OnTheTown: The second book by Cecelia Ahern, Where Rainbows End, was launched in Dublin this week. It is already number one on the bestsellers' list. Last year, PS, I Love You was one of the bestselling début novels of the year. It is "unprecedented" for a first-time author to go to number one in the UK bestsellers' list, according to HarperCollins publisher Lynne Drew.
Friends and family, including the young writer's father, the Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, and her mother, Miriam Ahern, gathered at Guinness Storehouse in Dublin this week for a celebratory launch party.
Cecelia's older sister, Georgina was there with her husband, Nicky Byrne, of Westlife.
"I'm very proud of her," Georgina said. "It's a completely different book [from the first]. It's done in a series of letters and e-mails. I like the journey that the storyline takes."
According to Marianne Gunn O'Connor, her agent, "she comes from a fresh place. She writes totally from the heart, it's not contrived".
"There's a magic in her book," said Lynne Drew. "She has a wonderful imagination, which has been underrated. It touches people. It's a very simple, natural writing style. That's her gift.
"It's her storytelling that has done this. No amount of hype could do this in the UK. It doesn't matter who she is. Her voice has touched people."
There is no set pattern to a writing day, says Cecelia Ahern, who has been touring since last January apart from two months "where I was able to write". At the moment, "every day is different. But once I get into the flow, I write very, very quickly. I'll write from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.".
Where Rainbows End, by Cecelia Ahern, is published by HarperCollins