Strong Irish flavour to Keyes' work
When one learns about Marian Keyes' life the first thought that springs to mind is that she was destined to become a writer - whether she realised it or not. And it seems that "storytelling genes" have also touched other members of her family.
The vivacious Irish author, now deemed internationally as the "Queen of 30-something fiction," comes from a family of born storytellers. Her mother, Mary, younger sister, Catrina, and her maternal grandmother all possess the knack for telling a good yarn ... and so too does Keyes.
Since May 1994 Keyes, aged 37, has honed in on her literary talent and has produced five novels that all gained international popularity - Watermelon, Lucy Sullivan's Getting Married, Rachel's Holiday, Last Chance Saloon and her latest work Sushi for Beginners.
While all of the books possess an individual theme all share Keyes's relaxed conversational writing style which is tinted with good wholesome humour - with, of course, a distinctive Irish flavour. So, it's no surprise that Keyes has a following - everyone loves a good laugh, it's food for the soul.
But while Keyes if flying high on her recent success she has also experienced great heartache in her life, and there was a time when she felt she could no longer continue living. While part of this could be pinned to her longstanding feeling that she was an "outsider" most of the blame lies fairly and squarely with her addiction to alcohol.
In earlier years she suffered from chronic depression and alcoholism but at her lowest ebb Keyes took a giant leap forward and sought the rehabilitation she desperately needed. Now those health problems are history.
But it's these experiences that have shaped Keyes into the woman she is today and she feels that, to a degree, her illness and writing go hand-in-hand. She views the "upside" of her illness as gaining a sensitive side that has enabled her to write about the characters in her book with a style that touches readers.
Keyes is quick to point out that none of her characters are based on people she knows ("I'd have no friends if I did that," she joked) or herself. However, Rachel's Holiday does contain what could be considered an autobiographical event of Keyes life - the time she spent in rehabilitation.
Keyes was born in Limerick and within days of her birth the family began their years of moving around. They lived in several places, including Galway and by the time Keyes was 11 the family were living in Dublin.
At the age of 22 Keyes packed her bags and moved to the bright lights of London where she stayed for 11 years.
Keyes began her writing career in 1993 while in London. At first she had been "experimenting" with short stories but at the insistence of her publisher moved onto novels in 1994.
Her first novel, called Watermelon, is about a woman who has a baby and her husband leaves her.
But Keyes says the words just poured out from her and Watermelon was well received. Many people said the book could have been written about "their family" and others said they had "felt comforted" by it. Such feedback delighted Keyes.
A strong Irish theme comes through Keyes' books and it was for this reason that she was not sure how they would be viewed by readers in other countries.
Before Watermelon had even been completed, Keyes began work on her second novel, Lucy Sullivan is Getting Married, which was written with Keyes looking into her darker days.
Now Keyes is channelling her energies into another novel. This one explores the issue of women in their 30s deciding when the time is right to have children. It also looks at American values.
Keyes' parents have been proud of her literary achievements and her father, Ted, now considers himself a connoisseur of women's fiction. But what means the most to Keyes is that her parents have often said to people that they have "always been proud of Marian."
Keyes was recently touring New Zealand, promoting her latest book Sushi for Beginners. She visited Auckland, Wellington, Palmerston North and Christchurch.
"I have always been an analytical person and after going through what I have I can really understand a person's pain,
"If I hadn't gone off the rails maybe I couldn't have understood to the degree I can."
"Rehabilitation is the most profoundly altering experience that a person can have and because I've been there I can give true account of what it's like."
"We moved around a lot in a short space of time and maybe this was part of the reason I felt like an outsider."
"When I first got there I loved the anonymity and in a way I felt like I was escaping from my claustrophobic life in Ireland.
"But as the years passed my values changed four years ago I moved back to Dublin with my English husband, Tony."
"I had submitted five short stories to a publisher who, after reading them, said what I had in fact presented was part of a novel.
"Now I regard this as a pivotal moment in my career. I enjoyed writing short stories so could easily have closed the door on the novel suggestion.
"But, instead I decided to take the opportunity and give it a go."
"It was odd that I should write about such a theme because this hasn't happened to me, or for that matter, anyone I know. I was quite clueless when I wrote it."
"Thankfully my novels seem to have travelled well and have a universal appeal."
"After my publisher had read the first 30,000 words it was suggested that I delve deeper into my darker side.
"At the time I thought this was a strange request but I'm glad I've done that because I feel it gives my books more depth."