EXCLUSIVE ADDITIONAL CONTENTIncludes an exclusive Q&A with Cecelia Ahern

and details of how to get involved in Fern’s Picks

Dear Readers, Many of you know Cecelia Ahern’s wonderful novels and I am so pleased to be introducing you to Roar, a truly original and entertaining collection of her short stories. It’s simply the perfect way to escape for ten minutes, whether over a cup of coffee or at bedtime, when you’re curled up under the duvet and ready to relax.

You’ll find stories for all of us – stories for every woman, for every moment in our lives – and the different tales capture our dilemmas, challenges and daily life brilliantly. Each story is called ‘The Woman Who…’ and I know you will all have a favourite that speaks to you particularly strongly. We will all recognise ourselves in the pages. These stories are a gorgeous, fresh way to enjoy Cecelia’s witty and engrossing voice. I can’t wait to hear what you think – and which story is your own personal favourite.

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For more information on the book club, exclusive Q&As with the authors and

reading group questions, visit Fern’s website www.fern-britton.com/fernspicks

We’d love you to join in the conversation, so don’t forget to share your thoughts using

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Look out for more books, coming soon!

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1. How did Roar come about?

It’s been a long journey to get Roar to the bookshelves; a story in itself ! Almost six years ago I was on a family holiday and decided to take time out to myself, so I grabbed a pen and the hotel notepad and found a bench in front of the sea and started writing a story that had been bubbling in my head for a while. It was ‘The Woman Who Slowly Disappeared.’ It took me an hour to write and I was immediately refreshed. A few weeks later I wrote another short story, then another. Each one was unusual but propped me up in an empowering way. It took me a while to realize that I couldn’t publish these stories separately, that they belonged together, and so I slowly started building a collection while still working on my novels.

I felt that these stories were the most original pieces I’d ever written. I was so proud of them, couldn’t stop talking about them to anyone who’d listen and I needed to get them out in the world.

2. Where did you find the inspiration for all the stories?

The first story I wrote was called ‘The Woman Who Slowly Disappeared’, which is the first story in the collection, and it was inspired by a meeting I had with a TV casting agent who was talking to me about demographics. When I heard that they didn’t have a demographic for women over fifty-four years old it occurred to me, it’s not just that women feel invisible as they get older, here is the actual proof. Women don’t see themselves or their stories depicted on screen, you can understand how people start to feel a little written out of society, invalid and invisible.

Fern’s PicksA Q&A with

Cecelia Ahern

I decided to title the stories ‘The Woman Who…’ and base the stories on metaphors or idioms, and I felt this structure was ripe for material: the stories kept on flowing.

I knew that I wanted to tell as many different stories as I could about as many different types of women, that represented all the facets of our lives, the different relationships we have, the different people we have to be or are expected to be, the moments when we feel overwhelmed, fearful, exhausted or confused. I wanted to write about all those real things that connect us all.

3. How was the experience of writing short stories different to that of writing a novel?

When you get on a long-haul flight, you do a kind of mental preparation for how long you’re going to have to sit there, entertain yourself, be patient, feed yourself. Getting on a short flight, you prep yourself in a different way, and although that’s an unusual way to explain it, I feel that’s the difference between the two. A novel requires the mental preparation that comes with recognizing, okay I’m in this for the long haul, I must find an idea that can grow roots and branches so that stories and characters and strands can grow and be meaty and juicy for the length of a novel. I must be patient and think about the long game.

With a short story, my intent was to capture a moment in one character’s life. It’s a quick snapshot; there are no strands, or backstory or tricks or subplots. The story is about what is happening right now and how the character will overcome it. As soon as an idea would hit me, I felt inspired to write immediately.

Each story was written in a rush of adrenaline and I felt like I could play more with them, break rules. None of my women have names, I end the story just where I want, the titles are unusual as are the perspectives. It was a different experience and very satisfying.

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Fern’s Picks4. Which is your favourite story and why?

I have many favourites that change as I relate to them differently depending on the type of day I‘m having. The constant favourites are ‘The Woman Who Slowly Disappeared’, ‘The Woman Who Was Kept on the Shelf ’, ‘The Woman Who Found Bite Marks on her Skin’ but if I’m forced to name just one I’d say ‘The Woman Who Was Swallowed Up By The Floor and Who Met Other Women Down There Too’. It sums up the collection because the title represents my intent to be different yet honest, and while the story is humorous, I think every single person can relate to a moment when they’ve said or done something that they wish they could take back or hide from. It’s surreal, it has humour but it’s grounded in truth and I think that’s representative of the entire collection.

5. Which was the hardest story to write and why?

The ones that I struggled with are the ones that weren’t included in the collection. I wrote around forty stories, and it was an interesting process curating the collection. Some were kept out because of a repetition on theme, or because they didn’t have as strong a message as the final thirty, but some didn’t make the grade because I was circling an idea but never quite got there and that happens when writing sometimes: the idea is there, the writing is okay but there’s no punch. You’re circling it and circling it, but can’t seem to bring it in to land.

6. What would your room to roar look like?

It occasionally looks like the bathroom I lock myself inside to count to ten. Other times it’s my writing room. Though my kids would disagree, I’m really not a shouter. The best way for me to roar is to give me a pen and paper and then my voice is loud and clear.

7. What would you like readers to take away from Roar?

As with everything I write, entertainment and escapism is key. Beyond that, if the reader can identify with the stories, if they’re moved, if they find them empowering and uplifting, if it helps them to look at life from a different perspective, then that is the bonus.

8. Who or what inspires you as a writer?

Here’s a broad answer: Life. I believe that the three things that help me to write are observation, imagination and experience. I’m not at all a nosy person and don’t concern myself with peoples’ secrets, but I can be curious about life, and people, and human nature. My curiosity is linked to observation: it forces me to ask questions, it makes me want to research the meaning of things, the reason for things, and then I use my imagination to ask ‘What if?’. Then I use my experience to write a story and create a character in a way that people can identify with it.

9. Can you tell us what’s next?

I’m incredibly excited about my next novel because it’s the sequel to my debut novel PS, I Love You. Titled Postscript, it’s the PS to my PS and revisiting the characters fifteen years after creating them was emotional and challenging. I wanted to take these characters forward, and bring them in a direction that reflects the writer I am now. It was a brilliant journey. I ugly-cried through most of the book and I truly hope that PS, I Love You fans feel the same way that I did. I also hope that new readers will feel equally emotional about it as they discover the characters for the first time.

We meet Holly, seven years on from the death of her husband Gerry. She has moved on with her life and is happy, until she’s approached by a group of people who call themselves The PS, I Love You Club. They’ve heard about Gerry’s letters and they’re inspired. They’re also all ill, and they want Holly to help them write their final PS, I Love You letters for their loved ones before they leave the world.

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• Why do you think the book is called Roar?

• Did you connect with the title?

• Which of the stories did you connect most deeply with? And why?

• Were there any stories that you didn’t connect with? Why?

• In The Woman Who Was Swallowed Up by the Floor, the main character falls down a hole of embarrassment and meets other women down there who have similar stories. Have you ever felt this feeling? What caused it? Did recognising the universality of this feeling make you feel better?

• In The Woman Who Ordered the Seabass Special, the main character is empowered by another woman who is proud of her lisp. What do you think this story tells us about how we treat our perceived imperfections?

• Do you think The Woman Who Wore Pink could be described as a vision of the near future? Where do you think global gender politics will go next?

Questions for your book club

Fern’s Picks

• Did you guess the twist in The Woman Who Spoke Woman? Did you find this story funny, even darkly so?

• The Woman Who Smiled feels like a reaction to the commonly heard phrase: ‘cheer up love, it might never happen!’ Who often says this? Has anyone ever said it to you and how did you react?

• The Woman Who Returned and Exchanged Her Husband imagines a world where women hold all the romantic power and relationships are transactional. Do you think this would be an efficient way to conduct relationships? Do you think it would save people’s feeling from being hurt?

• In The Woman Who Roared, each woman has her own ‘space’ where she lets loose. Where would your space to roar be?

• What makes you want to ROAR?

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COMING SOONThe long-awaited sequel to

PS, I LOVE YOU

Sign up here for more details www.smarturl.it/CeceliaSignUp

Or pre-order here www.smarturl.it/PostscriptHB

September 2019

There’s always one more thing to say…

Cover to be

revealed

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There’s always one more thing to say…

An exclusive extract from Postscript…

‘Hi, Holly, my name is Joanna. I lost my husband a few months ago, and I wish he had left letters for me like your husband did. Could you tell us, what did his last letter say?’

‘I want to know what they all said,’ somebody speaks out, and there are murmurs of agreement.

‘We have time to hear them all, if Holly is comfortable with that,’ Ciara says, checking with me.

I take a deep breath, and let it out slowly. I haven’t thought about the letters for so long. As a concept I have, but not individually, not in order, not exactly. Where to start. A new bedside lamp, a new outfit, a karaoke night, sunflower seeds, a birthday trip away with friends . . . how could they understand how important all of those seemingly insignificant things were to me? But the last letter . . . I smile. That’s an easy one. ‘His final letter read: Don’t be afraid to fall in love again.’

They cling to that one, a beautiful one, a fine and valiant ending on Gerry’s part. Joanna isn’t as moved as the others. I see the disappointment and confusion in her eyes. The despair. So deep in her grief, it’s not what she wanted to hear. She’s still holding on to her husband, why would she consider letting go?

I know what she’s thinking. She couldn’t possibly love again. Not like that.

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Find out more about Cecelia, her books, competitions, events

and much more!

www.cecelia-ahern.com

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T he NewcomerThat night, Penny had a torrid dream. Their container ship was sunk by a terrible Atlantic storm taking all their possessions to the seabed. They desperately tried to save everything but it was all swallowed into the murky depths. She woke up gasping but as she lay in her bed next to her sleeping husband, she heard the high-pitched wail of a strong wind coming off the sea and the rattle of heavy rain.

She turned over to be closer to Simon and tried to shake off the bad feeling that still lingered. ‘It’s just an ordinary Cornish storm,’ she told herself. ‘And a simple anxiety dream. Everything will be ok.’ Eventually she did sleep, while outside, the storm raged; shaking Jenna’s cherry tree and running up the beach on Shellsand Bay to wash away the great walls of the sand dunes.

But when Simon woke first, as he usually did, the sky was the cleanest, washed-out blue, without a cloud. The sun was rising and bringing with it the first promise of summer warmth.

In the kitchen as he waited for the kettle to boil, he opened the back door and saw the wind-strewn leaves of Jenna’s cherry tree on the lawn and the slender necks of the daffodils bent to the earth. But today was not a day to grieve over nature; today he needed all his emotional strength to hand his flock over to their new caretaker, Angela.

Penny took a last look around her bedroom as she packed her flight bag.

‘I hope Angela will like this place,’ she muttered uneasily.Simon poked his head round the door, mug of tea in hand. ‘Hurry

up. I want us to get to church before Angela arrives. Jenna’s ready.’She sat on the bed and took a deep breath.‘We’ve got to go.’

An Exclusive Extract from Fern’s New Novel

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She glanced up to find he’d already gone and Jenna in his place wearing her new grey, buttoned coat, white socks and red shiny shoes. ‘Come on, Mamma, Daddy says he’s going without you.’

Penny pushed her feet into her taupe suede heels and grimaced at the pinch on her little toes.

‘Ok, ok. I’m ready.’ She got to her feet, tottering slightly, then gained her balance.

Simon was fussing with his dog collar. ‘Does it look alright?’She gave him a once-over from top to bottom. ‘Perfect. How about me?’Simon was already looking for the door keys. ‘Hm?’‘Will I do?’Without turning his head, he replied, ‘Yes, yes. Lovely as always.

Right, let’s go.’She took his hand and stopped him before they opened the door.

‘We can do this. Together.’

The birds were singing in the churchyard. Tulips and forget-me-nots were pushing their way up among the damp headstones. Simon strode ahead of Penny, his head deep in thought. Penny saw the tense set of his shoulders and the nervous way he had of reaching up to smooth his bald head. She understood that today was going to be difficult for him, difficult for them all, and her love and empathy flowed to him. The last couple of months had been fraught with things to organise and she had done her best to take the strain of the domestic arrangements from him.

Goodness only knew how the caretaker vicar, Angela, was feeling. Pendruggan was to be her first proper parish. She hadn’t even seen the Vicarage yet, not in the flesh. Penny had shown her around on FaceTime but that was it. To make things easier, Angela and Robert had been delighted for Penny to leave all the furniture behind so that there was the least upheaval for them all.

And now, the day had arrived.

Available to buy now

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Cornwall is only a page away ...

Angela arrived on the spring tide, hoping she would be welcomed with open arms. It was a village used to seeing families come and go but she was going to be at the heart

of it, knowing its secrets and weathering its storms.

It was to be a new beginning…

The warm-hearted new novel from the Sunday Times bestseller

Available to buy now

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Our next book club title

‘What a ride, I loved this book and the brilliant Hitchcockian twist!’ Sarah Michelle Gellar

I know your secret. I know what you did. I know who you are.Aimee Sinclair: the actress everyone thinks they know but can’t

remember where from. But I know exactly who you are. I know what you’ve done. And I am watching you.

When Aimee comes home and discovers her husband is missing, she doesn’t seem to know what to do or how to act. The police

think she’s hiding something and they’re right, she is – but perhaps not what they thought. Aimee has a secret she’s never shared, and yet, she suspects that someone knows. As she struggles to keep her career

and sanity intact, her past comes back to haunt her in ways more dangerous than she could have ever imagined.

By the international bestselling author of Sometimes I Lie, comes the most twisted thriller you’ll read all year.

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