Annabel Campbell

@annabelcwrites.bsky.social

1923 Followers 230 Following

(she/her) SFF writer based in Lanark, Scotland. Her first novel, THE OUTCAST MAGE, combines a coming-of-age narrative with thrilling magic and found family. Out now from Orbit UK/US in hardback, paperback, ebook and audiobook.

A picture of the Toppings Edinburgh author event at Pilrig Church. Three authors and the chair of the event are on a raised stage with Toppings banners behind them and tables with books in front. Left to right: Andrew, the chair of the event, me sitting behind a copy of The Outcast Mage, Stephen Aryan sitting behind a copy of The Sorrow of the Sea and Gareth Hanrahan sitting behind a copy of The Sword Triumphant.
An EasterCon Reconnect pass with my name on it and a red ‘programme participant’ ribbon. A bookmark of a blond man in robes raising a glass of wine, some gold pins and a bookplate with a red and yellow design on it.
Marianne Gordon and Annabel Campbell in conversation at Waterstones Edinburgh West End. Tuesday 25 February, 7pm. A photo of Marianne Gordon and her book cover, The Gilded Crown. A photo of me and a cover of my book, The Outcast Mage. Waterstones. Visit Waterstones.com/events
A tray of hotel chocolat chocolates stretching away from the camera with some very noticeable gaps in the tray.
Screenshot of Amazon.com Text reads: Science fiction & fantasy Editors’ picks: best science fiction and fantasy books of February Below that, an image of the cover of The Outcast Mage by Annabel Campbell The Black Orb by Ewhan Kim And the edge of Grave Empire by Richard Swan.
Text on a red and white background. Text reads: Ask Annabel Campbell anything! r/fantasy Thursday, January 30th In the centre of the image is my author photo: a headshot of a white woman, short blonde wavy hair, pink glasses, smiling at the camera.
Text on a white and red background. Text reads - Ask Annabel Campbell anything. R/fantasy. Thursday, January 30th In the centre is a picture of my face - white woman in her 30s, short blonde wavy hair, pink glasses.
Me (a woman with short wavy blonde hair, pink glasses, a big oversized beige cardigan, black t-shirt, patterned blue skirt and green boots) sitting in the window of Toppings next to a table with two stacks of THE OUTCAST MAGE. I’m in the middle of signing an open copy. There’s a blue stamp, an orange stamp pad and a pile of bookmarks on the table.
Me sitting holding my proof copy of my book. I have short blonde hair, pink glasses and coral pattern dress on. Behind and to my left is a table with hardback copies of THE OUTCAST MAGE on it.
An array of magical symbols surrounds the bottom half of flaming sun in red, orange and yellow. Below it stands the silhouette of a girl with long hair and flowing cloak standing on the silhouette of a sand dune. On the background are more dunes. In the sun, the text reads: ’Campbell manages to capture the wonder of classic epic fantasy with thoughtful and modern prose and characterisation that draws the reader inexorably in. Utterly transporting, it made me feel like a child reading their first fantasy book again... There is a thoughtfulness to the world-building and a commitment to story and character rather than violence or action for its own sake that is reminiscent of Robin Hobb at her most dazzling. Come for the impossible glass cities and mysterious mages, stay for the disaster-mages and the worlds sexiest priest. The Outcast Mage is pure joy. Ian Green, author of The Rotstorm Trilogy and Extremophile A copy of the book is in the foreground - the same magical array and girl on the cover. Text reads ‘Truly enchanting’ - Trudi Canavan, bestselling author THE OUTCAST MAGE Annabel Campbell Out 28 January 2025 Available for pre-order now
THE OUTCAST MAGE pictured on a bronze background with black designs in the corners. The book is white with a red and yellow sun design at the centre, surrounded by alchemical symbols in a circle. Beneath is the silhouette of a girl on a sand dune, with more dunes behind her. THE OUTCAST MAGE is printed in black across the sun and ANNABEL CAMPBELL printed in white at the bottom. ‘Truly enchanting’ - Trudi Canavan is printed at the top. Above the book in yellow: One week to go! Below the book in white: An unmissable epic fantasy debut with adventure, intrigue and dragonfire…
A digital image of the wizard, Haelius Akana. He has light brown skin, untidy brown hair and green eyes. He is narrow framed, with a thin face and prominent cheekbones. There are burn scars on the lower left side of his face and on his neck. He is wearing green robes edged in gold and red with a high collar and wide sleeves. He has the white gold light of a spell curling between his fingers.
An array of magical symbols surrounds the bottom half of flaming sun in red, orange and yellow. Below it stands the silhouette of a girl with long hair and flowing cloak standing on the silhouette of a sand dune. On the background are more dunes. In the sun, the text reads: ’The Outcast Mage made me fall in love with fantasy again. Tightly plotted and propulsive, full of characters as vivid, flawed, and beautiful as their world, this is a book to curl up with and get lost in.’ Catriona Silvey, author of Meet Me in Another Life and Love and Other Paradoxes A copy of the book is in the foreground - the same magical array and girl on the cover. Text reads ‘Truly enchanting’ - Trudi Canavan, bestselling author THE OUTCAST MAGE Annabel Campbell Out 28 January 2025 Available for pre-order now
A digital illustration of Naila, a young woman with raven black hair and black eyes. Her hair is falling forward in front of her face and her expression is apprehensive. She is wearing blue robes with white trim and a pattern like frost on the sleeves. She is clutching two hardback books to her chest.
An array of magical symbols surrounds the bottom half of flaming sun in red, orange and yellow. Below it stands the silhouette of a girl with long hair and flowing cloak standing on the silhouette of a sand dune. On the background are more dunes. In the sun, the text reads: ’The Outcast Mage is beautifully crafted epic fantasy that is full of all the things I love - powerful magic, political intrigue and vivid worldbuilding. Shauna Lawless, author of The Gael Song series’ A copy of the book is in the foreground - the same magical array and girl on the cover. Text reads ‘Truly enchanting’ - Trudi Canavan, bestselling author THE OUTCAST MAGE Annabel Campbell Out 28 January 2025 Available for pre-order now
A to do list listing promo things on notepaper from Illumicrate, an Illumicrate mug in the background with a silhouette castle and a mage in the foreground, a white plate with an end piece of Christmas cake on it, all on a green desk.
A picture of a page of SFX Magazine, showing my face (a white woman with short, wavy blonde hair and pink glasses, wearing teal, purple and white) next to a banner saying ‘new author.’ Below is the start of the interview, with ‘tell us about your protagonist’ and ‘did anything in particular spark the idea’ as the first two questions.
A picture of Naila, a young woman dressed in blue robes with white patterning. She has black eyes and black hair with a raven sheen, which hangs loose about her face. She is clutching two hardback books to her chest and looks nervous. Art by Chris Simmonds illustration.
An array of magical symbols surrounds the bottom half of flaming sun in red, orange and yellow. Below it stands the silhouette of a girl with long hair and flowing cloak standing on the silhouette of a sand dune. On the background are more dunes. In the sun, the text reads: ’The Outcast Mage is a shining joy of a book. In a deft twist on epic fantasy, Campbell spins a captivating world out of glass and sand, and populates it with people who are brave and flawed and truly human.’ 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 copy of the book is in the foreground - the same magical array and girl on the cover. Text reads ‘Truly enchanting’ - Trudi Canavan, bestselling author THE OUTCAST MAGE Annabel Campbell Out 28 January 2025 Available for pre-order now
An array of magical symbols surrounds the bottom half of flaming sun in red, orange and yellow. Below it stands the silhouette of a girl with long hair and flowing cloak standing on the silhouette of a sand dune. On the background are more dunes. In the sun, the text reads: ’With stakes as high as the glittering glass towers of Amoria, The Outcast Mage is a strong, pathos-filled start to an epic new fantasy series. Fans of political maneuvering, powerful magic and found family will find much to love.’ Julie Leong, bestselling author of THE TELLER OF SMALL FORTUNES A copy of the book is in the foreground - the same magical array and girl on the cover. Text reads ‘Truly enchanting’ - Trudi Canavan, bestselling author THE OUTCAST MAGE Annabel Campbell
A an array of magical symbols surrounds the bottom half of flaming sun in red, orange and yellow. Below it stands the silhouette of a girl with long hair and flowing cloak standing on the silhouette of a sand dune. On the background are more dunes. In the sun, the text reads: ’Truly enchanting' Trudi Canavan, bestselling author of THE BLACK MAGICIAN A copy of the book is in the foreground - the same magical array and girl on the cover. Text reads ‘Truly enchanting’ - Trudi Canavan, bestselling author THE OUTCAST MAGE Annabel Campbell
Text: Now available to request on Netgalley “Truly enchanting’ - Trudi Canavan bestselling author of The Black Magician UK: https://www.netgalley.co.uk/catalog/book/509115 US: https://www.netgalley.com/catalog/book/435918 Image: an orange background with the silhouette of a girl standing on a sand dune with her hair and cloak blowing in the wind. To the right is an image of the book: a white cover with the same silhouette and above her is a magic circle in orange and red, like the sun. The words: THE OUTCAST MAGE is printed in black across the circle.
A an array of magical symbols surrounds the bottom half of flaming sun in red, orange and yellow. Below it stands the silhouette of a girl with long hair and flowing cloak standing on the silhouette of a sand dune. On the background are more dunes. In the sun, the text reads: ’Disaster wizards galore, rich political intrigue, and a hint of dragonfire, The Outcast Mage reminds me why I love epic fantasy so much. If you like Trudi Canavan and Garth Nix, you’re going to adore this' Georgia Summers, bestselling author of THE CITY OF STARDUST Out 28 January 2025 Available for pre-order now A copy of the book is in the foreground - the same magical array and girl on the cover. Text reads ‘Truly enchanting’ - Trudi Canavan, bestselling author THE OUTCAST MAGE Annabel Campbell
My green and dark wood desk (recently dusted!) with a black and gold to do notebook with a brass bee at the top and a chocolate biscuit on it. On the right is a red Page One notebook with a blue fountain pen on it. In the background is an Illumicrate mug with a red dragon on it, filled with coffee.
The Publishing Journey Panel. Participants are sitting on sofas and chairs on the stage with the Cymera banner behind. Left to right: Me, Rhiannon A Grist, Justin Lee Anderson and then Erin of MK Hardy (moderating).
A silhouette of a girl with flowing hair and cloak standing on a sand dune with a red sky behind her. “Truly enchanting” - Trudi Canavan, bestselling author of The Black Magician is written in the middle. On the right is a copy of THE OUTCAST MAGE; a white book with a red and yellow design in the centre and the silhouette of the girl and dunes at the bottom.
A picture of the authors speaking at the event. On the left is Lorraine Wilson speaking into a microphone. In the middle is the chair, and to the right is author Angie Spoto.
I’m sitting on a bed and the view is of my lap. On the left you can see the end of a baby being held in my left arm, the bottom of his white sleeping bag is all that’s visible. Half on my right knee is a torbie cat with a white bib and an extended left paw. Her expression is murderous.
A picture of Ada, a torbie cat with a ginger face and white bib/paws.
A somewhat untidy and dusty fireplace, with a lit stove and a bottle of red wine in front of it. Leaning against the fireplace is a copy of Perilous Times by Thomas D Lee. It is an orange and red cover with a red dragon tail wrapped around a tree.
Against the backdrop of organge dunes sits the hardback of THE OUTCAST MAGE. The cover has dunes in the foreground with the silhouette of a girl with a flowing cloak. Above her is is a blazing magical array in orange and yellow, the black text: THE OUTCAST MAGE on top of it. At the top: ‘Truly enchanting’ Trudi Canavan At the bottom: Annabel Campbell
Hello US friends!! Barnes and Noble are doing big preorder sale running July 10th through 17th, including THE OUTCAST MAGE! ✨✨Premium and Rewards members will get 25% off all preorders! ✨✨ Premium members also get double stamps and an additional 10% off. Info below 👇
A picture of a girl with wide black eyes and raven black hair. Her long hair is falling in front of her face and she looks worried. She's wearing blue mage robes edged in white, with a design like frost. She's clutching two books to her chest. The text reads: Naila
Text: Life, Publishing, and how time doesn't respect either. Available May 15th, 2024 Disasterwizardsanonymous.substack.com Background picture: a zoomed in section of the upcoming character art of my very own disaster wizard. It shows hands cradling magic which curls around his fingers. He is wearing green robes edged in gold and red, and there is a purple background.
Ada is a ginger and tabby torbie with a white bib and legs. In this photo, she’s standing over my keyboard, her little ginger face all up in my face, making her head (and especially her eyes) look huge.
Leon, a black and white collie, is lying on the floor with a formerly stuffed bone between his paws and one next to him. His ears are flat and he’s looking away from the camera and towards the heavens in a very put-out and disappointed way.
A purple square with the following text in white: THE OUTCAST MAGE A brief introduction, my upcoming debut novel, and meet Naila - the protagonist of THE OUTCASE MAGE. Available April 15h, 2024 Disasterwizardsanonymous.substrack.com
Three fabulous authors at the signing table with their books piles in front of them. L. R. Lam (left) dark blonde hair tied back with maroon jumper, Hannah Kaner (middle) blonde hair tied back and black top, Eliza Chan (right) long black hair, glasses and black and turquoise dungarees.
Front and centre, a picture of Naila, a young woman in blue and white robes holding books to her chest. She has long black hair and a worried expression. Left, a woman with brown skin and dark brown hair, wearing pale blue robes with gold embroidery. She is holding an open book and a pen, and has a ‘don’t fuck with me’ expression. Right, a man in green robes edged in red and gold. He has light brown hair, perpetually a mess, and scars on his left cheek and jaw. He’s holding cracking magic in his hands.
A string quartet playing in a Covent Garden courtyard.
Georgia Summers standing in front of a full window of her gorgeous book at Daunt Books.
A copy of THE CITY OF STARDUST by Georgia Summers. The cover is black, with a gold and bronze key at the centre. There’s a gold foil design around the key, surrounded by shining blue vines.
A Christmas tree at night, with lots of bunched up golden fairy lights, and red and gold sparkly tinsel. There are a completely random assortment of baubles, from a yellow rubber ducky to bright read bird.
Top five most listened songs in 2023 from iTunes. 1. Blood Upon the Snow (Hozier and Bear McCreary) from God of War Ragnarok. 2. Mashithamel (Lorne Balfe) from Wheel of Time. 3. Undone (Tommee Profitt and Fleurie) 4. Enemy (Imagine Dragons) from Arcane 5. The City of Progress from Arcane
Leon is a black and white collie dog with lots of floof. He’s lying on a cushion on a brown chair. All his paws are bunched together in a delightful bouquet. His back paws are obscuring his face. He looks pretty ridiculous.
A picture of Leon under my desk, curled around the green foot-stool my feet had been on until I took this photo. He is a BIG black and white dog, you would think quite noticeable. His ears are flat and he’s looking at the camera pretty sheepishly, possibly because he knows he’s been called for and made the decision that being by my feet meant he had, in fact, already ‘come here.’
NaNoWriMo chaos on a green desk. An open PageONE notebook with ‘Chapter 7 ctd’ at the top in amber ink. Scattered fountain pens, two resting on a brass turtle pen holder. A computer monitor showing the NaNo dashboard with a couple of badges coloured in. A mug with a dragon on it. A tea-glass sitting on a dish with blue and gold patterns on it. In the background is a lamp and a fan. Just clutter everywhere.
A photo of a green field with a mixture of autumnal deciduous trees in rich oranges and golds and some ever-greens. In the foreground is a gnarly tree with most of its leaves gone.
Facebook memory telling me that ten years ago, I posted this: ‘The West Medical Building smells like turnip farts today…’
A picture of the Climate Change Special Issue of Shoreline of Infinity, an award winning science fiction magazine published in Scotland. The cover has a gorgeous picture of a Ghibli-esque robot with plants, flowers and mushrooms sprouting from its shoulders and a single flower growing in its hands. A bee is hovering by the flower. The background is a pale, sky blue.
Was just watching my snoozing cat and thinking, ‘Wow, she’s so peaceful and soothing. There should be a service where people can just watch cats online for their mental health.’ Well done, Annabel, you just came with THE INTERNET. Good job.
Ada the torbie cat is sitting on a desk with murder in her eyes. Her ears are slightly back, and her eyes are narrowed. I could not look this evil and menacing if I tried. Her little fluffy white bib is still real cute though.
Three hardback books laid out on a green leather and dark wood table. THE MAGICIAN’S GUILD, THE NOVICE and THE HIGH LORD, the three books in Trudi Canavan’s BLACK MAGICIAN trilogy. Each one has a pencil sketch city-scape cover, foiled title, and either red, green or blue sprayed edges.
Leon is a black and white collie dog. He is asleep on a brown sofa, absolutely dead to the world with his face on a soft, blue cushion. He’s properly splooted with his paws all tangled up in a bean bouquet.