Fall into Fiction: Warm reads for cosy nights in 🍂

Autumn is officially here – and with it comes the perfect weather for curling up with a new book 🍂

Whether you're looking for warmth, wonder or a touch of seasonal spookiness, we've got a bunch of warm, cosy reads for you to fall in to.

BY ROWAN AND YEW BY MELISSA HARRISON

From acclaimed nature writer Melissa Harrison comes a charming duology perfect for cosy nights 🍃
As autumn arrives, Moss, Sorrel, Burnet and Dormer decide to return home to Ash Row to unravel a riddle that might explain why their kind are fading from the Wild World ...

SISTERS OF THE LOST MARSH BY LUCY STRANGE

'There's no better author wandering the moors nowadays than Strange.' – Lemony Snicket 
Are you ready to enter a Strange world? This gorgeously gothic tale combines dreamy magical realism with a thrilling mystery for ages 9+.

THE OTHER ONES BY FRAN HART

Heartstopper meets Gilmore Girls in a haunted house 🍃
One for fans of Alice Oseman, this spooky and cosy LGBTQ+ romance is perfect for fireside reading.

ONCE UPON A FEVER BY ANGHARAD WALKER

After some dark academia? 
Since the world fell sick with fantastical illnesses, sisters Payton and Ani have grown up in the hospital of King Jude’s. For the first time the girls find themselves outside the hospital, a dark mystery unravelling ...

Shop all Autumn books here! 🍂

OPEN COOP IS BACK!

✨For one day only – we're accepting open submissions!✨

 

Do you wish you had a professional editor on board to help you develop your middle grade novel? Do you live in the UK or Ireland? This opportunity might just be for you!

We’re delighted to announce a 24 hour open submissions period here at Chicken House this Autumn Equinox on 22nd September. Finished or unfinished novels for children aged 7-11 by authors from the UK and Ireland have the chance to gain mentorship from a member of the editorial team.

Writers selected during past Open Coops include Bruna de Luca (Livia in Rome) and Sabine Adeyinka (Jummy at the River School), both of whom went on to sign publishing contracts with Chicken House.

What we are offering

Our editorial team (consisting of Rachel Leyshon, Barry Cunningham and Shalu Vallepur) will pick their favourite submissions to receive feedback and mentoring. We’d love to help you develop your idea or draft into a fully-fledged children’s novel with expert editorial input.

How to submit

In order to submit, please create a single Word document including the following material and email it to opencoop@chickenhousebooks.com between 12:00pm 22^nd September and 12:00pm 23^rd September (UK time)

• A cover letter of no more than a page, single spaced, including a short pitch for your story, a little about yourself, and how far along you are with writing the novel.
• A synopsis of not more than a page, single spaced, describing the story you’re writing from beginning to end (no cliff-hangers!). If you haven’t decided on the full synopsis yet, that’s OK – you can detail as much of the story as you have planned.
• Either the first 1,500 words or the first three chapters of your novel (whichever is longest).

Please ensure the title of your email follows this format: OPEN COOP: [Your name] [Your title]

Entry is FREE!

Please note that due to the volume of submissions we receive, we are unable to respond to entrants individually either to confirm receipt or if you have been unsuccessful. We will only be in touch if we are interested in moving forward with your submission.

What to submit

This time, we are looking for Middle Grade stories from authors in the UK and Ireland. We are looking for fresh stories with fresh voices for ages 7 to 11 – something a bit different, written from the heart, for a child you know or the child you were. Illustrators who want to be writers are very welcome!

We can’t wait to hear about what you’re working on!

FAQs

Will I receive a confirmation email once I’ve submitted?

No – unfortunately we don’t have the ability to confirm receipt of your entry.

Can I send more than one novel/pitch?

No – Open Coop is limited to one submission per person.

Will you let me know if I’m not successful?

We will be in touch with those we’d like to take forward within 3 months of entry. Sadly if you haven’t heard from us by then, you have been unsuccessful on this occasion – but please try again next time!

Do I have to have written the full manuscript already?

No – if you have then that’s great, but at this point we’re just looking for a great idea and a sample of your writing.

I live outside of the UK and Ireland, can I submit?

No – this time we are looking for authors who reside permanently in the UK and Ireland.

What’s the difference between the Times/Chicken House Children’s Fiction Competition and Open Coop – and can I enter Open Coop if I’ve already submitted to the Competition?

The Times/Chicken House Competition (which is currently open for unagented submissions) is for a full manuscript, there is an entry fee and the prize is a publishing contract. Open Coop is a much more casual affair, and not a competition – it’s for manuscripts at all stages of development, it’s free, and we’ll be looking at submission samples and offering mentorship rather than a formal prize. It’s fine for you to submit to Open Coop as well as the Times/Chicken House – even if it’s with the same book – particularly as they are assessed by two different teams of readers.

I’m under 18 – am I able to submit?

Unfortunately not – for legal reasons you must be over 18.

Can I submit my short story/poetry/graphic novel/picture book/non-fiction work?

No. Chicken House publishes children’s/YA fiction for ages 7+.

I have a literary agent? Can I submit?

No. Agented authors are not eligible to enter – after all, we accept ordinary submissions via all established literary agencies

Introducing: KILL ME NOW by Helen Price 🔪

We are delighted to reveal the STUNNING cover of Kill Me Now by Helen Price – your next YA murder mystery obsession!

This spine-chilling YA crime thriller is jam-packed with tense murder mystery, nasty school cliques and first crushes; think Riverdale meets One of Us is Lying.

Thanks so much to Michaela Alcaino for the BEAUT of a cover, Kill Me Now is out 12^th February 2026!

Pre-Order your copy of Kill Me Now with CRIMINALLY GOOD BOOKSHOP for a signed bookplate with your copy!

 

Q&A

We asked Helen a few questions for some delicious *spoiler free* goodness to get us through to publication day!

What inspired you to become a writer?
I’ve written for most of my career but mostly boring stuff like corporate communications (aka, the kind of thing you’d only read if forced to). So, when my teen son ran out of action-packed books, I thought: “How hard can it be?” (Spoiler: very hard 😅). But then, I joined the Golden Egg Academy and learned how to actually write, and from that point on, I was hooked.

How long did it take you to write KILL ME NOW?
About a year, which is basically record time for me. Thrillers are tricky to write because you’ve got to layer in twists, red herrings, and keep the tension cranked high enough to stop readers from scrolling TikTok. But honestly, that’s my favourite part.

Did you face any major challenges during the process?
Since Guy’s family runs a funeral business, I couldn’t exactly rely on Google (let's face it, that would get really weird, really fast). So, for research, I went behind the scenes at a real funeral home. Some might call that creepy. I call it fascinating. And yes, I did take notes. Lots of notes. ⚰️

What’s your favourite YA crime/thriller novel (apart from KILL ME NOW, obviously)?
Ooooh, tough one. I’d go with One of Us Is Lying by Karen McManus. She’s basically YA’s Queen of Crime 👑. That book kept me guessing until the very end, which is rare, because my family hates watching thrillers with me since I usually ruin them by guessing the ending halfway through. And if we’re talking ultimate plot twist? I'd say, We Were Liars by E. Lockhart. Best. Ending. Ever. 🤯

Give us a sneak peek - what’s one crime trope we’ll find in KILL ME NOW?
Take your pick: Small town with dark secrets, an overload of red herrings, or… multiple murders. Yup, spoiler alert: there’s a serial killer on the loose.

What’s one fun or unexpected fact about you?
I once set my hair on fire (accidentally!) in the next room to President Clinton and had to be rescued by his secret service agents. True story. 🔥👀 Also, I have a black belt in karate… but unfortunately it didn’t help much in that situation.

The Times/Chicken House 2025 Shortlist is Here!

Phew, that was tough! The longlist this year was super strong – so strong, in fact, that we couldn’t bear to whittle it down to only five titles.

YA won us over this year, with 5 YA titles and 1 Middle Grade making the shortlist.

The Fane and the Fruit Wagon by Olive M. Morris

The Less-Than-Perfect Life of Jaya Kapoor by Shefali Kharabanda

Nothing Good Happens After Midnight by Hannah Nathan

Secret Wolf by Beth Holland

Skelly Boy by George Wigzell

The Wrangler’s Daughter by Marianna Shek

Huge congratulations to our shortlisted authors. To anyone who was longlisted but didn’t reach the shortlist, never fear: we’ll be providing you with a handy reader’s report with some feedback from our team.

Now, it is over to our fantastic panel of judges to decide on the winners. We’ll be announcing the result in November as well as opening next year’s competition. Watch this space!