Bright blessings for the Lammas Moon!

Well - I've just been outside and can't see the full moon yet, although it's a lovely clear night. I really miss the big open skies of Dorset. There are so many tall trees around here (which are lovely too of course) but you don't get a view of the sky so well. Anyone feeling moongazy tonight?

I've just sent out the Lammas newsletter, and hope you like it. If you're not on the Stonewylde mailing list, you can read it on the website (when Mr B's put it up there!) and do subscribe to it, so you'll get the Autumn Equinox newsletter. It's all been very frantic here. The US edition of Magus of Stonewylde is going to print this week, and we've been working hard on it. The cover's been redesigned and we've just had it through today. The image is the same, but the blurb very different. We're now checking all the text etc ready to send it over the water - exciting stuff!! We've found a brilliant distributor in the USA - Magus Books - who are really keen to promote the Stonewylde Series. There's a good review coming out in the New Age Retailer magazine which goes out to thousands of new age type shops all over the USA. Hopefully this will give the USA launch a great start.

We've just spent a fantastic weekend at Womad (or Womud as one wag wrote on a sign there) in a camper van. There was a wonderful buzz - my first visit to Womad but I'm definitely going back next year, despite the awful mud. Actually you get used to the mud after a while and develop a good technique for moving about in it. The music was great, the flags so beautiful, and everyone there really chilled and friendly. It's my dream to one day stage a Stonewylde Festival. What a thought!

I also had a lovely time last week in Glastonbury, visiting Pete Gotto of Counter Culture. He distributes to many alternative type shops all over the country, and reports excellent sales of both Stonewylde books, with many requests for the third one. Of course I just had to visit the shops whilst I was there (Stonewylde is sold in Growing Needs, Gothic Image and the Chalice Well Garden shop) and then I climbed up the Tor. Wow! It was bright and sunny and everything was so very green. I'd forgotten what an amazing view it is from up there. I popped into the Avalon Library and gave them copies of both books. I was most impressed with the dragon sculpture outside - worth a look next time you're in Glastonbury if you haven't seen it before.

This coming weekend it's the Lammas Fair at Eastbourne, and I'll be signing copies of my books at the Green Man Bookstall all afternoon. I'm really looking forward to this event - do take a look at the website (link on my website) as it's really interesting. I can't wait to see the parade of giants and morrigans, and maybe I'll even meet up with the funny little green man I keep bumping into at these things. Best of all - I'll finally get to see The Dolmen!!! They're great Stonewylde fans and also friends on MySpace, but I've never actually seen them play. I think they're on at 4pm, and are headlining the bands there. I've heard they're fantastic.

I'm off outside again now to check on the Full Moon. Bright blessings to all moongazy folk out there!
Kit xxx

More experienced now!

It's been months since my first steps as a blogger - it was March and now it's practically August! So much has happened since then. Do read the News and Events section on my website to find out what's been going on since March. And of course the Lammas newsletter is due out next week (which I really must get on with). I didn't keep up with this blog because we started the Stonewylde Forum and I thought that would be enough. But although that started off very well, everyone's been quiet lately, including me. And blogs are such fun anyway.

I've been surfing the Internet the last few days reading all sorts of blogs in the UK and USA. It started when I googled Stonewylde and saw how many entries there are - loads! Then I realised many of them were references found in blogs, and an exciting batch all spawned by an article in the Associated Press in the USA. This story had been run by almost 60 different newspapers and radio stations in the USA - it was a list of authors and books most likely to be "the next Harry Potter". Me and Stonewylde were fourth on the list!! I was flabberghasted - partly because I wondered how on earth they'd heard of me over there, and partly because I really don't want a tag like that. It makes you sound like you're jumping on the bandwagon, or making a poor imitation copy of something that was unique. I like to think of Stonewylde as being completely different from anything else. Having said that, the article was certainly good publicity! We've had enquiries about film rights, and loads of hits on the website from the USA.

Mr B has just reminded me I need to be up early tomorrow and it's nearly two in the morning now. I'm off to Glastonbury tomorrow - can't wait as I love it there. I need to visit the shops that stock Stonewylde and make sure they're still doing so. Unlike Waterstones and the big guys, the little shops don't always have automated re-ordering systems and I think Stonewylde has been selling really well in Glastonbury. Well that stands to reason I suppose! And it's good to meet up with book shops who stock the series - without their support and enthusiasm, I wouldn't sell nearly as much and they always give me a warm welcome.

I'm also seeing Pete Gotto who runs Counter Culture, the book distributor. Pete is a great guy who's supported me from the beginning, and sells lots of my books to all sorts of alternative outlets and shops. Luckily it's forecast for bright weather tomorrow - it's a long drive if the weather's bad. I hope I get time to climb up the Tor! Last time I was there was Hallowe'en (Samhain) 2002 I think - certainly before I started writing Stonewylde. I'm looking forward to standing on the top in the sunshine and looking out across that wonderful view.