Events for 2007

December 2007

Kit and Mr. B tie the knot! : Many readers have been interested to read the glowing and growing tributes that Kit has paid to Mr B in the acknowledgements section of all three books. Since meeting just before the first book was published in 2005, they fell in love and Kit gave up her teaching career and home in Dorset to be with the man of her dreams. On December 29th they tied the knot in Reading Register Office, accompanied by their two sets of children. This could be called a match made in Stonewylde, because Mr B is as passionate about the series as Kit, and has been instrumental in the success it is now enjoying.

Christmas Special: Yours Magazine This lifestyle magazine ran a double page feature about Kit in the Christmas Special edition, telling all about her inspiration for writing the Stonewylde Series. The interview also included details about her earlier life in Weymouth, bringing up her children as a single mum and working as a school teacher. Readers learnt too about Kit's exciting news for the end of December - details of this will be in the Winter Solstice newsletter, so if you haven't already subscribed, do it now! Subscribe here>>

Saturday December 1st : Gothic Image, Glastonbury Kit spent a great afternoon with Kathy and Selina in this wonderful shop in Glastonbury, meeting new readers and chatting with old fans who'd come to pay her a visit. What a lovely place for the last book signing event of 2007. Kit hopes to return here next year when it's warmer, perhaps at the Summer Solstice, as Glastonbury is one of her very favourite places.

November 2007

Saturday November 24th : Bracknell, Waterstones Kit joined Mark and the team at Bracknell, upstairs near the Fantasy section. Kit met her youngest reader yet. She'd come in specially with her mum to have her well-thumbed copies of all three books signed, and to buy more for Christmas presents. Kit is pictured here with Ben, and of course the crow. Mark has pledged himself to promoting the books in this branch, and is about to start reading Magus himself, appropriately on the night of the full moon.

Staines Waterstones After a quick bowl of soup, Kit jumped in her car and whizzed over to Staines to be with Natalie and the Staines staff for another visit to this busy branch. Natalie had made a really beautiful display of the books on special sparkly green material - very appropriate for books featuring green magic! Several readers came in to buy the third book, and there were many new readers too. As ever, the Waterstones staff made Kit very welcome and it's always lovely that they buy the Stonewylde books for themselves too.

Saturday November 17th : Piccadilly, London, Waterstones. Kit was thrilled to be invited to a book signing at this massive branch of Waterstones - the biggest one in the country, and billed on their website as the largest bookshop in Europe! Jason the Events Manager made Kit very welcome, although he did sit her under a gigantic Dalek! Kit was delighted that many Stonewylde fans came in specially to see her, and how clever - buying sets of all three Stonewylde books, personally dedicated and signed - all their Christmas shopping done in one fell swoop! This branch has now decided to hold substantial stocks of all three books, so Piccadilly is the place to go if you want more copies of Stonewylde immediately.

Saturday November 10th : Swindon, Waterstones in the Brunel Centre. Kit spent a lovely afternoon back in Swindon again, looked after by Vicky this time as poor Beks was ill. It was great to meet readers who'd come in to get their copy of Solstice at Stonewylde, and many shoppers were excited to find a new series that appealed to their imaginations.

October 2007

Wednesday October 31st
Publication date of Solstice at Stonewylde

Wednesday October 31st : Sister Moon, Dorchester Pauline has been a staunch Stonewylde fan since the beginning and many of her customers were eagerly awaiting the third title. Kit visited this fascinating little shop, jam-packed with lovely things on this very special day - official publication of Solstice at Stonewylde! It was very exciting to meet readers who'd come in specially for their signed copies of the third book. Many thanks too to Geoff Phillips, a big Stonewylde fan, who came in and took photos including this one of Kit with Pauline.

Saturday October 27th : A Littlemore Hardware, Littlemoor Shopping Centre, Weymouth. Kit spent a brilliant hour and a half at this Aladdin's Cave of hardware, which used to be a local shop to her when she lived in Weymouth. There were people waiting for her arrival, eager to get their advance copy of the third book, and it didn't stop during her time there. They kept on coming! She really enjoyed seeing so many familiar faces who'd come specially, and was delighted at everyone's excitement. Some were stocking up on Christmas presents too, so the trilogy of books went down very well. Many thanks to Malcolm and Terri for arranging the event, which was a first for them. The local reporter came and took some photos too, so watch out for some more coverage in the Dorset Evening Echo.

Witches Ball, Corn Exchange, Dorchester .... Kit then dashed over to Dorchester to the Pickled Witch Market, arriving a few minutes later than scheduled only to be greeted by a queue of Stonewylde fans! Again, the two hours flew by as more and more Stonewylde readers arrived to get their hands on the latest book. Kit met several people who'd been e-mailing her for ages and had joined the Stonewylde Forum, and she was so pleased to finally meet them in the flesh. It was good to see Celtic Moon again, who sell lovely pagan things, and also Occult Fetish who were at the last weekend's event. They kindly gave Kit a raven's wing which she hopes to use on the cover of the fourth book, Shadows at Stonewylde. Jerry and Diane of Green Man Gallery books hosted this signing (Kit has now done several with them) and were as enthusiastic as ever about Stonewylde. Jerry will be reviewing Solstice at Stonewylde in Merry Meet, so watch out for that. Since arriving home from these signings, Kit has been inundated with e-mails from bleary-eyed fans who must have spent the rest of the weekend devouring the third book! Thank you to all friends, old and new, who came along to buy the books.

Saturday October 20th and Sunday 21st : The Hallowe'en Festival, London. Kit and Mr B spent the whole weekend at this event organised by the Beltane Bash team, and launched the first sales of Solstice at Stonewylde. It was wonderful to meet up again with readers who were so eager to get the third book! Kit met editors from Pagan Dawn and The Pentacle, the two best-selling pagan magazines. She also gave a talk on her writing, her inspiration and how the Stonewylde Series has reached the mainstream market as well as being enjoyed by pagans across the country. It was great to hear the fantastic band The Dolmen play again, and Keri and Star were very pleased to get their copy of Solstice. But the highlight of the whole event for Kit took place outside on the green. She held a beautiful 27 year old barn owl called Henry, and fell in love! He was so soft and very tame indeed, pecking gently at her fingers and enjoying the fuss being made of him. Kit has always loved owls (influenced by her special aunt, to whom the series is dedicated) - she's now desperate for a barn owl of her own!

October 5th : A Red Letter Day - Kit receives her copies of Solstice at Stonewylde! Kit was overjoyed to take delivery of the first copies of her third book. The cover looks superb and very sinister, and Kit is delighted with it. Many thanks to Bernard and all the production team at Cox and Wyman, the printers. Now all that remains is to get the books in the shops, and then in front of readers. Kit will be very interested to read your comments on Amazon or in the Guest Book when you've read it.

Waterstones in the Brunel Centre, Swindon. Kit spent a lovely afternoon in this large branch. She was given a warm welcome by Beks and the rest of the Waterstones staff. She met new readers and talked about the Stonewylde Series. Kit will be returning to this Swindon branch before Christmas when the third title is published. So if you missed this visit, come along next time.

September 2007

September 28th : The Copy Shop, Tetbury, Gloucestershire. Over the past two years Nicki has sold a great deal of Stonewylde books and nurtured a loyal Tetbury fan base in the tiny, cramped Copy Shop. Now the business has moved to beautiful, larger premises in this lovely little town. Kit attended the Grand Opening of the new shop to sign books and meet old and new readers of the series. The Mayor of Tetbury, who performed the ceremony, was keen to buy a copy of both titles. But he had to run out in the rain (after first removing the mayoral bling!) to get some cash as the debit card machine wasn't yet set up in the shop! Best of luck to Nicki, Patrick and all the staff in their smart new premises. And somebody tell Prince Charles about the Stonewylde books!

September 27th: Solstice at Stonewylde rolls off the presses! Kit was invited to visit the printers Cox and Wyman Ltd, where the third book, Solstice at Stonewylde is being printed, and see the whole process involved. Bernard, the production manager for this project, showed Kit all around the huge factory, which prints books for many of the leading publishers. He explained the printing process and Kit was fascinated to see the brilliant green covers of Solstice at Stonewylde rolling off the press at a great speed, before going to the lamination machine where the high gloss would be applied.

She said it was like watching one's baby being delivered - although Bernard said he was no midwife! Not long to go now before Stonewylde fans get their hands on the book they've all been waiting for. Click the picture for video

September 1st : US Edition of Magus of Stonewylde published in the USA!. Following the successful visit to the New York Book Fair and after countless enquiries from American bookworms, Moongazy Publishing decided to go ahead and launch the Stonewylde Series in the USA. Sheer synchronicity brought a wonderful distributor called Magus Books (www.magusbooks.com) to the table, and they now warehouse the entire stock of this lovely US edition. There's been wonderful feedback already from American readers so it seems that Stonewylde is working its magic in the USA as well! Magus Books are really dedicated to making this venture a success, and there's already been a great review in a New Age magazine, with more to come hopefully. Any Americans and Canadians reading this - there's a special page just for you! Follow the link on the homepage or click here.

August 2007

Sunday August 26th - The Henge Shop, Avebury, Wiltshire. Kit whizzed back to Reading after Tapeley Park, and then the next morning it was back west again to Avebury for another book signing event. Three lots of people had come especially to meet Kit which was fantastic, especially as they'd travelled some distance to do so. Kit set up her table outside the shop in the sun and met many people all day. John Wilding who runs the shop kept her plied with coffee and sandwiches, and lots of books were signed and sold. Avebury has always been a special place for Kit as the first book features three Avebury stones on the front cover, and the photo of the Goddess in the Landscape, carefully hidden on the cover, was taken at West Kennet on the longbarrow. The Stonewylde Series goes down very well with Avebury visitors, who come from far and wide to visit this magical place. Kit is looking forward to signing the third book here later in the year. Web: www.hengeshop.com. The excellent picture of Kit signing her books was taken by Richard Walton.

Saturday August 25th - Mercury Rising Books - Kit spent a glorious Bank Holiday Saturday with Debbie and Steve Merrit at the Health and Harmony Fair in Tapeley Park, near Bideford in Devon. She was greeted with a bacon sandwich and cup of coffe by a fellow stall holder and then spent the rest of the day being made a complete fuss of. The venue was superb - if you haven't been here before, make sure you visit next summer. There were many fantastic stalls all set in the grounds of a beautiful stately home (as Debbie said, a Devon version of Stonewylde!). Notably the Celtic Moon stall in particular had some wonderful items for sale, and Kit succumbed to a pair of green men wall plaques - summer and winter faces. She met many fans who'd already bought copies of the Stonewylde books and had brought them along to be signed. She also had the pleasure of meeting new readers too, which is always exciting. Debbie and Steve have been exceptional in their support and promotion of Stonewylde, and it was lovely to finally meet them. Kit can't wait to go back again next year. You can visit their online book shop at www.mercuryrisingbooks.com. Thank you to both of them for their warmth and hospitality.

4th August, Kit attended the Lammas Fair at Eastbourne, East Sussex. This is an annual event which has grown in popularity since humble beginnings a few years ago. Originally organised by the local pagan circle, it now has the blessing of the town council and is well attended by locals, holiday makers and pagan groups alike.

Kit was once again the guest of Jerry and Diane Bird of the Green Man Bookstall, who are also organisers of the event. Kit signed many copies of both books and also got the chance to talk to old fans who'd already read the books. And the thing they all wanted to know was ... when's Book Three coming out?

Kit met this beautiful Lammas Queen at the Fair and was struck by her similarity to Miranda! Denise was happy to pose for this shot, and has since become an avid Stonewylde fan.

Kit also met several members of the amazing Hunter's Moon Morris Dancers, spectacular in their black and silvery outfits. Daryl and Keith are shown here with Kit at her book signing table - note the crow perched by the books!

One of the highlights of the event was the fantastic performance by The Dolmen - a Dorset band who have a huge following at all types of pagan events. Kit has been friends with Keri and Star on MySpace for some time now and was delighted to meet them in person, and even more delighted to hear them play.

The Lammas Fair closed with a simple ritual on the pebbly beach of Eastbourne, a perfect ending to a great day.

July 2007

Kit spent a lovely morning in Bridport, Dorset at The Bookshop in South Street, where she'd been invited for a book signing event. The local newspaper, the Bridport News, had run a story on the success of The Stonewylde Series the previous week and several old fans turned up to see her on the day. She also met new readers who were keen to try the books, and had a good time chatting to customers about the Dorset based books. The other local paper, the Dorset Evening Echo, sent a reporter along too. Thanks to Ross and Derek for hosting such a great event, and for continuing to support a local author. They've been stockists from the very beginning, long before all the chain bookshops decided to carry the books. Click here for more details of the Bridport Book Shop.

Kit signed books in the New Forest at the Coven of Witches, an amazing little shop in Burley where you can buy anything from crows to crystals. Horses wander around the village, which is a busy and bustling place, and Pauline reports good sales of Kit's books in her shop.

June 2007

Kit attended the Book Expo America in New York to promote the Stonewylde Series. Moongazy Publishing has been considering publishing a US edition of Magus of Stonewylde, as there is a great deal of interest from American readers and booksellers. Following productive discussions with many people at the book fair, it seems very likely that this project will go ahead. Kit met Jacqueline Wilson (famous British children's author) briefly at the exhibition, and gave her a copy of Magus! Let's hope she enjoys it.

Waterstones agreed to stock the Stonewylde Series in their stores nationwide - a major breakthrough in getting the books out there and widely available! To see which branches now hold permanent stock of the books, click for Magus of Stonewylde and Moondance of Stonewylde. Every other branch can order them for immediate delivery.

May 2007

May 27th, May 28th. Kit attended The Beltane Bash held in the Conway Hall, Holborn, London. In the pouring rain she joined others in outlandish costumes to walk through the streets of London in a Pagan parade to mark the beginning of summer. Singers and dancers celebrated in the hall whilst Kit signed her books for new readers. A fantastic event enjoyed by all.

May 19th - Kit Berry appeared in UK Times newspaper, Body and Soul section.
John Naish interviewed Kit about her experience at the Hill That Breathes in Italy. It was after spending a week at this wonderful holistic retreat last year, that Kit decided to take the plunge and leave her teaching career to devote all her time and energy to Stonewylde. Read the article here>>>


May 12th - Waterstones, Staines, Middx - Kit's first book signing event at Waterstone's!

Kit met old fans and new readers, and signed books at Waterstone's. It was a wet Saturday morning but a great atmosphere in the shop, where Maria and the other staff made Kit very welcome. She really enjoyed talking to readers and hopes to do more events like this in the summer.

May 7th - Hastings, East Sussex - the Jack in the Green Festival. A wonderful day with a huge parade of Morris Dancers, Green Men, Morrigans and Ravens. Kit spent a chilly afternoon up at Hastings Castle signing books for festival goers at the Green Man Books stall. Jerry Bird who runs the book stall is a big Stonewylde fan himself, and is writing a review for the next edition of Merry Meet. Let's hope for better weather next year!

Stonewylde Series stocked by all Border's UK branches (in Fantasy and Science Fiction section!)

16th April, Kit attends the London Book Fair at Earls Court, a large trade fair for everyone in the publishing world.

March 2007
Stonewylde explodes onto MySpace arousing world wide interest. Click here to meet her on MySpace.

February 2007
Stonewylde series becomes available in some Waterstones throughout UK.

January 2007

1st January, Kit Berry leaves teaching and Dorset to pursue her dreams in Berkshire. This was a great wrench as she loves Dorset passionately, and spent many years in education. She was a dedicated teacher, really enjoying her job and the challenge of bringing learning alive for children. She gained an MA in Education and also was an exam marker.