Posts Tagged ‘folklore’

Acquisition Announcement: GREENTEETH by Molly O’Neill

Orbit is delighted to announce the acquisition of GREENTEETH, a heartwarming fantasy novel of fae, folklore and found family by debut author Molly O’Neill. It tells the story of Jenny Greenteeth – a lake-dwelling monster from British myth – and the magical quest she goes on after her peaceful existence is shattered by a witch being thrown into her lake. Packed full of adventure, magic and heart, this utterly charming debut is perfect for fans of T. Kingfisher, Megan Bannen and Olivia Atwater.

Read on for a taste of what’s in store:

‘The witch looked surprised to see me, her eyes blinking furiously at me through murky waters. I don’t know why she was so astonished. It was my lake she’d been thrown into; she should have expected I’d come and see if there was anyone worth eating.’

Beneath the still surface of a lake lurks a monster with needle-sharp teeth. Hungry and ready to pounce. Jenny Greenteeth has never spoken to a human before, but when a witch is thrown into her lake, something makes Jenny decide she’s worth saving.

Temperance doesn’t know why her village has suddenly turned against her, only that it has something to do with the malevolent new pastor. Though they have nothing in common, these two must band together on a magical quest to defeat the evil that threatens Jenny’s lake and Temperance’s family – as well as the very soul of Britain.

Molly O’Neill is a fantasy author and engineering geologist. She was born and raised in the Cotswolds and moved to Australia in 2019. She now lives in Sydney, on the land of the Gadigal People. Molly writes fantasy books inspired by the beautiful landscapes of her two countries, and by the folklore of the British Isles. She particularly loves the darker Arthurian legends and the Welsh myths of the Mabinogion and often uses them as a foundation for her stories. When not furiously scribbling ideas into a notebook Molly can be found looking intensely at rocks, paddling on the Sydney beaches, or searching for the perfect taco. Greenteeth is her debut novel.

We can’t wait to share Greenteeth with readers in 2025! In the meantime, please join us in welcoming Molly to Orbit. She can be found on Twitter @MollyONeill21

Orbit UK senior commissioning editor Emily Byron acquired World English rights from Sam Edenborough at Greyhound Literary.

Cover launch: FATHOMFOLK by Eliza Chan

We are delighted to launch this gorgeous cover for Orbit debut Eliza Chan’s lush and folkloric fantasy novel, FATHOMFOLK! Coming February 2024…

The cover art is by Kelly Chong and cover design is by Ella Garrett at L,BBG.

This is the front cover for the novel Fathomfolk by Eliza Chan. It shows the author name and title, as well as two mermaids, a kelpie, a water dragon and crashing blue waves over an ornate, red building

Welcome to Tiankawi. Revolution is brewing and tensions are rising like the tide…

The semi-flooded city is a shining pearl of human civilization and a safe haven for those fleeing civil unrest. Or at least, that’s how it first appears. But in Tiankawi, humans are, quite literally, on top: peering down from shining towers and aerial walkways on the fathomfolk – sirens, seawitches, kelpies and kappas – who live in the polluted waters below.

For half-siren Mira, promotion to captain of the border guard means an opportunity to help her downtrodden people. But if earning the trust of her human colleagues wasn’t hard enough, everything Mira has worked towards is put in jeopardy when Nami, a know-it-all water dragon and fathomfolk royalty, is exiled to the city. When extremists sabotage the annual boat race, violence erupts, as does the clampdown on fathomfolk rights. Both Nami and Mira must decide if the cost of change is worth paying, or if Tiankawi should be left to drown.

Cover Launch: GODS OF THE WYRDWOOD by RJ Barker

You asked, and we answered… the British Fantasy Award-winning RJ Barker is back!

RJ has taken us to a castle filled with assassins hunting other assassins (The Wounded Kingdom Trilogy) and to high seas adventures on ships made of dragon bones (The Tide Child Trilogy). Now he’s heading into the woods. The Wyrdwoods, to be precise.

GODS OF THE WYRDWOOD is epic fantasy set within the bounds of a forest straight out of darkest folklore – with outlaws fighting an evil empire and dangerous deities at war. It’s coming to all good bookshelves on the 29th June, so get preordering!

“Ours is a land of many gods, and we are a people with the ability to pick the worst of them.”

Cahan du Nahare is known as the forester – a humble man who can nonetheless navigate the dangerous Deepforest like no-one else. But once he was more. Once he was a warrior.

Udinny serves the goddess of the lost, a goddess of the small and helpless. When she ventures into the Deepforest to find a missing child, Cahan will be her guide.

But in a land at war, in a forest full of monsters – Cahan will need to choose between his past life and the one he leads now – and his choice will have consequences for his entire world.
The cover for RJ Barker's fantasy novel GODS OF THE WYRDWOOD shows the author name and title, as well as a woodland pattern, with a rusted sword and shield on top of a knarled and creepy tree design. Eyes lit with green glowing magic peer out from the tree.

Cover design by Duncan Spilling at L,BBG.

GODS OF THE WYRDWOOD begins the Forsaken trilogy – a series with great appeal to fans of Jay Kristoff’s Empire of the Vampire, as well as fans of the gruff warrior protagonist and dark folkloric worldbuilding of The Witcher. And fans of RJ’s previous work will have a riotously fantastic time, of course!

Acquisition Announcement: Eliza Chan’s Fathomfolk Makes a Splash at Orbit

An author photo of Eliza Chan, she is holding a notebook and looking into the camera. Photo by Sandi Hodkinson
Photo Credit: Sandi Hodkinson

DEEPLY IRRESISTIBLE DEBUT FANTASY DUOLOGY ACQUIRED IN COMPETITIVE AUCTION

We are delighted to announce that Orbit has acquired two books in a highly-anticipated fantasy series inspired by East Asian mythology and watery folk tales from British debut author Eliza Chan. Eliza has published various pieces of short fiction but Fathomfolk will be her first novel.

Alexander Cochran (C&W) sold world rights to Editorial Director Jenni Hill at Orbit, Little, Brown Book Group. Brit Hvide has acquired for Orbit US.

In Eliza’s duology, revolution is brewing in the semi-submerged city of Tiankawi, between humans and the fathomfolk—sirens, sea witches, kelpies, and kappas—who live in its waters. This debut fantasy is perfect for fans of Fonda Lee’s Jade City and Sarah J. Maas’s House of Earth and Blood.

 

Eliza says: “I am thrilled that Fathomfolk has found a home with Orbit. They have published so many groundbreaking, cherished favourites of mine over the years and I am gobsmacked to be within that number. I am looking forward to working with Jenni and Brit, knowing my flooded world is in the best hands.”

Jenni says: “Eliza is such a find, and I am so glad that she decided to choose Orbit as the home for her debut! Fathomfolk is simply irresistible: we loved Eliza’s charming characters, her depth of worldbuilding: there were literal squeals of glee in the Orbit editorial meeting when we discussed her work, from team members who will remain anonymous for dignity’s sake…”

Alex says: “I loved the rich and beautifully drawn world of Fathomfolk from the first moment I read Eliza’s work, and I’m absolutely delighted that she’s found such a brilliant editor and home in Jenni and the team at Orbit.”

 

For more information about Fathomfolk, please contact Orbit publicist Nazia Khatun (nazia.khatun@littlebrown.co.uk).

Translation rights enquires should go to Jessica Perdue at Little, Brown Book Group (jessica.purdue@hachette.co.uk).

Author photo credit: Sandi Hodkinson

About the author: Eliza Chan is a Scottish-born Chinese-diaspora author who ‘writes about East Asian mythology, British folklore and madwomen in the attic, but preferably all three at once’. Eliza’s work has been published in The Dark, Podcastle, Fantasy Magazine and The Best of British Fantasy 2019. She lives in the North of England with her partner and young child. Fathomfolk is her first novel. @elizawchan