The Outcast Mage
A brief introduction, my upcoming debut novel, and meet Naila - the protagonist of THE OUTCAST MAGE.
Hi and welcome to my very first author newsletter!
Firstly, I can’t believe I get to make one of these. Like so many writers, I’ve been writing stories since before I can remember. I’d love to say that getting published has always been my dream, but in reality, it’s been a dream I never let myself have. I was so convinced that it would never happen that I didn’t even let myself whisper the possibility to myself.
AND YET, here we are. And for that I can only thank the people who believed in my writing more than I did.
The Outcast Mage - coming January 2025
In February, I finally got to announce that my debut novel, THE OUTCAST MAGE, will be published by Orbit books (both UK and US) in January 2025. We sold the book in September, so this is news I have been DYING to share for a while. My incredible agent, Robbie Guillory (Underline Literary) sold the book in a three-book deal to James Long at Orbit UK, and I can’t even begin to say how grateful I am to both of them that they made this happen. Here’s a link to the full Bookseller article, and wee quote from James here:
I love an epic fantasy with a ‘chosen one’ focus, so I was thrilled when Annabel’s brilliant debut landed in my inbox. I was hooked immediately, blown away by the vivid world Annabel has created and her polished, masterful storytelling. This is classic fantasy with a contemporary edge, packed full of magic, heart and high stakes, and it’s the perfect read for fans of Andrea Stewart, Samantha Shannon and classic series such as Trudi Canavan’s Black Magician trilogy.
THE OUTCAST MAGE is the first book in an epic fantasy trilogy. It contains everything I adore about fantasy, an absolute love letter to fantasy both old and new. You might have noticed that the title of this newsletter is DISASTER WIZARDS ANONYMOUS, and that’s because my absolute favourite characters in fantasy are those wizard mentors who don’t quite have their own shit together. Gandalf himself falls into this category (especially at the ‘I have no memory of this place’ moment), Akkarin from THE BLACK MAGICIAN trilogy, Sarkan from UPROOTED - grumpiest of all wizards. I would even include some space/time wizards in there. Looking at you, Obi-Wan Kenobi and the Doctor.
Aside from the obvious disaster wizards, here are a few things you can expect from THE OUTCAST MAGE:
An earth-shaking protagonist, whose quest for answers might just lead to the disaster she’s trying to avoid.
A magical glass city, ready to shatter
Lovelorn mages (the slowest of slow-burn romances)
A snarky priest with a mysterious purpose
Maybe just a splash of dragons
If any of this appeals then, incredibly, THE OUTCAST MAGE is already available for pre-order! You can also add it to your want to read on Goodreads, for which I will be forever grateful.
Character Art - Naila
I’ve had the absolute privilege of being able to commission some character art from Chris Simmonds, an incredibly talented illustrator (and all-round extremely patient guy when it comes to listening to my rambling character descriptions).
The first of these, I am delighted to share below. The protagonist herself: Naila.
In the glass city of Amoria, magic means everything, and Naila risks exile if she can't master hers. She must trust unlikely allies if she wants to survive: the most powerful wizard in Amoria and a priest sworn to kill mages. But when war threatens the continent, it seems Naila's power is behind it. With her life and her friends in danger, Naila must find out if she's meant to save the world – or destined to destroy it.
Recent Reads
Alright, this is already getting too long for a newsletter, so let me sign off with a couple of recently read books. Truthfully, an editing-heavy month is a terrible time for reading for pleasure, so I have only a couple of books this month.
The City of Stardust by Georgia Summers. (You can find Georgia’s Substack here) This was a reread for me, since I was lucky enough to see an earlier version of this book ahead of publication. The fact it came out in January this year and I’m already rereading it should tell you plenty. It is a gripping story about deadly curses, vicious gods, and mysterious other worlds. The prose is absolutely stunning, spiriting you away on a deliciously deadly journey. Rub shoulders with enigmatic scholars, bargain with treacherous astrals, and fall victim to the manipulation of the mysterious Penelope.
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin. I know I’m very late to the party on this one, but what a remarkable book. A story of friendship, love, disability and trauma, all centred around the world of video game design. It’s not often I read a book where characters can tug my heart in so many directions and yet I’m still rooting for them all the way through. It is a love story, but not one about lovers, and the moments of tenderness and friendship - alongside moments of heartbreak and misunderstanding - reach right out of the page and grab onto your heart.
Alright, I’ll sign off there. Next month I’ll share a bit more about the publishing journey so far, as well as the next of my wonderful character art commissions.
Thank you so much for reading,
Annabel