She is a first-time author who has won bucketloads of publicity, six-figure deals and interest from Hollywood. She is also the Taoiseach's daughter.

As she spent the day signing copies of her tear-jerker, PS, I Love You, at a Dublin bookstore yesterday, Cecelia Ahern was quick to counter claims that her early success was down to the high profile of her father, Bertie. 'I think it's very flattering for Dad, actually, to think he has all this influence with Hollywood and all over the world,' she said.

To be fair, a large portion of the the novel's extraordinary success has come in countries where, as the 22-year-old author puts it, 'the reaction is, Bertie who?'

PS, I Love You has been bought by publishers in 23 nations, including a $1million deal with Hyperion in the US.

Hollywood producer Wendy Finerman, who shared an Oscar in 1994 for Forrest Gump, has bought up the film rights for $100,000 - enough money, Ahern says, for her to buy her first laptop and move out of her mother's home.

The young author's lineage is a major taking point in Dublin, where an initial print run of 50,000 copies has made PS, I Love You an immediate bestseller.

The novel tells the story of Holly, a 30-year-old Dubliner whose husband, Gerry, dies unexpectedly from a brain tumour. She discovers he has left 10 sealed envelopes containing monthly tasks, each designed to help her come to terms with her grief and embrace life again.

Ahern says she is already used to facing up to harsh treatment from critics.