Hear me Roar: Cecelia Ahern talks about new Apple TV series starring Nicole Kidman
Writing has always been an outlet for the Dubliner who wrote her first novel at the age of 14. Picture: Matthew Thompson.
This month saw the release of the hotly anticipated, star-studded Apple TV+ series Roar - an eight-episode genre-bending anthology of feminist fables.
Based on Irish author Cecelia Ahern's best-selling short story collection of the same name, the cast is a who's who of established and rising female stars.
Taking on an episode each, Roar stars Nicole Kidman, Cynthia Erivo, Alison Brie, Issa Rae, Merritt Wever, Betty Gilpin, Meera Syal and Fivel Stewart.
Ahern, who is no stranger to having her work adapted for the screen, has hailed the series a career highlight.
The author sat down with Ryan Tubridy on the Late Late Show to talk about the series, writing and life as an introvert-extrovert.
"It took a while, but we got there, and I am really, really proud of it," she said.
"I think all women can identify with them really," she said of the modern fairy tales. "And men, men aren't silly. But they are specific to women."
It took five years to write the 30-story collection which was released in 2018.
Writing has always been an outlet for the Dubliner who wrote her first novel at the age of 14.
"The biggest thing that I wrote was when I was 14, was my first novel called ‘Beans and Toast and a Bottle of Beer’. I even designed my own front cover for it."
Although she now shares her work with millions of people around the world, as a teen she was more hesitant.
"I think at that age, I was 14, I think I was just kind of embarrassed about doing something different to everybody else."
Whether a piece of writing is to share with the public or for her eyes only, writing is something Ahern that she does for herself.
Ahern describes herself as an introvert-extrovert and a very empathetic person, traits that no doubt help her to write stories that so many people can relate to.
"I am a highly sensitive, empathetic person then when somebody is telling me about something or when I am with someone, I can feel what they are feeling and it’s not magic it’s just lots of people are like that, and I feel like I kind of have the emotion then that they are expressing. You know like, I can feel like I can feel it," she explained.
Although she has made her name as a storyteller, when out with others you won't find the PS I Love You author regaling everyone with her stories, instead she prefers to sit back and take it all in.
"I love watching people who are listening. Not the person who is doing all the talking cause they know everyone is looking at them," she said.
"People always give everything away in their movements and their expressions and I don’t realise I do that until the older I get that I kind of I realise I get stuff and material from just watching people…It’s the audience that I like to watch."
Being a sociable person as well as being an empathetic person, Ahern often finds herself exhausted and needs some alone time to recharge.
One good thing to emerge from the lockdowns over the past two years is that the mother of three discovered a new hobby to relax herself - Lego.
"I love Lego," she proclaimed. "I think it is only since my kids started playing Lego, then I kind of took over. I’d begin it with them. And they would have long left the table and I would still be like working it out…
"But lockdown, you know some people baked bread, but my thing was to make this massive Hogwarts Lego.
“I loved it and it was such good therapy. I think I did about an hour every evening for a few weeks."
Having turned 40 last year, Ahern is looking forward to what the next decade will bring with it.
Determined to start this chapter of her life on a high note, she rallied some of her friends to climb Croagh Patrick.
"It was something I really wanted to do, I wanted to kind of go into my next decade feeling fit and healthy and I didn't feel it climbing up though," she admitted.
