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<\/p>\nWhen R\u00f3n\u00e1n Hession sat at his kitchen table after work, writing from 10pm to midnight while his two young sons slept upstairs, he never imagined an A-list Hollywood star would one day read his debut novel.<\/p>\n
For six nights a week over a three-month period, while working full-time as a civil servant in Dublin, Hession beavered away to complete the book, Leonard and Hungry Paul, which was published by Bluemoose Books in 2019.<\/p>\n
It was worth the effort. \u201cWe got a message through Julia Roberts\u2019s agent that she had read the book and that she\u2019d really enjoyed it. She was a reader, you know \u2014 she had just come across it. It wasn\u2019t sent to her or anything,\u201d Hession recalled.<\/p>\n
\u201c[Bluemoose is] a very small publisher with only one full-time employee. It\u2019s a bit like sending a dart from Dublin and hitting the bullseye in New York.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Hession, who lives in Dublin, still works for Ireland\u2019s Department of Social Protection<\/p>\n
BRYAN MEADE FOR THE SUNDAY TIMES<\/p>\n
When producers at the production company Subotica, which had the rights to turn the book into a TV series, heard about the Erin Brockovich star\u2019s interest, they contacted Roberts to ask whether she would consider narrating it. <\/p>\n
It was a long shot given that Roberts, 57, is one of Hollywood\u2019s most recognisable actresses after starring in a string of hit films that includes Notting Hill, Pretty Woman, My Best Friend\u2019s Wedding, Ocean\u2019s Eleven and Eat Pray Love.<\/p>\n
She responded within two hours, and will join the cast of the six-part BBC comedy drama series, which will be broadcast later this year.<\/p>\n
Tristan Orpen Lynch, who founded Subotica and is the executive producer, said: \u201cIt was just one of those magical things that happen. It was all down to the fact she reached out first to R\u00f3n\u00e1n to give that encouragement.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s wonderful \u2026 It\u2019s just a nice story. The book is so beautiful and the way it all happened is so beautiful.\u201d<\/p>\n
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The book tells the story of two boardgaming friends in their 30s: Leonard, a ghost writer of children\u2019s encyclopaedias, and Hungry Paul, a part-time postal worker who still lives at home. They have quiet routines but the death of Leonard\u2019s mother and the approaching wedding of Hungry Paul\u2019s sister prompt some changes.<\/p>\n
For Hession, Roberts\u2019s interest was not just about her fame. \u201cThe fact that she likes the book was kind of nice as well. It wasn\u2019t just her profile. It\u2019s like the Rube Goldberg machine. It\u2019s one unlikely occurrence after another and it keeps going on that basis, really.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hession has been hands off with the television series, and has not met Roberts<\/a>. He said: \u201cI\u2019m not involved. It\u2019s not my skill set \u2014 writing scripts is a very particular writing skill. Also, I work full time and I\u2019ve got two children [Thomas, 16, and Jacob, 14].\u201d<\/p>\n