Before embarking on her writing career, Cecelia Ahern completed a degree in journalism and media studies. Her first novel, PS I Love You, was one of the biggest-selling debut novels of 2004 and a number one bestseller. Her successive bestselling novels are Where Rainbows End, If You Could See Me Now, A Place Called Here and Thanks for the Memories. PS I Love You, starring Hilary Swank, is now a major motion picture. Cecelia has also co-created the hit American television comedy series Samantha Who? which stars Christina Applegate. Cecelia’s new Christmas novel, The Gift, is out now. Cecelia lives in County Dublin.

Mark Thwaite: What first gave you the idea for writing The Gift?

Cecilia Ahern: I came up with the idea for The Gift in December O8 in New York. PS I Love You the film has just been released and I was on a manic junket tour around the US. The book had also be relaunched and so I was working two schedules at the same time. While it was one of the most exciting times of my life, it was also the most hectic! One night when I was about to give an interview in the Waldorf Astoria, I was asked to be somewhere else at the same time. I immediately came up with the idea for The Gift. The idea of bilocation came to me first and then the character grew from it but almost instantly I knew that the character would be Lou Suffern and that he would have three lessons to learn at Christmas about the value of time. I was heavily inspired by the rhythm of my life and the rhythm of New York at Christmas. So my busiest most tiring moment became very exciting as I instantly knew what my next novel would be.

MT: Like so many of us, Lou Suffern, the central character of The Gift, never seems to have enough time. Do you think "time poverty" is a particularly important problem to address?

CA: I think that the issue of time is very appropriate for now. The world has sped up so much due to new media technologies -- people are always accessible through Blackberrys, moblie phones, email. We are accessing information on the internet at such speed, we are moving at a different pace than we ever used to before and with this fast pace of life, people are becoming stressed, under pressure to be at work and at home, to spend time with family and with friends. The Gift is about slowing down, it's about stepping back and taking stock of life.

I think Christmas is a great time of year to tell this story because this is when people reflect on their lives, they think about the year they've had, the good, the bad and they look forward to the new year, to making changes and learn from mistakes. People are being pulled in all sorts of directions, there are great demands on people's time but the message in The Gift is that time is the one thing that we can spend and can never ever get back. We must see how precious it is, and we must spend it wisely.

MT: This is your sixth novel -- do they get easier or harder to write!?

CA: Of course, just like the character in my book Time is my only problem. Thankfully my ideas flow as easily and as naturally as they did for PS I Love You but the difficult thing now is finding the time to write. I can't complain because I'm in a great position to be able to travel and promote my books in as many countries as I do. I appreciate being invited and I love to share my stories with as many people as possible but time is precious and without it, there will be no other book! But thankfully my problem is not with ideas or with passion – those two elements are stronger than ever.

MT: How long did it take you to write The Gift? Is this the normal kind of timeframe for you?

CA: Not since PS I Love You had I written a book so quickly. PS I Love You took three months to write which was extremely fast, but I had no other obligations and so could dedicate all of my time to writing that. The Gift took me six months to write. I came up with the idea in December 2008, I started writing it in January and finished in June – it was published in October. The fastest published book yet!

MT: How do you write? Longhand or directly onto a computer, straight off or with lots and lots of editing?

CA: I love to write longhand.

For me, physically writing is an important part of writing a novel. I love the feeling of the ink going on to the paper, for me it's a very natural and organic process, whereas the computer feels very mechanical. When I write longhand, I can visualise the entire scene, I'm in the world I'm writing about and I merely report on what I see. When I'm typing, I just concentrate on the words and not so much on the world and so I feel it's less creative. I write a chapter longhand, then I type a chapter and as I'm typing, I edit as I go along.

MT: Your bestselling debut novel PS, I Love You has been made into a film -- did you have much involvement in the film-making process Cecelia?

CA: I didn't have any involvement in the writing or development process but I was invited to spend time on the set in both New York and Dublin. I met with the cast and watched it being filmed , which was an overwhelming experience, and I was involved in the press junkets around the world which was an honour and incredibly exciting. I knew from the beginning that I would have no creative involvement and I was happy with that because I had just received my first book deal at twenty one years old and I was trying to come to terms with my new career in the publishing industry, neve r mind having to leap into the film world too. I was looking forward to seeing somebody else's interpretation of my story, I think Richard LaGravenese who wrote and directed PS I Love You, did a wonderful job. He captured the heart of the story and the characters and for me, that was the most important thing. I am extremely proud of the film.

MT: You co-created the hit American television comedy series Samantha Who? (which stars Christina Applegate) -- how did that come about?

CA: The head of Comedy Development in ABC Network, Amy Hartwick, had read PS I Love You and really loved it. She contacted me and asked if I'd be interested in writing a TV show for them. I was so excited about this as it was something I had wanted to do for quite some time. I wanted to capture the essence of what my novels were about in the television show. My novels are about women who tragically face moments of darkness in their lives and then go on journeys of self-discovery in order to gain strength and move on. I immediately came up with the idea of Samantha Who?, the story about a woman called Samantha (played by Christina Applegate) who is the victim of a hit and run accident and wakes up in hospital with retrograde amnesia. She doesn't remember anything about her life, she doesn't remember her boyfriend, her parents, her best friends. She can't remember who she is, what she likes, and so every day is a new beginning for her. She discovers she was a horrible person previously and sees this as a good opportunity to change. Christina was nominated for both a Golden Globe and an Emmy Award for her role in the show and Jean Smart who plays her mother won an Emmy this year for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Role. I am so excited that my idea could have grown so much and gone to that level.

MT: What do you do in your free time!?

CA: I love to read, I love to walk along my local pier, I love watching television and films. I love spending time with my family and my 18 month old nephews who fill my life with such happiness. And I love to eat!

MT: Did you have an idea in your mind of your "ideal" reader? Did you write specifically for them?

CA: I don't believe that only one type of person should read a specific type of book. I like to read everything, commerical fiction, literary fiction, young adult fiction. I'm a very open person that likes to read a good story and so I believe that my novels are for everybody who likes to do the same. When I'm writing, I write for myself. I have to connect with my work, I have to connect with my characters. If I'm not emotionally moved by what I'm writing then there's something wrong. I don't just decide to write a topic that I think is “in” right now. I dig deep and search for what moves me and then I write about it. If I write something funny and I don't laugh, then there's something wrong, if I write a sad scene and I'm not crying, then I haven't written it well. I invest myself totally in my novels and I think only through doing that will readers be moved by my work. Writing for a specific audience is too contrived. It's not how creativity works.

MT: What are you working on now?

CA: I'm just about to begin my seventh book which I'm very excited about.

MT: Who is your favourite writer? What is/are your favourite book(s)?

CA: My favourite books are Golfing with God by Roland Merullo, The Time Traveller's Wife by Audrey Niffeneger, The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon and anything by Mitch Albom and Karin Slaughter.

MT: Do you have any tips for the aspiring writer!?

CA: I think that people who are trying to think about what to write should dig deep and question what is it that moves them, I believe that if you are emotionally invested in your characters and your story that you can pour yourself into your words, and it just flows. I think it's important to have readers who can encourage and motivate you as there are moments during writing when a few words of encouragement can mean the world and lift you out of that rut. I think it's important to note that everybody has a different opinion. What one person will love in a novel, another may hate. Always believe in yourself and while it's important to take constructive criticism, always go with what feels right. But most of all, enjoy it!