The Bonfire Committee

​Due for publication in Autumn 2027, "The Bonfire Committee" is the fourth book in our "Middle Itchenstoke" series. You are welcome to write linked stories or feature recurring characters, or create something completely new.

 

Autumn has arrived in Middle Itchenstoke. The leaves are turning, the nights are drawing in and the village calendar is filling up. There’s the harvest festival to organise, produce to gather, traditions to uphold and, looming over everything, the annual Bonfire Night celebrations, which means committees, disagreements, old rivalries and an alarming number of people with very firm opinions about fireworks. Join the folk of Middle Itchenstoke as autumn reaches its fiery conclusion….

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Your Story

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The autumn celebrations finish with Bonfire Night but there's lots to do before then- harvest festival, Halloween, back to school, half term...  We are looking for stories set in Middle Itchenstoke that celebrate autumn, its various events and celebrations and of course, the people who organise the, and the drama and comedy that ensues. 

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Your story can also just be a generic autumn story, as long as it is set in the same village.

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If you plan to write a story please let us know if you plan to cover a specific event so we don't end up with multiple stories covering the same thing.

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Background

 

​The village of Middle Itchenstoke is close to the villages of Great Itchenstoke and nether Itchenstoke. It sits on the river Itchen, in Hampshire, but is of course entirely fictitious. It's inhabitants are mainly middle class, some have grown up there and some have moved "out of the city". 

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It's a very small village - it has a pub called The Red House, a church - St Raymond's -  named after the patron saint of secrets and gossip,  a small primary school, a village hall and a traditional village shop and post office, a cricket ground and clubhouse, and a few farms on the edges.

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There are several characters that you can include or make reference to if you so choose, but only as supporting characters.  

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Village Shop Owner - Mrs Applebottom (nobody knows her first name).  She is a no-nonsense woman in her 70s who has run the shop and post office since 1980. She was widowed (Mr Applebottom - again, no first name) in 2016.  She knows everyone's names, everyone's business and everyone's background.  Children are naturally amused by her name. 

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The Pub Landlord  - Tom Peacock is the well-liked and amiable 60 year old landlord of The Red House pub. He took it over in 2010 and has made it a firm favourite for food and drink with locals and people from outside the village. It's a proper, old-fashioned village pub. His wife and two grown up twin sons - John and Laurence - also live at the pub. 

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The Vicar - Barnaby Thorne has been vicar at St Raymond's longer than anyone can remember but never seems to age.  He's a modern, progressive vicar who is highly creative when it comes to finding alternative uses for the church as attendance has dwindled over the decades. and ensures that he is always a relevant and active community member. Despite everyone's memory, he has in fact only been in the role since 2001.

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The Head Teacher - Tabitha Blinkhorn is a a relatively new resident of the village, having been installed as head teacher at Middle Itchenstoke Primary School in the last couple of years.  She has lots of ideas about modernising the school, perhaps at a pace which is too much for some residents. 

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There is no cost for you to submit a story and there is no cost if we choose it for publication.  As an author you will be able to buy as many copies as you like at half-price, enabling you to resell and make a profit. ​

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About Your Story

 

• These stories should be light and entertaining.  They should be funny, heartwarming or moving.  

• Each story should contain one instance (no more) of a character saying something about the village residents, or selected residents, being "perfectly respectable people" (this is a feature of this series)

• This book is intended for adult readers

• Each story should be 3000 - 6000 words

• You remain the copyright owner of your story and you are free to publish it elsewhere. More details ​

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Formatting

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• We will provide a Microsoft Word template for you to use, along with style and formatting guidelines. 

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Project Rules

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• No submissions from under 18s for this particular project.

• Your story must be all your own work.

• Your story must not contain anything that is legally questionable or libellous.

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How the book will be sold

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• The book will be sold primarily on Amazon.  

• You will have the option to buy as many copies as you like at half price if you choose, which you can resell or give away.

• We ask authors to spread the word among friends and family - after all, they'll want to read your story!

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Deadline and Publication Date 

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• Submission deadline: 31st August 2027

• Publication date: Autumn 2027

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Money

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• We will never ask you to pay to contribute to our books

• We do not pay royalties but you can make money from your story by buying as many copies as you like at a discounted rate and reselling although there is no obligation to do so. 

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