I hadn’t heard from a friend of mine in a while and I told myself, that’s okay, her life needs her right now, as she was going through a difficult time. It occurred to me in that moment that life was something that we need to give attention to and I separated it from the person. If we were to treat friends or family as we often treat our lives then they wouldn’t be our friends for very long. We have a tendency to put ourselves last, we concentrate on everything else; work, friends, family, home issues, but we ignore the deeper stuff until it becomes so compressed that it can explode. I liked the idea of life manifesting itself in the form of a person, if that was the case it would be hard to ignore, it would be more difficult to be rude to, to block your ears to its complaints of your treatment of it. The question I kept asking was, ‘If you had the opportunity to meet your life, what would it say to you?’
I had just had a baby, had taken a year off work and in that year felt like I met my life. Before, I worked a huge amount and really didn’t have any hobbies and I didn’t feel like I took part in life. After having my baby I felt like I’d been introduced to my life, I slowed down, I paid more attention to simple things, I addressed a few issues in my own life, I even got married, I looked at what was important and what wasn’t, and so I used that experience for inspiration.
What was the most challenging aspect of writing THE TIME OF MY LIFE?
The most challenging aspect was not actually anything to do with writing the story. That flowed beautifully. What was difficult for me was going back to work after having my daughter and trying to find a way to write which could feel natural and creative to me but which wouldn’t take me away from my daughter. My natural writing time before children was often spontaneous, and mostly at night time. I loved to steal myself away to write when the world was sleeping, it felt like my secret private time, and I also liked to write on Sundays. As soon as I felt compelled to write I would sit down and scribble and might not leave for hours and hours, I could get lost in my imagination whenever I wanted. This is not possible when you have children, babies in particular. Suddenly I had to change my lifestyle to be a nine-to-five writer, who worked in an office outside of my home. That was the adjustment but one which, thankfully, was a fruitful process.
What is the message you want readers to take away from your book?
I always like to entertain, first of all, and if the readers take anything away from it that helps them with their own lives well then that is a bonus. The idea of the book is that we need to take care of ourselves. We all ignore ourselves from time to time, and that’s fine, but we can’t let our problems build up, even though we’re not dealing with them, they’re bubbling away beneath the surface and will become so large they will take over. In this novel Lucy is forced to face the issues in her life that she has ignored, she is forced to look at herself and who she is, why she has made the decisions she has made, why she is behaving as she is and she’s forced to make some changes. Of course it’s difficult to do that but it’s always better on the other side. I suppose the message is to take care of yourselves as well as others. I also wanted to write a love story. Lucy has fallen out of love with her life and she needs to fall back in love with it again. I think we go through stages in our own lives when we love where we are and then there are times when we really just aren’t happy. You have to pay attention to your life and work with it. In a funny way it’s a partnership and it’s the only certain one to stay with you until the end of your days.
Describe your writing schedule. Do you outline? Any habits?
Before The Time of My Life, I wrote during the night and slept late into the day. After babies I now have an office outside of my home where I work from 9:30 – 5:30pm. I begin writing a book in January, it’s due for June, I edit during the summer and then it’s published in October and I travel the world promoting it until December and start all over again in January! I write one book a year so my schedule is very intense but it suits me because I’m a fast writer and very focused.
I write my novels longhand. I love the feeling of writing, I love to see pen on paper. It feels more creative than typing, and it’s a more visual process for me – I can picture the entire scene in my head and am merely writing what I see. I write a chapter, then I type a chapter which I edit as I go along so already that’s my second draft.
What books are on your nightstand? What are you currently reading?
The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson. I adored the title.
Which authors inspire you?
Particular authors for specific books: Andrew Kauffman (The Tiny Wife and Born Weird) Mitch Albom (The Five People You Meet in Heaven), Audrey Niffenegger (The Time Traveller’s Wife), Aimee Bender (The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake). And my favourite authors are Lee Child and Karin Slaughter as I’m a massive crime thriller fan.
What is your advice for aspiring writers?
Often writers don’t know what to write about so they try to research hot topics, things that people are interested in currently – I say write what moves you. Write what you feel compelled to write about. Unless they come naturally to you, ignore trends such as vampires and erotica just because they’re popular and focus on what you feel your heart has to say. It’s important to write for yourself, move yourself and then the reader will hopefully feel your passion and identify with those emotions.
What is the best piece of advice you have ever been given?
My mother read the first three chapters of PS I Love You and encouraged me to send them to an agent. I was hoping for some advice about my writing – I was really just writing the story for myself – and within two months I had my first publishing deal and a film deal. It’s the stuff of fairy tales…
What are you working on now?
I’m putting the finishing touches to my tenth novel titled ‘How To Fall In Love’ which is also going into production as a television show in a few weeks. I also have my second novel ‘Love, Rosie’ going into production in May starring Lily Collins and Sam Claflin and my novel ‘The Gift’ is going into production later in the year so it’s a busy and incredibly exciting year!
