Get a FREE goodie pack when you subscribe, including
Arthur’s Secret Journal – AR & Video
Chapter One of Bert the Bat + 2 Free ghost stories (one for adults one for kids)
The Mallowbrook Castle Reading and Writing Challenge (age 10+)
Discover sketches, secrets, and hidden Easter Eggs revealed through AR (Augmented Reality) magic in Arthur’s Secret Journal.
Created by eleven year old Arthur, the hero of the novel, this beautifully illustrated junk journal offers a peek into the world of Bert the Bat.
If you prefer not to use AR, you can simply watch the video.
Bert the Bat. A middle grade fantasy novel for readers age 10+ (and curious grown-ups).
Bert the Bat is the first adventure in The Veilway Chronicles — a cosy, middle grade fantasy series set in the odd little English village of Mallowbrook and its ancient castle. COMING IN 2026
When a grumpy blue bat crashes into eleven-year-old Arthur Pendry, magic, ghosts, and long-sleeping secrets awaken.
Author
Vincent Shaw
Hello, I’m Vincent, writer and creator of Bert the Bat and the Veilway Chronicles, a world of cosy, spooky adventures for curious readers who like their magic with a touch of mischief. My first novel, Bert the Bat, ‘opens the door’ to The Veilway and is set in the odd little English village of Mallowbrook, where folklore, fairies, and restless ghosts are never far away.
I live on the Sussex coast in the UK, and when I’m not writing, you’ll usually find me wandering through ruins, castles, and countryside in search of the next spark of inspiration. I hope you’ll feel at home here. There’s tea, there’s cake, and there is always a story waiting.
My writing blog
An Obsessive Advantage: Why I Photograph Everything
An Obsessive Advantage: Why I Photograph Everything. All of us carry a phone in our pocket from the moment we get up until the moment we go to bed, which means we carry a camera everywhere we go,...
Bert the Bat’s First School Visit
Bert the Bat's First School Visit For the past year I have been quietly working on the outline and first draft of Bert the Bat, the opening book in what I hope will become a middle grade novel...
The Birth of Arthur Pendry
The Birth of Arthur Pendry – and no, it wasn’t a cold and windswept Cornwall; it was a sunny and warm Sussex. People are magpies by nature; we all collect something. Some collect toy cars, others...
Shadows & Beginnings
Hello and welcome to my new website, Bert the Bat and the world Beyond the Veil If you’re here, you like stories with atmosphere — not twee sugar — but the kind that sit right between cosy and...