‘The Tree Of Seasons’ by Stephen Gately

By now you will probably all have heard that before he died Stephen Gately was writing a children’s book, which had taken him the last three years of his life to write. On that fateful holiday to Mallorca last year he only had a few pages left to write and had told his husband, Andrew Cowles, how he intended to finish the story. After his death, his nearest and dearest knew how much it meant to Stephen to get the book published.

We probably all remember the cherubin faced Stephen smiling at us from Boyzone videos and have heard people talk about how he was a genuinely good person, so what better person to write a children’s novel?

“Stephen never forgot what it was like to be a child, and it was perhaps this quality that made his star shine so brightly. He and I shared a love of the films of Disney and The Wizard of Oz, and both of these are big influences on the magical story that is The Tree Of Seasons.” Sir Elton John.

“There are only a few pages left to do – and by hook or by crook, those who loved him, and there are so many in this room, are going to finish his book.” Ronan Keating, speaking at Stephen Gately’s funeral.

“Stephen poured his heart in to the writing of this book. He spent so much time dreaming about the worlds that his characters would inhabit, the evil that they’d encounter, and the adventures they’d experience. To see his story being published would make him the happiest and proudest boy in the world.” Andrew Cowles, Stephen’s husband.

I personally was a HUGE Boyzone fan and Stephen was my favourite by a million miles. (My little sister liked Ronan. She even named her rabbit after him.) The band brought a lot of music to my childhood and, to be honest, they are one of my guilty pleasures on my iPod as well! So I look forward to Stephen taking pride of place on my already bulging book shelf as well.

The fantasy novel will feature illustrations by the talented Keith Wilson and is the story of three children who discover a tree which has a doorway into four magical worlds, each one stuck in one season with it’s own ruler. These worlds have existed undiscovered for hundreds of years, until now.

It is already number 2 in Heat’s Book Charts so it set to be a huge success and I cannot wait to read it. If any of you have got your mitts on a copy please let us know what you thought below. Otherwise let’s all get out and buy a copy to help make Stephen’s dream a reality. While you’re at it, why not go and get a copy of your favourite Boyzone track whilst you’re at it. Their new one is a bit of a tear jerker and might go well with this book.

‘The Tree Of Seasons’ by Stephen Gately (foreword by Sir Elton John and David Furnish) is release tomorrow, 13th May 2010 and is available today from Play.com for £9.99.

I would also like to add a quick note after seeing Andrew on This Morning today. I applaud his strength and courage throughout this terrible time and I hope he finds great comfort knowing that it is clear how much love he had for his boy and that Stephen would be incredibly proud of him. Well done, stay strong and thank you for sharing Stephen’s book with us, despite how hard it has been for you.

This post was written by Teeny Tiny Leanne. Follow her on Twitter, or check out her acting portfolio or The Teeny Tiny Party Company website.


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