Cecelia Ahern: ‘I’m not ok with people thinking I’m only successful because of my dad

Cecelia Ahern has admitted that she’s no longer ok with people suggesting her success as a writer is due to her famous dad.
The best-selling author’s dad Bertie was the Taoiseach of Ireland when her debut novel P.S. I Love You was published – and many speculated her success was due to her dad’s influence.
“I had to bite my lip and be as calm and polite as possible,” she said.
It wasn’t just hinted at, I was asked, ‘Did your dad get you this deal.’ It was hinted at in articles that were written.”
“As if my dad was going to ring up Warner Brothers, ‘Hello, it’s a Taoiseach here from Ireland, could you make my daughter’s book into a movie?’ “It was just so ridiculous.”
While Cecelia used to laugh it off, she has revealed that she’s not so forgiving of the speculation anymore.
“At the time it didn’t bother me because I knew it was ridiculous. I think now as an older, grumpier woman if people were to be saying that to me I wouldn’t be as calm as I was then.”
I wasn’t familiar with the publishing world myself then, I didn’t know how things work,” she told Colette Fitzpatrick on Newstalk.
“Only being in it, a publisher isn’t going to publish a book in Croatia, Ukraine and other countries I’m published in because of my dad.
“People didn’t really understand that, they thought it was just a big Irish deal.”
The Dublin native admitted there were some positives to coming from a famous family, such as her book getting more attention than it would have otherwise.
“What it did was give me a lot of attention. People knew the name P.S. I Love You before it was even out . . . but it wasn’t always talked about in the nicest way,” she said.