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"Dreams don't quit on people, people quit on their dreams!"
Anthony James Donnelly was born in Kent in 1970, the youngest of six children. He was a keen reader as a child, and as a result of this love of words, writing his own stories was a logical evolution. At a young age, he also developed a love of theatre and acting. Due to unexpectedly disappointing A-level results, his dream of going to university to further study English and Drama were thwarted. Instead he pursued a less creative line of study in Marketing and foreign languages, which allowed him to study, live and work in Germany, and attend university in Florence, Italy. These imersive experiences abroad deepened his appreciation for the diversity of other cultures. Although his life was firmly planted in a new direction, he still held onto his childhood dream of one day becoming a professional actor and writer.
His early business successes fostered another love: personal development. As a young, senior manager in his early 20s, he realized that by investing in his staff's individual development, their happiness levels and their productivity increased. He became a strong leader that invested heavily in his team. Unfortunately his ambition and motivation for personal and business success led him close to a nervous breakdown from exhaustion and overwork. He was only 27.
This was an eye-opening experience for the young executive. Having nearly died investing all his talents and energy into building someone else's dream, he took a sabatical to regroup and rethink his life. During this short recess, he worked with a local charity, firmly believing that giving back to the society we live in is a cornerstone of any successful life. He decided to put his efforts and energies into his own dreams, and began a new career path as a freelance writer and actor.
In the late 90s, he wrote a tailored computer user guide for Quaker Oats Europe called Know Your Oats, ghost wrote a book for personal development coach, Tony Wilson, and became deputy editor of the literary magazine, Writers' Forum. He also appeared in a few television and film projects as an actor, and fervently worked on his own writing projects.
One such project, When The Trees Held Their Breath, a short story about the potential plight of our natural environment, caught the interest of a small, American imprint, and an offer of publication was extended. While this book was being prepared for publication and he was living in the US, he devised and wrote the planned sequel, When The Rainbow Smiled. Due to limited exposure and sales of 'Trees', the follow-up work, 'Rainbows', was never scheduled for publication. Unpeturbed, he collaborated with an old school friend, Richard Eyre, who worked on a teaching guide to accompany 'Rainbows' and almost had it accepted into a number of London schools. Sadly, this too didn't succeed.
Since the unexpected and tragic death of Richard late in 2015, Anthony was reunited with his text and artwork, and decided to resurrect his story in honour of his late friend. In further recognition of Richard's hard work, Anthony plans to take his book and his message about peace, love, and understanding into primary schools around the country this year.
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