That Gaby Roslin Podcast: Reasons To Be Joyful - Cecelia Ahern

Episode Date: October 22, 2024

International bestselling author Cecelia Ahern joins Gaby for a chat about all things joy! They discuss the huge success of 'PS: I Love You', working with Mellisa McCarthy and the joys of dancing and singing in the kitchen. Cecelia's new book is called 'Into The Storm' - and Gaby had to wrestle it back from her daughter because she wanted to read it so badly. Cecelia talks about the inspiration behind the new novel and what she loves about the writing process, and how it brings her joy (mostly) We hope you enjoy the chat - and if you do - please do give us a review on whichever platform you listen. Remember you can also watch all our podcast episodes now on our YouTube Channel Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Cecilia Hearn, it's so lovely to talk to you again. We've just worked out the last time was when PSI Love You, the film came out. That's correct. Which was... I think it's 2007 or 2008. Really swam. Yeah. You know when you go before babies, like...

Yeah. Work everything out, but it was before I had kids. Yeah, it was 2008, I think. So when did you... When did you have your first baby? 2009. Okay. Yes.

Yeah, literally was just before. what is it like we're going to talk about your new book congratulations and my 23 year old daughter absolutely she sort of took it she said when you're finishing it when you finish it I was okay I finished it I've finished it grabbed it and she loves it

and she wanted me to say thank you to you because she loves it but what's it like seeing what you've written turn into a film I love it do you I love it I know not all authors love it some can't even bring themselves to watch it or don't even want to do the deal but for me I mean I love film and TV anyway. And so the fact that someone is adapting mine is such a joy. And I know that

it's someone else's interpretation of my story. So I don't go into it thinking it's going to be exactly like my book. But what I hope is that we'll have, you know, the same message, the same feeling. You know, whatever someone feels when they read the book, I want them to feel that when they see. Do you feel that when you watch them then? Yes. Oh, you do. Yeah, I do. Oh, that's exciting. I mean, I watch it like feeling so proud and it's very emotional. And it's also what's kind of weirder is when you go on set and you're standing in a room that you created in your head but somebody has built and brought to life.

Like, that's bizarre. Like, I know we're talking about PSI Love You, but... No, but then, yes, all the other things. So Roar is on Apple TV now and it's an anthology of short stories and they're very surreal, like they're very absurd, obscure stories. So in one of them, it's about the woman who was fed by a duck. So she goes to the park and she throws bread at this duck every day and rants about her life and about her job

and about the people in work who really bother her. And she's like just getting all her frustrations out of the duck. And one day the duck turns around and starts speaking. And the idea is that we reverse the food. He gives her food for thought. And so I was sent all these casting videos of ducks. You are kidding, ma'am. They adapted and, you know.

No, no, no. I have never, honestly, in all my years, I've never ever met somebody who's, It's a cast dog. It's definitely one of the most surreal moments. Like they had this amazing duck and a duck trainer. So the duck trainer went. What?

And then the duck just wadd, wad, waddle, wad up to the X mark on the grind. Oh, no. No. No. The dock trainer quacked. Yes. And he responded to her and waddled up to his mark. So the dog wuddled to, how does the dog know it's mark?

She's an amazing trainer. Was it a real dog or was it a person as a dog? It was a real duck. The real duck knew where to hit them. How did the duck know where to go? Because she's an amazing trainer, clearly. No. Oh, this is a reason to be joyful.

Yeah, it is. No, I know we're going to talk books, but okay, you cast a duck. You chose the duck and then the duck you chose. I know. You had to hit the mark which most human beings can't do. We change that duck's life. We ain't that duck a star. No, that was definitely the most surreal moment.

Okay, no, we can't just get past it. So after the duck has done all the marks, what happens at the end of the day? Does the duck say, bye-bye, darling, quack, quack? I mean, back to my trailer. Does the duck have a trailer? I actually don't know. I wasn't on set.

You cast the duck? We cast the duck. I was watching, and so interesting for that, they had the actor who was doing the voice of the duck on set. You know, he wanted to be there. He wanted to be with the duck. So that it was really, so the actor, So the actress

and was Merritt Weaver who's amazing so that she was really able to respond to a person and not just a duck but what she was doing as well. So when you asked me... Hold on, the actor was responding to the duck or the duck was responding to the actor

and the trainer. So the duck had a voice. Yes, I know. He was only responding to his trainer. He's his trainer. But the voice was responding to the duck. So the duck was responding to the trainer But the voice actor was responding to the duck?

Yes. Yes, true. Yes. The actor was being led by the duck, yeah. But... Yeah. The duck was hitting all the right marks, and then the actor was...

I mean, it was incredible. So the duck... Okay. So the doc... And now I'm sure they'll say, Cecilia, it didn't always happen like that. I'm sure at times the actor was not with the duck. I love this story.

But I know that the actor wanted to be on set and it was very important to be... What's happened to the duck now? I don't know. Please tell me the duck's still alive. The duck, hopefully the duck is still alive and is a big duck star. What's the duck called? I didn't know. I'm sorry. You don't know the duck name?

We need to research this. We need to find out the duck name. We need to hunt him down. No, not hunting. We don't hunt a duck. No, no hunting of any ducks. Okay, so the duck is fine. So Roar is on Apple TV.

Yeah, so when you ask about adaptation, I mean, that one, because that is such surreal stories being brought alive was weird. And then the woman who was kept on the shelf, you know, built this shelf in a wall for... That a human could balance on. Yeah, for Betty Gilpin to sit on. And so that, it's amazing. It feels like magic when a book comes alive.

And I know people who read it don't always feel, oh, it's not as good. We have these pressures. So as somebody who loves books and I was brought up by parents, there were books everywhere. I'm very, very lucky. I know that. And they used to say, if you ever do anything, we'll go, oh, I'm on, I'm bored. Go to the library. It was always,

Oh, I'm bored. Go to the library. It was old books because it feeds the imagination. But we get very precious as a reader of our books. But you're, they look, so you must have a hand in because they look like I think the book, like the characters are. They look like that in, does it come to life?

I think that, well, with Roy, I was executive producer, so I think that's the kind of highest role I've had. And you don't know the duck's name. You were executive producer. I wasn't the casting agent. I approved the duck. And I just learned a lot in that process. But film and TV is so collaborative, as you well know,

and unlike writing novels where you're completely alone. And so things change and people bring different and new things to it. And I don't want to ever stop that because I think it's exciting. But at some points, I do feel the need to point out and say, this was the heart of it or this is the root of it. You know, to maybe bring it back of it. Because so many, even if the tweaks are tiny, if there's lots of tiny tweaks, it loses,

it loses what it was supposed to be. So they're the things I keep an eye. And not someone changing a hair colour of a character. I don't care. But I don't like it as a viewer or as a... Because I like to read the book before I see the film or the TV show. Whatever it is, everything I'm reading. Somebody's saying something's coming out.

I've got to read the book quickly. but we all it's funny because we all see I mean I don't know not everybody but we all see things how we want it but it's when they change the ending then I get very upset that's what I don't like also

so that that was in my checklist of you know preferably keep the characters my characters the heart of the story and the ending no don't matter why did they do that why did they change the ending I don't know sometimes I think what is

artistically satisfying is not commercially satisfying you know I think that you know what it's nice in a book

it might not be how people want to leave a cinema I don't know they seem to be two different things sometimes but you're right

about what you about seeing stories though because my daughter's five she just turned five two days ago and I've been and we love books

we love books as well but what my kids have always wanted me to do is to tell them stories of original stories So I'm like, it's easier to pick up a book and read it, but they want something new. And when I'm telling her the stories, she's like,

she gets excited. I can see it. I can see it. You're telling me it and I can see it. And I said, that's the magic of stories, honey. You read a book and you can see it. And it's just words, but yet you can watch it. So I love that.

She felt that. Oh, that's so wonderful at five. That's really magical. Yeah. But when you write, you're writing a book. You're not writing a film or a TV show, aren't you? True. Yeah, I'm writing a book, which is very different.

But I am seeing. my story in my head, so I think I'm a very visual writer. Well, you are, because that's how I read it. Yeah. So you paint those pictures. And from, I can know exactly, I can see everything that happens in, into the storm. I can visualize it. It's very, very visual for the reader as well.

I feel like if I can see it, I can't see it. You know, sometimes I'm just sitting on the couch, what are you doing, honey, working? I'm watching it in my head. if I can hear it. Oh, you mean you're not writing? You're just seeing it. I have to think it through first. I need to see it first and then I know I can write it.

Where do you think, where do you see it first? I mean, which part of the house? You go to a desk to see it before you write it. To be perfectly honest, that's kind of a constant thing. You know, if I go for a walk, that that's when the story is bubbling. Love you know, bubbling away. And when I sit at the desk then, and I say I've pictured it all before, the most amazing moments are when you haven't and it's just spontaneously coming out in that moment.

But, yeah, I busy myself, you know, ironing, going for a walk. That's when I'm trying to build a story and see, can this be bigger? Can this be a novel? Where else can the characters go? That's where it's growing and growing. For you, I mean, so growing up, and I know everybody always goes on about the family and politics and all of that. So we're not going to do that because every interview always goes on about that. We're not going to do that.

Thank you. But growing up, did you think, okay, I want to write books and make films and do TV shows? Is that how it was when you were a child? Because everyone I speak to, you know, everyone I spoke to, you know, I always wanted to be an actor when I ended up being a comedian or I wanted to be, what, did you always want to write? You love writing. I love writing.

I never thought about writing professionally. I wanted to be a singer and a dance dance. Yes. Well, you were? I was. Eurovision. Didn't you, didn't even get there, Gabby. Oh, I thought you were.

Euro song. So it was a national contest we had to get through for us to get into the Eurovision. We didn't. But we nearly. We nearly did. Nearly Eurovision. We got a record deal. I recorded a Pete Waterman Studios. It was another life of mine, I have to say.

I did pantos and I was a dance teacher for a while. And that was where I saw my life. But did you never think about, even though you liked books and you liked writing? No, I wrote quietly, privately. Isn't that? Yeah. And it was for me. It wasn't to be shared.

At 14, I wrote my first novel, Beans on Toast and a bottle of beer. And my mom told my English teacher. and I was more so I'd stopped writing. So it wasn't for, it wasn't to be shared. It was really just for myself. I was working things out.

Yeah, of course. You know, trying to figure things out in my head and writing always helped that. But until, but I knew I was, I liked it. And when I went to college, I wanted to choose something

that I liked and felt good at. So I did journalism and media communications. And loved all the practical sides of, you know, radio broadcasting, TV production, film studies. And that's where I felt I was going to go until I wrote PSI Love You

and that utterly, changed my life. But that isn't it extraordinary? It is, you know, you know that moment, you know that thing that changed your life. A lot of people don't. It sort of creeps up on them. But it, I mean, it was extraordinary. And I mean that in a complimentary way. Yeah. Not in out of shock. Your life utterly changed because of that wonderful book, P.S. I love you. And I don't suppose I know anybody who hasn't read it. I mean, it's millions of people around the world. I mean, it's probably weird for me to say, but I can see it was a phenomenon. It was phenomenal.

And not every... How wonderful. Yeah, and I'm not... And I would never try to replicate it. You know, I obviously want to keep writing the best books that I can write, but I know it was a special... A special book that hit people had a special book. Yeah, but sorry, so all of your...

No, no, don't say that. No, I mean, they're all great. Actually, they're better. I feel my work is better than it was, but for some reason, that is the one... You know, I'll always be the PS, I love you, girl. And every time anything happens, it's PS. P.S. she had a baby. P.S. She's a new booker. Do you mind that? I don't.

You don't? That's interesting. I mean, I'm so, because I recognize that it is the thing that changed my life and people know me for. I would hope that I love to hear people say something more recent is their favorite book. You know, that makes me happy. But I don't. You can't begrudge the thing that kind of made you. That's interesting. I'm not going to say who it was, but yesterday I was interviewing an actor. And I went to say whether this is a male or female. I was interviewing an actor, and this actor sent a note, very, very well-known film,

and sent a note to say, please, Gabby, don't ask me about this. I'm bored about talking about it. And that film is what made that actor, the household name. And so then I replied, and then he replied and said, actually, I will, because of how you want to do it.

But sometimes I just think it's actually a huge compliment that people remember something like that. Yeah, it really is. And I have such gratitude for it. I mean, I can't ignore it. And I think it's hard to explain your story and where you came from and where you are now

if you haven't explained the beginnings. Like, that's, to cut that out is a very, I couldn't do it. I wouldn't be honest of me. So, um... Did you, was it a bit like the musicians who have the first album and then the next album, it's terrifying.

Were you terrified for the next one? I was, I was not terrified. But I was incredibly overwhelmed. I was 21 when I wrote. You were so young. And I got a two-book deal. I didn't know anything about the publishing industry. I could tell you, like, ridiculous stories about how I wrote that book.

I mean, I didn't know about word count on my computer. I counted the word. I love this. You know, weirdly, I remember you telling me that. No, no, no, no. And I've always, it's one of those things that's always stayed with me, all those years later, you're saying you didn't know about the word count. And I love that.

All I knew was my story. Yeah. I wanted to tell my story and I didn't know but anything surrounding it. the business, the industry, nothing. So, anyway, I can't remember where you even asked me. I went to that, but just kind of the innocence. You were 21. Yeah, so young, yeah.

That's it. So I had a two-book deal. And my way of coping has always been to just write. And as soon as I finished that book, put the head down, and I started writing the second. And then I wrote the third and I wrote the fourth. And there was this kind of this whirlwind all around me, but what kept me still was writing. So you didn't have the fear. Yeah, you didn't have the fear of the second book then, which is good.

No, and I didn't because I felt encouragement from the first, you know, the feedback from the first. It hadn't been published yet, but I did have a deal and I did have a film deal. And I felt, wow. What was that like? Hi, so you got a two-book deal and you can do as many books as you can just keep writing. And we're going to have Hillary Swank, do it for a movie and then we're going to, you know. It was one thing after the next. Was it just, did you just float?

Yeah. Were you not? My mom, I was living with my mom. I was just the two of us at home at the time. And I was, I remember her just feeding me like sliced, chopped apples and trying to get something into me. Oh. You know, that state of absolute shock. Like, I don't know what's going on.

And she's trying to just nurture me. Oh, I love that. Yeah, I remember going to our local shopping centre to try and get an outfit because I just start doing interviews and things. and I got a phone call I was in the changing room and my agent said are you sitting down this was for the American deal

and I said I will now and she told me about the deal and I had no credit on my phone do you remember it was like I had no credit to call anyone about this amazing US deal that I had

and my mom was waiting in the car park and I was like sat in stunned you know so it was a UK deal first and then the US deal and then

so that's where I was what did your mum say when you got back in the car We were just, she's calm, you know, like we're not jumpy aroundy, screaming people. It was like, oh my God, you know, just, it's kind of a stunned silence. How fantastic. I think for her as a mother, knowing now as a mother, just the relief that you feel your child is accomplishing some dream and something magical and amazing is happening, you know?

So it was a calm, calm, comforting. Sounds like the way you talk about your mom that she was like that even, you didn't get into Eurovision, You didn't get it into Eurovision, but you got close. I can imagine a mom going, well done. Yeah. And she, yes, that is her. And if I tell her things, she'll say, of course you did. I got this, mum.

Of course you did. It's really nice. And it also doesn't matter if I didn't. You know, she'll care as much either way, but happy for my, you just want your child's life to be okay. And I think that's what she was witnessing. Oh, how lovely. So can we just talk about,

this is a really weird thing okay Melissa McCarthy oh I know we love her I do love her yes Melissa McCarthy did you meet Melissa McCarton

I know all these other people no but she's amazing and your brother-in-law is the loveliest human being I want to know if you all sing around the house please if you sing around the house just tell me even if you don't just say you do

but Melissa McCarthy yes she'll say her name I just barely say her name I'd love her? I love her. Is she as funny and real? Is she glorious? One of the greatest on-set experiences was going to see Samantha Hoobe. So that's what she was, she starred in. Christina Applegate, Melissa McCarthy, and Gene Smart.

Like an amazing cast way back when. That was before the movie, P.S. I was probably 2007. And I went to watch. I always feel kind of in the way on set. Oh, no, don't be like that. Yeah, I know. But you know, there's so much going on and everyone's so important. and there's actually walking. No, but you know the way, there's a kind of a vibe on film sets where it's like actors, walking, no one look at them, whatever.

So I do feel a bit. So I, but there was that amazing scene, one amazing thing in the pilot and I was watching Melissa McCarthy and I just couldn't stop looking at her face. Like she didn't even have any speaking lines in this particular one. But the faces that she was making,

we were all cracking up laughing. Like everyone was... She's funny. She's one of those people. I'm so pleased to hear that because she's one of my people that I, one of my people, one of the people that just has funny bones, I just have to see her and she makes me laugh.

Yeah, she seems to make a day better. And I have read her credit Don Todd, who created it with me and he was the showrunner, total hands-on with that, crediting him for how he helped her, you know, how she kind of emerged from that. I won't put words in her mouth, but she felt that that was something that, it was a positive experience for her

and helped her kind of find herself even more. So that was not me, that was Don't Todd. Do you have her on WhatsApp? Do you WhatsApp her? No, I wish I did. You imagine. I wish she was just my friend. Wouldn't that be amazing? So I did just mention your brother-in-law and he is the sweetest.

He is. Oh, Nikki. What a lovely. Do you sing around? Because you were in bands, he, you know, he can sing. Yes. He's been a very successful band. Do you sing around?

You know, when all the family get together, please tell me you sing. We all sing. Actually, it's funnily. Do you really? My mom does Sunday lunch, which I love. We have an allotment. She'll love this because I know you're into it. And she just basically cooks things.

What's on the allotment? We've grown. We've pumpkins, obergines, quartsets. We've got tomatoes, broccoli, cabbage, everything, potatoes, everything. And then she's mad into her herbs and she does, she's learning about herbal healing and herbal medicines. Everything about your mother, I love. I know me too.

Oh my God. She is an amazing infant. So she cooks for us on Sundays, not every Sunday, but a lot of Sundays. And there's a lot of grandchildren and there's a lot of performances. There's Irish dancing shows. There's dancing. There's singing. There's a lot of messing.

So yes, we do have fun. Oh, so when you all get together, you dance and you sing. It is mostly... And your mother makes the food and she's a herbalist. In every single way, this is too perfect. And can we have a story of your... your life, film. We need something.

It just sounds fantastic. I'm very lucky to have a lovely family. I have to say mostly, it's not, Nikki's definitely not up there singing. It's the kids that want the attention. It's funny. They're not interested in him being the star. It's the new Irish dance that they've learned.

Or I used to direct them doing plays. I'd make up stories and they have to do that. But they're kind of older now and a bit too cool to do that. But actually, I quite like that it's not that Nikki Byrne is Nicky Byrne and that you're not you. You're just your mum and his uncle and dad's and, you know, that's what it's all about. That's how it should be. Yeah, we're cheering for them, yeah.

That's so funny because the thing, when I was on the tube coming in and I was thinking, I wonder if I cannot know. That would be a really silly question to know if they all sing and dance around all because they probably don't. And you do! We do. Yes, yes. But I love, some people don't do this in their house. We are a dancing house.

I love that. I love kids all the time. That's so lovely. Yeah, and little, little baby tiny kids love nudie dancing. You know, they just look. It's very important. And then we dance. We put the music on in the kitchen and we all dance around. Favorite track to put it on?

Apart from, of course, Nikki and his singing band that we're not going to mention. Really hard because we love music. So we all have a turn. Everyone picks a song. We don't have to choose one of his songs. No. My daughter, 14-year-old, is doing an amazing moonwalk. She can actually do the moonwalk. Really? That's been the big thing in the last few weeks, yeah. Oh my God. Everything about your life. Well, I can tell you all the bad things if you like.

No, no, because it's also just sounds wonderful and it's what I sort of felt from every interview, everything I've read, everything I've seen, your social media, it's just, you just want to make people feel better about life, don't you really as well? Yeah, and I want to, I like to experience life. You know, I like to have moments and I like to live it. And I think I heard you say before you're not drinking. No, I don't drink.

So I, and I don't anymore either. Not that I didn't have a problem or anything like that. No, neither did I just, I wanted to walk everywhere. You feel like to say it every time you say you don't do. I know. But a friend of mine who's an alcoholic always said, please tell everybody that you didn't have a problem because it's not easy for me. So actually it's, yeah, so I always do that.

So I didn't, so it was. Yeah. And I felt that doing that, I just wanted to experience more life. Like going more, instead of sitting in a pub all night, like I went roller skating disco, like to a roller skating disco at my friends or going to the theatre or going to a show. show or and the older I get the more I just want to live and do things and have memories and so that's it's pretty the future hopefully yeah but that's also pretty wonderful we're you know

it's we're very lucky to wake up in the morning and do what we want to do as well okay so let's talk about this um into the storm so when I was sent it I sat down and I got into it and it's it's quite rare because I'm one of those people that doesn't I'll so I take the books on the train because I travel up and down from all over the place at the moment. And I didn't want to put it down. And usually I always give myself a certain amount. I go, okay, so you can do that. And then you've got time to do that and then you'll do that. And this is one of those ones I didn't want to put down. And then my 20, like I said, my, my eldest daughter, she then said, when you just hurry up, I want to read it. Because she loves all of your books. She thinks it's so cool

that I'm chatting to you. And she then picked it up and she read it solidly going to I mean sort of walking to work at work, all the things. And she came back and she just said she's done it again. Oh, I love that line. Thank you.

That's what I like to hear because I try every time to do it again. Yeah. And this has a different feel, I think, as I like all of them to have. Oh, it's very different. This isn't like any of your other ones, but it is because you've written it. So it's very visual.

It's very good. It's really gripping. And I hate this expression. Oh, I'm going to say it. Say it. Oh, no. I'm going to use it. I'm going to say it.

Joe and Will are looking at me. It's a page turner. I hate it when people, no, I don't like it. I don't like that expression because it always just feels like somebody's a real page. You know, when somebody doesn't know what to say. Well, you know what? As an author, that's what you want. you want people to want to turn the pages?

So that is a compliment. Thank you very much. Say it. Say it to every other. Okay, it's a page done. But it feels like an easy cop-out. That's what people say. But it was, and I didn't want to put it down. Thank you.

And it was literally, I was sitting there, and I'm sitting there on the tube. And I like to talk about, so when I get on the train, everything, I always talk to people about the books they're reading. Always. Always. Yeah.

Oh. So if I'm enjoying a book, I'll tell somebody walks past me, and they'll, you know, everybody's looks when you're on the train. Yes. The amount of times I've been on, the train, backwards from Manchester and Birmingham, I say, this is a really good book. This one is a really good one.

And they'll start talking. Or if I walk past people and they're reading a book, I'll talk to them about the book. You just have like a carriage book club. That's a nice idea. But I also do it about TV. I'm very nosy. I do it about TV. If people are watching something on their iPads or something, I'll always say, oh, what are you watching? I'm very nosy. That's great. Very nosy. But this is one that I was, and I got an early copy.

So I was saying to people, this is really. when this comes out you've got to this is a really good book like I was some sort of advert I appreciate but it's a really good um book that you can take with you it's not a book that you need to sit at home and that's a really strange thing but I have certain books that I just want to read at home yeah that makes sense and this was a this was a really good book on on traveling is that a strange thing to say no nothing's ever strange well I like that nothing's strange so you now you are you were prolific I mean you never stop writing So does that mean the next one is already written

and one after that? It is written. Oh, you see? It is written. But it's not completely edited yet so I'm still in the final stages of figuring it all out. And then I'm actually in,

I think one of my favourite stages of thinking about the next one. Like that moment like I explained, you know, all the little strands are coming together and it's exciting. My mind is open. So I'm looking around looking for inspiration, you know, looking for things to grow this character

or grow the idea. So that's a really nice time. and I'll begin that in January. Oh, so you've actually given yourself a time to start growing. Well, it's quite a... I don't know what the word is. You'll be better at me with words. No, hello.

Hello, you just write... I write them, but I don't speak them. Number one bestselling author in the world. I don't speak of the words. So I usually, like for the last 20 years, this has kind of mostly been the schedule where I begin a book in January. It's due at the beginning of June.

We edit for the summer and then we publish it. in autumn. But you've done two books in a year? Well, there was a little delay during a pandemic so I've had a backlog of books so yeah, it's one a year

but I love, as soon as I come up with an idea it's like a good one that I like and I'm excited about it's like bam bam bam bam bam and I want to write quickly and I want to race to the end of the story Oh that's so lovely because I feel like I've frozen my characters

in time and I want to get to the end so the first draft is very rough and then I'll go back and slow it down, slow it down. Oh, that's interesting. Yeah, but I need to get it out first. So writing a book a year works for me. And you won't be able to tell me. Are we going to be able to see this?

You're not going to be able. You'll just go, well, I can neither confirm or deny. Not yet you're going to be able to see it. You can see it if you read it and have a good imagination. But no, there's no plans yet. But I think I'm in any of any, are there any more things for TV? So PostScript, which is the sequel to PSA Love You, has been in a very long pre-production.

And if you could see me now, my third book, it's funny, they're being made almost in order. Is in the process of it too. And are you part of the casting? Because I do love that. Apart from Docks, I don't know if I'd be any good at casting ducks, but I love, love, love the casting game. Yeah, I always go for, I think I'm terrible at it

because I love to see people, like I love comedians doing straight roles, you know, and so I'm the worst person for casting. They're like, no, this is not what we want to see. The right people do the right things. I love twisting everything up. My role is to come up with names and people politely say, great, thanks. And they don't. And we have our own list.

But they do run things back and forth and we'll say, you know, oh, I love that person. So have they cast it? In the process now, yeah. Oh, if you want anybody to sit there and just throw it. row actors' names at you. I just, a friend of mine is in the same stage as you are on her book. It's so fun, isn't it? Yeah, and she'll ring me up and she'll say,

oh, we've got so-and-so and so-and-so possibility. I went, no! How about something, so-and-so? Nothing to do with me at all. But it's funny when it comes down to it. It's such a science, though. It's not that fun thing. Yeah, but I'm just playing the game.

Yeah, but that's fun. It's real for you. Because then it's like, oh, they're busy until 20-28, or this person decides is not doing comedy now, or this person does never want to see a love story ever again. And then you start whittling down this amazing list that you've put together and the reality changes are completely very interesting. Or we need because of whatever production deal they have.

We need a Canadian actor. We need a, you know, the kind of business side comes in. But I love playing that game, of course. You're wonderful. Thank you so much. And thank you for all your books. Please keep writing. Thank you.

Never stop writing because you bring us joy. So thank you so much. Thank you so much. It has been a joy.