Biography

Personal life

Ahern is the daughter of the former Taoiseach of Ireland, Bertie Ahern. Her older sister, Georgina Ahern, is married to Nicky Byrne of Irish pop group Westlife. In 2000, Cecelia Ahern was part of the Irish pop group Shimma, who finished third in the Irish national final for the Eurovision Song Contest.

Before starting her writing and producing career, she obtained a degree in Journalism and Media Communications from Griffith College Dublin, but withdrew from a Master's degree course to pursue her writing career.

On 14 December 2009, it was announced that Cecelia had given birth to her first child with husband David Keoghan, a girl named Robin. One of her spokeswomen confirmed in March 2012 that she was pregnant with a second child. Cecelia gave birth to her second child a boy named Sonny on 23 July 2012. They currently live in Malahide in North County Dublin.

Writing career

In 2002, when Cecelia Ahern was twenty-one, she wrote her first novel, PS, I Love You. Published in 2004, it was the number 1 bestseller in Ireland (for 19 weeks), the United Kingdom, U.S., Germany and the Netherlands. It is sold in over forty countries. The book was adapted as a motion picture directed by Richard LaGravenese and starring Hilary Swank and Gerard Butler. It was released in the United States on 21 December 2007.

Her second book, Where Rainbows End (U.S. Love, Rosie), also reached number 1 in Ireland and the UK, and won the German CORINE Award in 2005. It was adapted as a motion picture titled Love, Rosie which was released in 2014, directed by Christian Ditter and starring Lily Collins and Sam Claflin.

She has contributed to charity books with the royalties from short stories such as Irish Girls are Back in Town and Ladies' Night.

Cecelia was the co-creator with (along with Donald Todd) and producer of the ABC comedy Samantha Who? starring Christina Applegate, Jean Smart, Jennifer Esposito, Barry Watson, Kevin Dunn, Melissa McCarthy and Tim Russ.

Her book The Gift and was published just before Christmas 2008 in the UK. Her following book, The Book of Tomorrow, was published on the 1 October 2009.

Bibliography

Single novels

• PS, I Love You (2004)
• Where Rainbows End (2004) (titled Rosie Dunne or Love, Rosie in the U.S.A.)
• If You Could See Me Now (2005) (titled A Silver Lining in the U.S.A.)
• A Place Called Here (2006) (titled There's No Place Like Here in the U.S.A.)
• Thanks for the Memories (2008)
• The Gift (2008)
• The Book of Tomorrow (2009)
• Girl in the Mirror / The Memory Maker (short stories) (2010)
• The Time of my Life (2011)
• One Hundred Names (2012)
• How to Fall in Love (2013)
• The Year I Met You (2014)
• The Marble Collector (2015)
• Flawed (2016)

Short stories

• 24 Minutes in "Moments" (2004)
• Next Stop: Table For Two in "Short and Sweet" (2005)
• The Calling in "Irish Girls Are Back In Town" (2005) (with Patricia Scanlan, Gemma O'Connor and Sarah Webb)
• Mrs. Whippy (2006)
• The End in "Girls' Night In / Ladies' Night" (2006) (with Wendy Holden, Freya North, Cathy Kelly, ...)

The production Line for Express Magazine

• Every Year for "Harrod’s Magazine"
• The Things That I Remember for "Woman's Own"
• Remembering Mum for "Express Magazine"
• Mallard and May for "Woman and Home"

Television work

• Samantha Who? (with Donald Todd)
• Zwischen Himmel und Hier (Between Heaven and Here) (for ZDF)
• Mein Ganzes Halbes Leben (My Whole Half LIfe) (for ZDF)

Film adaptations

• P.S. I Love You (2007)
• Love, Rosie (2014)
• If You Could See Me Now (currently in progress)
• Thanks for the Memories (currently in progress)

[ Source: Wikipedia ]