Debut Release Month
The Outcast Mage comes out this month?? Whaaaat???
Hello hello! Happy New Year! I hope you have had a lovely festive season and can hold onto that relaxed and full of cheese feeling as long as possible. Firstly, an apology for the extended absence. My last newsletter was in -checks notes- JULY?! Wow. So it turns out that raising a small person does not leave much time for writing or promo (I guess I knew this, but I didn’t really know this, if you know what I mean). As we head into debut month, the young man is attending nursery a couple of times a week so I can dig into some promo, write book two and - hopefully - revive this newsletter. That said, life is being lived within some very tight time margins at the moment, so it’s possible the newsletters will be a little shorter than their previous issues. (Yay! says pretty much everyone)
Publication Month is Heeere
How?? How??? I touched on this in my last newsletter, but when I signed my contract with Orbit, the release of The Outcast Mage felt a million miles away. It really does come in faster than you think. Everyone said so. But did I believe them? No, I did not.
So what’s happening?
My debut novel, The Outcast Mage, is coming out on the 28th of January in hardback, ebook and audiobook in UK and paperback, ebook and audiobook in the US. It is an epic fantasy and the first part of The Shattered Lands trilogy.
In the glass city of Amoria, magic is everything. And Naila, student at the city’s legendary academy, is running out of time to prove she can control hers. If she fails, she’ll be forced into exile, relegated to a life of persecution with the other magicless hollows. Or worse, be consumed by her own power.
When a tragic incident further threatens her place at the Academy, Naila is saved by Haelius Akana, the most powerful living mage. Finding Naila a kindred spirit, Haelius stakes his position at the Academy on teaching her to harness her abilities. But Haelius has many enemies, and they would love nothing more than to see Naila fail. Trapped in the deadly schemes of Amoria’s elite, Naila must dig deep to discover the truth of her powers or watch the city she loves descend into civil war.
For there is violence brewing on the wind, and greater powers at work. Ones who could use her powers for good… or destroy everything she’s ever known.
Here’s what people have been saying about it:
‘Truly enchanting’ - Trudi Canavan, bestselling author of The Black Magician trilogy (EEEEEE! I am a massive Trudi fan so this was HUGE)
‘Reminiscent of Robin Hobb at her most dazzling’ - Ian Green, author of Extremophile and The Rotstorm trilogy
‘Campbell spins a captivating world out of glass and sand’ - Lorraine Wilson, award winning author of We Are All Ghosts in the Forest, Mother Sea, The Way the Light Bends, and This is Our Undoing
‘A spectacular debut, full of heart and magic’ - Cameron Johnstone, author of The Last Shield and The Age of Tyranny trilogy
‘If you like Trudi Canavan and Garth Nix, you’re going to adore this’ - Georgia Summers, bestselling author of The City of Stardust
‘A beautifully crafted fantasy’ - Shauna Lawless, author of The Gael Song series
‘The Outcast Mage made me fall in love with fantasy again’ - Catriona Silvey, bestselling author of Meet Me In Another Life
‘Annabel Campbell has created a rich fantasy, textured with complex politics and mysteries upon mysteries’ - Joma West, author of Face and Twice Lived
‘Fans of political manoeuvring, powerful magic and found family will find much to love’ - Julie Leong, bestselling author of The Teller of Small Fortunes
‘Naila and Haelius captured my heart from the very first page, and Campbell's vivid writing made this book a joy from start to finish’ - MH Ayinde, author of A Song of Legends Lost (coming soon)
‘This is a captivating read, with the playing pieces for the rest of the trilogy laid out perfectly as the story unfolds. Campbell leaves us with a breathtaking ending, ensuring the wait for book two of The Shattered Lands will be one of excitement and glorious impatience’ - Review by the British Fantasy Society
The Outcast Mage also got a wonderful starred review from Publishers Weekly.
The book has also received amazing support from book bloggers and reviewers, for which I am so grateful. One reviewer compared Haelius to Viktor from Arcane and another review called him ‘magnificent chaos’ - and really, that’s it, I’ve achieved what I set out to do.
AND if you’re interested but not convinced yet, the first three chapters are available free on the Hachette website.
What’s been happening?
Oh my god. A lot. Sorry, a newsletter in release week does look a lot like a giant advert. I got to pick my audiobook narrator in December, which was really cool. There were four to choose from and they were all amazing, but I think I picked the best one for my book. It really struck me how carefully the audiobook team listened to what I asked for and they also had important and interesting questions about the book in general. They asked me questions like ‘you say Amorian is Ellathian with an accent, how do you want us to represent that?’ To which I was like ‘uuuh, shit, these are made up languages… I don’t know.’ I wonder if Tolkien ever thought about the difference between Rivendell and Lothlórien accents? Ugh, I bet he did, actually. Damn talented linguist types.
I recorded a pronunciation guide with Omar’s help, and in the middle of it my son decided to yell ‘weeeeeeeeeeee,’ so he was also very helpful.
We’ve also had confirmation of a very exciting special edition of The Outcast Mage from Inkstone Books, for their first quarter subscription box. The cover is the same, but there is beautiful foil on the boards and deliiiicious sprayed edges (BEYOND WILDEST DREAMS AT THIS POINT, GUYS). This edition is for their subscribers, so there aren’t currently any special editions for general purchase. Remember, if you’re interested in seeing special editions of The Outcast Mage, you can contact sellers to show interest…
Is it not the sexiest thing you’ve ever seen?
My author copies arrived - both hardbacks from the UK and paperbacks from the US. I did not do an unboxing video, because frankly I think I peaked at the last one where I hid my face in my hands and asked Omar to stop filming me.
Also, this lucky author got to do an interview for SFX Magazine. Crazy, right?? There’s film reviews, big name book reviews, and there’s my face, right there…
What’s Next?
Events!! Real author events! That I am in!
There is an event at Glasgow Waterstones Argyll Street for the launch of The Outcast Mage on the 28th of January, 19:00 - The Joy of the Epic, with myself, Justin Lee Anderson (author of the Eidyn Saga) and LR Lam, author of many amazing books, but most recently Dragonfall. I like and admire both these people very much, so it’s an absolute joy (and slightly surreal) to be doing an event with them. If you’re local to Glasgow, come! It will be both joyful and epic, and it will be worth it just to hear Justin and El speak. You can buy tickets here. There will also be pubbing and drinking afterwards, as is tradition. I also may have ordered cake.
If you’re not in Glasgow, there may well be other opportunities to hear me talk about The Outcast Mage! There’s talk of possible events in Manchester, London (though likely closer to paperback release), and maaaybe Edinburgh. So, keep your eyes peeled for updates!
AND if you’re in Lanark or nearby (niche, I know) then I’ll be at Memorial Hall in Lanark on January 23rd, talking about The Outcast Mage and my journey to publication - this has been organised by Lanark Library and rearranged from when I was very ill before Christmas. I may even have some bookplates for signing! TBC
Okay, normally I’d wrap up with some book reviews, but time is short and also reading time has been pretty short lately. I have read some phenomenal books though, so if I ever get organised enough, gird your wallets for these deliciously irresistible reads.
Stay tuned for more publishing month updates on my social media accounts (Instagram, Bluesky, and (for now) Twitter - no, I will not use its other name, and though I’m still there for now, fuck Elon Musk and what he’s done to that platform).
As ever, thank you so much for reading!
Much excite!