Mani’s Favorite Books of 2020…

Great to see my book, Stranger Days on Peculiar Hill, listed as one of review blogger Mani’s favorite books among those she has read this year – especially as it appears amongst other such prestigious titles. You may remember that Mani reviewed the book when it first came out.

Although it’s the second book in the Vale of Strange series, I wrote Stranger Days so you can pick it up and enjoy it without having read the previous volume. It tells of Peter’s return to the vale, along with Amanda and his new friend Mala, this time to rescue Mala’s father, the hapless explorer Augustus Flipper, but it soon becomes clear that the very balance of the weirdosphere is at stake…

This is also an excellent time to get both books however. The earlier volume, The Shop on Peculiar Hill and Stranger Days on Peculiar Hill are both available on Kindle for just 77p each (or 99c US) till the end of the year (so there’s just a few days left to go…)

UK link

US link

I notice that Mani has also listed another middlegrade children’s adventure, Amari and the Night Brothers, among her favourite books of the year. This happens to be a book I’d already earmarked to read myself. I’ll let you know more about it here – along with some other books which you might enjoy – in the New Year…

(So keep safe – and don’t forget your hat!)

Happy Christmas!

Happy Christmas from all at the Vale of Strange! Stay safe – and don’t forget your hat!

Funny, mysterious fantasy stories, The Shop on Peculiar Hill and Stranger Days on Peculiar Hill – Special Kindle prices on both books! Get them now before they’re gone!

Amazon UK 77p

Amazon US 99c

The Shop on Peculiar Hill – Live Reading!

That nice Ian Eagleton, developer of the ReadingRealm app, is running a series of live readings and other activities to entertain the kids during these challenging times. Here’s his schedule for the week ahead and I’m delighted to report that Tuesday’s session will include a read along extract from none other than that exciting and mysterious fantasy adventure, The Shop on Peculiar Hill by Grimly Darkwood. Do tune in or synchronise your algorithms or whatever it is you do these days and join in the fun. You will find the live readings over at the Reading Realm Facebook page (as opposed to the Reading Realm Group Facebook page where you won’t find them, this being an entirely different kettle of strange creatures). Ian helpfully points out that the Ebook version of The Shop on Peculiar Hill is currently available from Amazon for just 99p, so if the reading whets your appetite for further strangeness, you know where to go…

The Vale of Strange – Free Access for Five Days only!

If you haven’t yet read The Shop on Peculiar Hill, the first book in the Vale of Strange series, this is the ideal time to give it a try. The eBook version is available FREE for five days only, starting today! The final day of this special offer will be Saturday 30 November. Don’t miss out on this great opportunity!

Please pass this news on to any friends, relatives etc. who you think might enjoy the book. It is aimed at middle grade children (aged 8 to 12 or thereabouts) but feedback suggests that it can be enjoyed by people of just about any age from 7 upwards, adults included. As Grimly said in his recent interview with Ian Eagleton, designer of the Reading Realm app, ‘In writing The Shop on Peculiar Hill, I wanted to produce a book that was funny as well as scary, mysterious as well as exciting, and fun for adults to read as well as for children. I hope readers will think I’ve succeeded.’

This is your ideal chance to see if you think he’s right – and without paying a penny! Download your free E-book now at Amazon UK, Amazon.com, and – as far as I know – other Amazon sites worldwide! And if you enjoy it, don’t forget that the sequel, ‘Stranger Days on Peculiar Hill’ can be pre-ordered in E-book format now and purchased as a paperback on Amazon from Sunday 1st December (i.e. this coming Sunday).

Happy reading! – and please let us know what you think…

Cover Wars – We Won!!

We won the Cover Wars contest!! Many thanks for your votes everyone – very much appreciated! I’m glad you agree it’s a great cover by Pete Lyon. If you have not yet bought a copy of The Shop on Peculiar Hill, this is a great time to do it, as the book is available at the reduced price of £6-99 at Amazon UK or $9-99 at Amazon.com for a limited period. Ideal for those aged 8-12 and any adults who don’t scare easily. More info and purchase links at https://grimlydarkwood.com/the-shop-on-peculiar-hill-vale-of-strange-book-one/

Also available for even less on Kindle and free on Kindle Unlimited!

Cover Wars 5 – New Lower Price for ‘The Shop on Peculiar Hill’

Three things to say today:

1) Please remember to vote for Pete Lyon’s magnificent cover for ‘The Shop on Peculiar Hill’ in the Author Shout ‘Cover Wars’ competition. http://authorshout.com/cover-wars/

Many thanks to all who have voted so far. You can vote every 24 hours so don’t stop now! It’s really close: just a few days to go and every vote counts…

2) Also: If you haven’t yet got round to buying a copy of the critically acclaimed ‘The Shop on Peculiar Hill’, this is a very good time to get one because we’ve just dropped the paperback price! The UK price is now £6-99 (reduced from £10-78 previously) and the US price is $9-99 (down from $13-99). These new prices are a real bargain and we’re not going to be able to hold them at this level for very long, so please don’t miss out! Visit Amazon UK or Amazon.com today…

“I cannot recommend this book enough for yourself, for the wee ones in your world, or just anyone you know who will enjoy a quirky, meaningful novel.” – Radzy Writes and Reviews

You can find out more about what people have been saying about ‘The Shop on Peculiar Hill’ here

3) And what was the third thing I wanted to say? Oh yes, please remember to vote for Pete Lyon’s magnificent cover for ‘The Shop on Peculiar Hill’ in the Author Shout ‘Cover Wars’ competition! http://authorshout.com/cover-wars/

Or did I already say that?