Love Books Will Travel

What: Creative writing workshop.
Who: Kit Berry
Where: Waterstones 
Guildford
    Surrey
When: 25th August 2011

Why: To Promote The Stonewylde Series:
Stonewylde is an alternative community, hidden away in the heart of Dorset and ruled by the charismatic Magus. It’s a place of standing stones and earth energy – a place where the old ways are remembered. Within a great stone circle the eight pagan festivals are celebrated and ancient rites performed. The thirteen full moons are honoured and the people live natural and uncomplicated lives, as their ancestors have done for hundreds of years.
But all is not quite as it seems. There’s another side to Stonewylde; a darker side where cruelty is rife. There’s a more sinister purpose behind the rituals held in the Stone Circle than simply honouring the Earth Goddess and the elements of nature. Sylvie and her mother are invited into the community, victims of modern life. Suffering from the stresses of inner city life, they believe that by entering the enclosed world of Stonewylde, their troubles will be over. Magus promises them fulfilment; that they will lack for nothing. He promises to heal them and care for them, calling on the green magic that pervades everything at Stonewylde. But one boy alone understands the true reason for their invitation, and what malevolence their arrival has triggered.
As the series unfolds, the struggle between Yul and his master becomes more brutal and the stakes are raised. Sylvie is in terrible danger as an old prophecy is revealed and the pieces of the puzzle start to slide into place. Sylvie and Yul must battle not only to save themselves, but the very heart of Stonewylde.
My brother Jack and I attended a writer’s workshop at Waterstone’s in Guildford. It was hosted by Kit Berry who is the author of the Stonewylde series. Kit has just released her fourth book called Shadows of Stonewylde. The first book in the series is entitled Magus of Stonewylde followed by Moondance of Stonewylde and Solstice at Stonewylde. Kit used to be a teacher and began writing the books in her forties.
There were about ten of us in total who got to meet Kit Berry. First of all she introduced herself and the books that she had written. Her newest book has just been released in the last two weeks. The books are about a ‘hidden community’ called Stonewylde which is in Dorset. Sylvie and her mother go there as Sylvie is very ill and needs a place to heal and recuperate. But there are secrets at Stonewylde and all is not as it seems. These books are full of magic and mystery and I’m looking forward to reading them.
Kit then showed us how to expand events in our lives into possibilities for book ideas. She drew a map of her home and the area around it and listed some things that had happened around there and also some events that she had included in her book. Next she got us to do the same; to draw a map of our house or school or somewhere we had been and list out strange events that could be expanded into a possible story or smaller parts of stories. We all shared our ideas. She then took questions and signed our new Stonewylde books.
Verdict: I bought the first three books in the series and am starting to read them tonight! This was a good event, I enjoyed it.

Post by Dan (13)