Interview with Diana Gabaldon
Posted by Goodreads on June 3, 2014
Outlander fans have waited patiently (well...maybe not patiently) for five years for the eighth installment in the wildly popular, bestselling historical fiction series. Never one to disappoint, author Diana Gabaldon delivers with a hefty tome, Written in My Own Heart's Blood, which continues the saga of time-traveling nurse Claire and her 18th-century Scottish husband, Jamie, against the roiling backdrop of the American Revolution. Gabaldon's intricate novels, including the epic adventures of the Outlander series and the historical mysteries of the Lord John Grey series, are noted for their rich tapestry of characters, time periods, and story lines. Yet the Arizona-based writer says she doesn't outline her plots. She does embrace historical research—her personal reference collection boasts more than 1,500 volumes—a trait reinforced by her scientific background as a former university professor with multiple degrees in zoology, marine biology, and quantitative behavioral ecology. Gabaldon chatted with Goodreads about her decades-long writing journey, the upcoming Outlander TV series premiering on Starz in August, and sex after the age of 40.
Goodreads: You recently blogged about passing the 26th anniversary of writing the first book in the series Outlander.
Diana Gabaldon: Yes, I began writing Outlander on March 6, 1988. It's been a fun trip. I'll tell you that.
GR: And after 14 bestsellers in the Outlander universe, this is not yet the last book?
DG: There's one more. I've never been willing to commit to more than one at a time, because I just don't know—I don't plan the books out ahead of time. So I have no idea how much ground we'll cover. But there is certainly one, because I wasn't finished telling the story at the end of number 8.
GR: Do you already know how it will end, if not how exactly you'll get there?
DG: Yes and no. I do know what the last scene is, because I wrote that about ten years ago. It popped up in the middle of the night. But it isn't a plot conclusion; it's an epilogue. So, in fact, I have no idea where the story is going.
GR: Your readers have often wondered when they'll learn more about a mysterious scene that appeared in the original book, Outlander. Goodreads member Georgianna Simpson asks, "Will we learn why the ghost of Jamie was looking for Claire in book 1 in this [new] book or do we have to wait for more?"
DG: They do have to wait! It will be the last thing in the last book!
GR: Goodreads member Becki writes, "Thank you for the strong and fiercely honest character of Claire. Though Jamie makes me swoon and is an exemplary male character, it is Claire's depth and strength that I most appreciate." Can you talk about how Claire has evolved over the course of the series?
DG: People often say to me, "You write such strong female characters," and I say, "Well, I don't like stupid women." Claire has always had a mind of her own. She was quite accidental to begin with. All I had when I began writing the first book was rather vague images conjured up by the notion of a man in a kilt, so essentially I began with Jamie, although I had no idea what his name was at the time. About the third day of writing, I had gone to the library to look up things on Scotland—knowing nothing about Scotland in the 18th century—and all I knew about novels at that point was that they should have conflict. And was there any good historical conflict in Scotland in the 18th century? You don't ask that question without getting back Bonnie Prince Charlie [Charles Edward, Stuart] and the [Jacobite] rising of 1745 as an answer. A lot of conflict—fine! So now I need a female character to play off all these men in kilts. And some sexual tension—that would be good. So I introduced this English woman—no idea who she was or how she got there, but I loosed her into a cottage of Scotsmen to see what she'd do. And she walked in, and they all turned around and stared at her. And one of them said, "My name is Dougal MacKenzie. Who might you be?" And without stopping to think, I typed, "My name is Claire Elizabeth Beauchamp, and who the hell are you?" And I said, "Well, you don't sound at all like an 18th-century person. So I fought with her for several pages, trying to beat her into shape, make her talk like a historical person. But she kept making smart-ass modern remarks, and she took over telling the story herself. So I said, "Go ahead and be modern. I'll figure out how you got there later." So it's all her fault that there is time travel in the books.
What I mean is, she's essentially always been who she is. She's always been straightforward, take-no-prisoners in her attitude. Her essence hasn't changed. Claire is an onion, as is Jamie. I have three kinds of characters: mushrooms, hard nuts, and onions. An onion is someone I know who they are at the core of their souls, but the longer I work with them, the more layers they get. They become more rounded and pungent with time, but they remain who they are. Claire, of course, has been through childbirth, loss of family members, death, dislocation, serious illness, threat of death—and the continuing struggle to express what she feels is her destiny as a healer. She just goes on being who she is, but that "who she is" is also constantly being shaped by the experiences she's been through.
GR: Goodreads member Suzanne writes, "There are not many books out there where the main romantic couple are in their 50s and are still as passionate about each other as they were 20 or so years earlier. What keeps their love so intense?"
DG: Honesty. They actually appreciate each other for who they are, not merely for their external, physical trappings. They are both extremely honest individuals, and they believe in commitment. They are people of strong principle, and having taken each other for better or for worse, that's exactly what they do. I remember when I wrote my third book, Voyager, Claire and Jamie are in their mid-40s, and any number of interviewers expressed aghast horror that I would do that. "No one wants to read about people having sex in their 40s!" To which I replied, "Wanna bet?" Well, actually what I said was, "I'm 42 and my husband's 43, and I'm not planning on stopping having sex any time soon, and neither is he, if he knows what's good for him."
The sex isn't [in the books] for purposes of titillation. It's there because I'm telling the story of a very long marriage. There may be very long, satisfactory marriages that don't involve sex, but I'm not aware of any.
GR: You've described that you don't consider chapter breaks when writing—chapters are one of the last things you'll put into a draft. On a larger scale, do you think of the books as very separate endeavors or are you always writing the series as a whole?
DG: I don't write with an outline, and I don't write in a straight line. I write where I can see things happening, and I glue these little pieces together. When I start, I'll just be working on little bits here and there, depending on what I think I know about the story at that point or bits of historical research. I do the writing and the research concurrently; they feed off of each other. In the first months, I'll have handfuls of these small scenes that have no discernible connection, for the most part, but as I go on thinking and working and writing, they begin to stick together. I'll write something and think, "Oh, this explains that piece that I wrote six weeks ago!" And then reading that larger piece through, I'll see what has to happen next as a consequence. They continue to conglomerate in this fashion. It's like playing Tetris in your head. They build up into larger, contiguous chunks.
Now all of this time I'm doing the research and developing the historical timeline in the back of my mind—what are the significant events in history? This battle, this incident with the British army, and so forth. By the time that I have four or five of these big chunks, 60 or so pages, I'm able to line those up against my historical timeline, and if we're all lucky at that point, I will see the shape of the book. I think in geometric shapes, and once I have seen the internal geometry of a book, then the writing becomes much faster and easier. I can see the shape of what's missing. If I told you the internal shape of any of my books, you'd be able instantly to see it, but if I don't explain it, it's pretty invisible to the normal reader.
GR: For Written in My Own Heart's Blood, what intrigues you about the American Revolution for your story's grand backdrop?
DG: Well, it's largely an accident of time—that's what was going on at that stage of their lives! [laughs] But I'm an old enough American to feel absolutely no shame in feeling patriotic. The American Revolution was by and large a very good thing, and the government that resulted from it. One of the things I'm doing here, besides explaining how a very long marriage works, is exploring the geopolitical dynamics of the second half of the 18th century. Now if you come right out and tell people that's what you're doing in a book, they won't read it! So that's not what's on top, but it is always there. So we're looking at the movement of the Enlightenment and how this affected the principles that underlay the American Revolution. We're looking at some of the personalities who participated and the backgrounds from which they came. And we're looking at scientific evolution, as well, and the effects of this on what was not quite modern warfare. There's just a lot of stuff going on in the 18th century, especially the second half. It was one of the greatest periods of social and intellectual ferment the world has ever seen.
GR: Fans are counting down to August 9th for the TV premiere of Outlander on Starz. Do you have any thoughts or advice for people who may become fans of the show, who haven't yet read the books?
DG: People who come to the books from the show will certainly recognize the first book, because the TV adaptation is quite good. It's a very faithful adaptation. At the same time, it's done very well in terms of a visual medium, because you can't film page by page—it wouldn't be a good show. You have to do things to a book that make it flow in visual terms. I know a little bit about adapting for a visual medium because I used to write comic books for Walt Disney, so I know how to choose images to carry the flow of the action and dialogue to explain the plot points.
GR: Does the show match what you envisioned in your imagination?
DG: No, it couldn't. But it doesn't have to. People's imagination is a purely personal thing. I am constantly amazed by people on Facebook who say, "Well, I don't like that actor. He doesn't look like Jamie in my head." And I say, "Exactly how would the producers figure out what is in your head?" What would they say to the other 7 million people who have their own individual notions of what he looks like? Actors act. It's magic what they do, as much as what I do is. It does not matter, beyond certain crude physical parameters, what they look like. Their job is to become this character. And I have in fact seen Sam Heughan become Jamie and Caitriona Balfe become Claire right before my eyes. It was an astonishing transformation.
GR: You've always made yourself very accessible to your fans. Do you feel a certain responsibility to the fandom or do you have to ignore all other inputs in order to write?
DG: It's part of my daily rhythm. I began hanging out online in the mid-1980s, and it's grown up along with the Internet. I began with CompuServe, before even America Online, and I happened to stumble onto a group of people called the Literary Forum on CompuServe (while in the process of writing a software review). These were people who liked books. For someone with two full-time jobs and three small children under the age of six it was the ideal social life. I've been hanging around there ever since, nearly 30 years now. So I was just at home in the online world, social media in its infancy.
GR: Describe a typical day spent writing. Do you have any unusual writing habits?
DG: Stagger out of bed, take the dogs outside, and then I'll get a Diet Coke and a couple of dog biscuits and go upstairs. By the time I've consumed my Diet Coke and had a quick run through the morning email and Twitter feed, I will probably be compos mentis enough to work. I wake up usually between 8:30 and 9, so I'll be "going to work," so to speak, around 11. I work maybe for an hour before lunch, and go out with my husband for lunch. Afterward I'll work for another hour. What that work is depends where I am in a book: In the beginning stages I don't know much about it. I'm doing a lot of research and thinking, but I write every single day, because if you don't write, the inertia builds up. So you want to do it, whether you know anything or not. It's sometimes only half a page, but words on page.
Midafternoon I'll go out and do the household errands, come home, do my gardening, go for an evening walk. I live in Phoenix, so half the year it's so hot, I have to go out and walk at the local mall. Make dinner. My husband likes to go to bed early, around 9:30. So I'll tuck him in, go lie on the couch with the dogs and a book. I have two big, fat standard dachshunds who are very cuddly. We go to sleep, and then I wake up again naturally between midnight and 1. We get another Diet Coke and go upstairs, and that's when I do my main work. Between midnight and 4 am. It's quiet; there are no interruptions. The phone doesn't ring. No psychic noise. Nothing. It's the ideal time to work. One of the great perks of being a writer is that you can work when you're mentally capable of it, not when someone else thinks you should.
GR: What authors, books, or ideas have influenced you?
DG: Everything I've ever read, one way or the other. But for actual literary role models, I've got five. If I can remember them...Charles Dickens, John D. MacDonald, Dorothy L. Sayers, Robert Louis Stevenson, and P.G. Wodehouse.
GR: What are you reading now?
DG: I have just finished reading one of Denise Mina's Scottish mysteries. This one's called Still Midnight, and I have another one called The Red Road waiting for me. In the meantime, I've got a Charles Todd going on my Kindle called Proof of Guilt. And I just got the first copy of Written in My Own Heart's Blood, hot off the presses yesterday. I usually carry a book around with me and fondle it after it comes in! [laughs] And then I read it to make sure that it's actually a book now. Because it wasn't a book the last time I saw it!
Diana Gabaldon: Yes, I began writing Outlander on March 6, 1988. It's been a fun trip. I'll tell you that.
GR: And after 14 bestsellers in the Outlander universe, this is not yet the last book?
DG: There's one more. I've never been willing to commit to more than one at a time, because I just don't know—I don't plan the books out ahead of time. So I have no idea how much ground we'll cover. But there is certainly one, because I wasn't finished telling the story at the end of number 8.
GR: Do you already know how it will end, if not how exactly you'll get there?
DG: Yes and no. I do know what the last scene is, because I wrote that about ten years ago. It popped up in the middle of the night. But it isn't a plot conclusion; it's an epilogue. So, in fact, I have no idea where the story is going.
GR: Your readers have often wondered when they'll learn more about a mysterious scene that appeared in the original book, Outlander. Goodreads member Georgianna Simpson asks, "Will we learn why the ghost of Jamie was looking for Claire in book 1 in this [new] book or do we have to wait for more?"
DG: They do have to wait! It will be the last thing in the last book!
GR: Goodreads member Becki writes, "Thank you for the strong and fiercely honest character of Claire. Though Jamie makes me swoon and is an exemplary male character, it is Claire's depth and strength that I most appreciate." Can you talk about how Claire has evolved over the course of the series?
DG: People often say to me, "You write such strong female characters," and I say, "Well, I don't like stupid women." Claire has always had a mind of her own. She was quite accidental to begin with. All I had when I began writing the first book was rather vague images conjured up by the notion of a man in a kilt, so essentially I began with Jamie, although I had no idea what his name was at the time. About the third day of writing, I had gone to the library to look up things on Scotland—knowing nothing about Scotland in the 18th century—and all I knew about novels at that point was that they should have conflict. And was there any good historical conflict in Scotland in the 18th century? You don't ask that question without getting back Bonnie Prince Charlie [Charles Edward, Stuart] and the [Jacobite] rising of 1745 as an answer. A lot of conflict—fine! So now I need a female character to play off all these men in kilts. And some sexual tension—that would be good. So I introduced this English woman—no idea who she was or how she got there, but I loosed her into a cottage of Scotsmen to see what she'd do. And she walked in, and they all turned around and stared at her. And one of them said, "My name is Dougal MacKenzie. Who might you be?" And without stopping to think, I typed, "My name is Claire Elizabeth Beauchamp, and who the hell are you?" And I said, "Well, you don't sound at all like an 18th-century person. So I fought with her for several pages, trying to beat her into shape, make her talk like a historical person. But she kept making smart-ass modern remarks, and she took over telling the story herself. So I said, "Go ahead and be modern. I'll figure out how you got there later." So it's all her fault that there is time travel in the books.
What I mean is, she's essentially always been who she is. She's always been straightforward, take-no-prisoners in her attitude. Her essence hasn't changed. Claire is an onion, as is Jamie. I have three kinds of characters: mushrooms, hard nuts, and onions. An onion is someone I know who they are at the core of their souls, but the longer I work with them, the more layers they get. They become more rounded and pungent with time, but they remain who they are. Claire, of course, has been through childbirth, loss of family members, death, dislocation, serious illness, threat of death—and the continuing struggle to express what she feels is her destiny as a healer. She just goes on being who she is, but that "who she is" is also constantly being shaped by the experiences she's been through.
GR: Goodreads member Suzanne writes, "There are not many books out there where the main romantic couple are in their 50s and are still as passionate about each other as they were 20 or so years earlier. What keeps their love so intense?"
DG: Honesty. They actually appreciate each other for who they are, not merely for their external, physical trappings. They are both extremely honest individuals, and they believe in commitment. They are people of strong principle, and having taken each other for better or for worse, that's exactly what they do. I remember when I wrote my third book, Voyager, Claire and Jamie are in their mid-40s, and any number of interviewers expressed aghast horror that I would do that. "No one wants to read about people having sex in their 40s!" To which I replied, "Wanna bet?" Well, actually what I said was, "I'm 42 and my husband's 43, and I'm not planning on stopping having sex any time soon, and neither is he, if he knows what's good for him."
The sex isn't [in the books] for purposes of titillation. It's there because I'm telling the story of a very long marriage. There may be very long, satisfactory marriages that don't involve sex, but I'm not aware of any.
GR: You've described that you don't consider chapter breaks when writing—chapters are one of the last things you'll put into a draft. On a larger scale, do you think of the books as very separate endeavors or are you always writing the series as a whole?
DG: I don't write with an outline, and I don't write in a straight line. I write where I can see things happening, and I glue these little pieces together. When I start, I'll just be working on little bits here and there, depending on what I think I know about the story at that point or bits of historical research. I do the writing and the research concurrently; they feed off of each other. In the first months, I'll have handfuls of these small scenes that have no discernible connection, for the most part, but as I go on thinking and working and writing, they begin to stick together. I'll write something and think, "Oh, this explains that piece that I wrote six weeks ago!" And then reading that larger piece through, I'll see what has to happen next as a consequence. They continue to conglomerate in this fashion. It's like playing Tetris in your head. They build up into larger, contiguous chunks.
Now all of this time I'm doing the research and developing the historical timeline in the back of my mind—what are the significant events in history? This battle, this incident with the British army, and so forth. By the time that I have four or five of these big chunks, 60 or so pages, I'm able to line those up against my historical timeline, and if we're all lucky at that point, I will see the shape of the book. I think in geometric shapes, and once I have seen the internal geometry of a book, then the writing becomes much faster and easier. I can see the shape of what's missing. If I told you the internal shape of any of my books, you'd be able instantly to see it, but if I don't explain it, it's pretty invisible to the normal reader.
GR: For Written in My Own Heart's Blood, what intrigues you about the American Revolution for your story's grand backdrop?
DG: Well, it's largely an accident of time—that's what was going on at that stage of their lives! [laughs] But I'm an old enough American to feel absolutely no shame in feeling patriotic. The American Revolution was by and large a very good thing, and the government that resulted from it. One of the things I'm doing here, besides explaining how a very long marriage works, is exploring the geopolitical dynamics of the second half of the 18th century. Now if you come right out and tell people that's what you're doing in a book, they won't read it! So that's not what's on top, but it is always there. So we're looking at the movement of the Enlightenment and how this affected the principles that underlay the American Revolution. We're looking at some of the personalities who participated and the backgrounds from which they came. And we're looking at scientific evolution, as well, and the effects of this on what was not quite modern warfare. There's just a lot of stuff going on in the 18th century, especially the second half. It was one of the greatest periods of social and intellectual ferment the world has ever seen.
GR: Fans are counting down to August 9th for the TV premiere of Outlander on Starz. Do you have any thoughts or advice for people who may become fans of the show, who haven't yet read the books?
DG: People who come to the books from the show will certainly recognize the first book, because the TV adaptation is quite good. It's a very faithful adaptation. At the same time, it's done very well in terms of a visual medium, because you can't film page by page—it wouldn't be a good show. You have to do things to a book that make it flow in visual terms. I know a little bit about adapting for a visual medium because I used to write comic books for Walt Disney, so I know how to choose images to carry the flow of the action and dialogue to explain the plot points.
GR: Does the show match what you envisioned in your imagination?
DG: No, it couldn't. But it doesn't have to. People's imagination is a purely personal thing. I am constantly amazed by people on Facebook who say, "Well, I don't like that actor. He doesn't look like Jamie in my head." And I say, "Exactly how would the producers figure out what is in your head?" What would they say to the other 7 million people who have their own individual notions of what he looks like? Actors act. It's magic what they do, as much as what I do is. It does not matter, beyond certain crude physical parameters, what they look like. Their job is to become this character. And I have in fact seen Sam Heughan become Jamie and Caitriona Balfe become Claire right before my eyes. It was an astonishing transformation.
GR: You've always made yourself very accessible to your fans. Do you feel a certain responsibility to the fandom or do you have to ignore all other inputs in order to write?
DG: It's part of my daily rhythm. I began hanging out online in the mid-1980s, and it's grown up along with the Internet. I began with CompuServe, before even America Online, and I happened to stumble onto a group of people called the Literary Forum on CompuServe (while in the process of writing a software review). These were people who liked books. For someone with two full-time jobs and three small children under the age of six it was the ideal social life. I've been hanging around there ever since, nearly 30 years now. So I was just at home in the online world, social media in its infancy.
GR: Describe a typical day spent writing. Do you have any unusual writing habits?
DG: Stagger out of bed, take the dogs outside, and then I'll get a Diet Coke and a couple of dog biscuits and go upstairs. By the time I've consumed my Diet Coke and had a quick run through the morning email and Twitter feed, I will probably be compos mentis enough to work. I wake up usually between 8:30 and 9, so I'll be "going to work," so to speak, around 11. I work maybe for an hour before lunch, and go out with my husband for lunch. Afterward I'll work for another hour. What that work is depends where I am in a book: In the beginning stages I don't know much about it. I'm doing a lot of research and thinking, but I write every single day, because if you don't write, the inertia builds up. So you want to do it, whether you know anything or not. It's sometimes only half a page, but words on page.
Midafternoon I'll go out and do the household errands, come home, do my gardening, go for an evening walk. I live in Phoenix, so half the year it's so hot, I have to go out and walk at the local mall. Make dinner. My husband likes to go to bed early, around 9:30. So I'll tuck him in, go lie on the couch with the dogs and a book. I have two big, fat standard dachshunds who are very cuddly. We go to sleep, and then I wake up again naturally between midnight and 1. We get another Diet Coke and go upstairs, and that's when I do my main work. Between midnight and 4 am. It's quiet; there are no interruptions. The phone doesn't ring. No psychic noise. Nothing. It's the ideal time to work. One of the great perks of being a writer is that you can work when you're mentally capable of it, not when someone else thinks you should.
GR: What authors, books, or ideas have influenced you?
DG: Everything I've ever read, one way or the other. But for actual literary role models, I've got five. If I can remember them...Charles Dickens, John D. MacDonald, Dorothy L. Sayers, Robert Louis Stevenson, and P.G. Wodehouse.
GR: What are you reading now?
DG: I have just finished reading one of Denise Mina's Scottish mysteries. This one's called Still Midnight, and I have another one called The Red Road waiting for me. In the meantime, I've got a Charles Todd going on my Kindle called Proof of Guilt. And I just got the first copy of Written in My Own Heart's Blood, hot off the presses yesterday. I usually carry a book around with me and fondle it after it comes in! [laughs] And then I read it to make sure that it's actually a book now. Because it wasn't a book the last time I saw it!
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What a great interview! So looking forward to Written In My Hearts Blood! I'll be starting to read once it's on my kindle!
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Awesome and inspiring interview! Diana, YOU are one of my top five writing heroes.
Love this interview and I am loving the anticipation of "In My Own Heart's Blood." Thanks for a fantastic interview. Can't wait!!
Wonderful interview. As a woman in her 50's I appreciate Jamie and Claire's relationship and loved Diana's answer to the question.
In Echo, Claire mentions to Lord John that Brianna told him "what they were"...time travelers. Can you/anyone tell me where, in what book, I can find the place where Brianna tells him this???
Love the books and love reading interviews with Diana. I have to admit, though, I am disappointed with this one. She has answered all of these questions over and over again. I was hoping for more orignal questions, especially since it was an interview through Goodreads and y'all reached out to fans for questions. But, most were just the standard things she has answered over and over.
Really enjoyed this interview and it's made me even more excited about MYOHB but I'd better retread Echo in the Bone quickly so I'm ready to get going as soon as I get it.
So the last scene in the last book is an epilogue and it is Jamie's ghost looking at Claire in 1946 Scotland...hmmm...what conclusions can we take from this?
Doris: this isn't in any book. You'll find this happens often - the reader is told that something has happened (such as telling Jenny and Ian about Claire's origins) but we don't get to "witness" it.
Diana and I have the same work habit - midnight to 4 a.m. is when I get the most out of me too! As an accountant it's not as linear as her writing day is, but it works for me. Glad to hear I'm not the only one up at that hour!Oh, and my parents have been married for 59 years and non-sexual for 30+ of those years. Sex is not the be all and end all of a good marriage.
Wonderful interview! I am enjoying my journey with Outlander series since October of 2013. Rather newcomer to the big Outlander-fan-family. Extraordinary books! Diana Gabaldon has made it possible, all the things that I love to read is there, all in one setting: fiction, love, magic, and history.
I love this beautiful interview!
Just finished the first OUTLANDER 3 days ago. I suspected I was going to come up against words I couldn't pronounce so I got the audio version also. Sometimes I would read along with the book but most of the time I ended up simply listening while doing other things, which is why I was able to finish the book in less than a week. :-DI knew there was going to be something on TV based on the book, but didn't know how they were going to make an actual series out of it ... until I discovered how many books Ms. Gabaldon has written about Claire and Jaime. Yes I'm pretty sure my head has been buried in the sand for the past 20-odd years!
This interview is great. It's helped me realize Ms. Gabaldon is an actual, fully rounded person and not some writing machine tucked away in an attic, churning out novels, fueled by caffeine, nicotine, alcohol, and chocolate.
Suzanne wrote: "Just finished the first OUTLANDER 3 days ago. I suspected I was going to come up against words I couldn't pronounce so I got the audio version also. Sometimes I would read along with the book but m..."I've been reading and re-reading the series for years - I do envy you coming to it all with fresh eyes! All that excitement just waiting for you! Mind you, the more you read them the more you see and understand...odd things still click into place in my head even when I'm on the umpteenth read!
I can't help but think that she may write the books more quickly if she started her days with a healthier meal than Diet Coke as her breakfast. Health nut she is not, clearly.
I'm a bit disappointed this morning! yesterday, was the last day for Canadian readers to enter the giveaway of Diana's book. Since, it's my birthday today, I would have wished that I had won a signed copy....well, I just buy it when it's released!
This is, by far, one of my most favorite interviews.Thanks for asking "good" questions. Diana is such an
Incredibly interesting person. Over the years I've read
Many interviews and she gives standard answers but only
Because she is asked the same questions Every Time!
Thank you for this lovely interview! I've read Diana's books since 2005 and have been a member of Compuserve's Books and Writers Forum since 2008. Diana is unfailingly generous, kind, witty, and caring. She's my favorite author.
Diana Gabaldon is a phenomenal personality. She is brilliant and a hundred years from now people will be researching everything they can to study her and her writing. And, the great thing for them is that she shares her thoughts and understands how her mind works and she will leave the world with a treasury of works to explore. I have met her a couple of times through our writing groups and find her a most pleasant and giving person. She's awesome!
Rose wrote: "I do envy you coming to it all with fresh eyes" And I envy you, waiting for each book as it is released. I can just finish one book and go on to the next while you've had anticipation as a spur to keep you interested and involved in fan-based discussions and suppositions about WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN NEXT? I'll bet it's been a thrilling ride.
wonderful interview. Diana is by far my favorite author, her books are intelligent, romantic and funny all at the same time. I like hearing what she is thinking about when she is writing and how she writes her books. I feel like the characters are my friends and I need to know how they are and what is happening with them. Thank you Diana for writing them.
Lovely interview. I have "Voyager" on audiobook waiting for me to pick up at my local library. Cannot wait to listen to it! And on to the next book in the series, and the next, and the next...
So personable, it read like she was just talking to a friend. I cannot wait to meet Diana. I have tickets for a book signing and I have never been to one. I am in awe of meeting her. I have been reading these books for quite awhile and cannot even begin to think they will end. Also excited about the TV Series. Great Interview!
Thank you Diana for doing this interview. It meant a lot to know more about Claire. I fell in love with Jaime when I was 18 and was inspired by Claire. As a woman in the Deep South it is hard to know who you are and go on being that person who doesn't fit the expected mold. I feel like I've grown with Claire. I've read each book in the series countless times. Each time I appreciate Claire and Jaime in different ways. Fourteen years have passed since I met them and I still can't wait to see what they will do next. Forgive me for not watching them on screen. You are right in that no one else can make my Claire and Jaime, and I wouldn't have them change even slightly in my mind for all the world. Again, thank you. Jennifer from Georgia
I met Diana a year ago at a HNS Writer's Conference and felt like a groupie getting her anniversary edition of The Outlander signed. I read all seven of her previous books while writing my own time travel with strong historical protagonists. When I needed a break from editing--or merely needed inspiration, I opened one of her books to read at random. It's truly like spending time with good friends. Her books are by far the best series ever written--with so many genre-defying elements and a rare honesty. Sex after 40? Hey I never thought there was an expiration date, and I'm thrilled that Diana writes sex scenes with a creative vision you don't typically read in other books--and especially with characters that age without seeming to age! Jamie and Claire will surpass the notoriety of other fictional lovers such as Tristan and Isolde or Scarlett and Rhett! I'm counting the days til WIMOHB! Can't wait for Starz!
This was a fantastic interview! I am pretty sure we could be best friends in another life:) So many times I have read a touching or difficult scene in these books and said to myself "That's exactly how I felt!" about certain events in my life. Makes me wonder how you can know so much about the human heart. These books are beautiful to me and I treasure all my hard copies as well as my Audible ones and I can completely understand about wanting to "fondle" a book. I do it all the time:) Thanks for enriching my life so and I am pretty sure you are an "onion" Diana. So many beautiful and intelligent layers. PS. I start every day with a Diet Coke too.
Great interview! I'm looking forward to both the new book and the Starz series.
Great interview. As a writer, I'm always fascinated with other writers' daily writing habits. I enjoy Diana's books for their richness in detail and insights into interesting, flawed characters. I can't wait until WMOHB is released. I'll be loading a version on my Kindle to take for my own book launch trip to Ireland & Scotland in a few weeks.Diana, keep on writing.
My Kindle is set and waiting for it's release!
What a great interview! Am so excited for this book release. I cannot wait to start reading it. I have been a fan of Diana's ever since I picked up the first book in this series. Now am going to get all the audiobooks as well so that I can read over and over or listen over and over. It's all good!!!!
Delightful interview. I was trying to read my way all through the series to be ready for Written in My Own Heart's Blood, but I got caught up (again) reading Outlander because I just love how Claire and Jamie's story begins.Sending #8 to my daughter's nook as soon as it comes out.
We both can't wait for the TV series.
I can't wait. Just to prepare, I have read through all the books AGAIN. Her writing is so detailed that I always discover new things I missed on the last reading. Your writing schedule was fascinating. I first discovered Outlander years and years ago. I had raced to the grocery store around 7 a.m., wearing my walking gear, including a Scotland t-shirt. The checker said, "Have you read Outlander?" When I said no, she said, "You have to." I was hooked in the first few pages.
My husband and I just finished the series again about 2 months ago. We've already purchased the new book on Kindle and are chomping at the bit to watch the Starz premiere on August 9th. We're in countdown mode. We are both untamable when it comes to telling friends, family, any one who'll listen, that they need to read Outlander!!! The last thing I say is, "These are my friends!" The odd thing is that I really feel that way #callmecrazy!
I'm really looking forward to the new book which I too have pre-ordered. Eye surgery this month should enable me to read so much better - and that's one of the first ones I will be reading.
Can hardly wait for the new book to arrive. I just finished rereading the series, which I do every couple of years. I am 79 and hope there is not another 5 year long wait before #9.
Thank you Diana Gabaldon for this wonderful series.
I'm so excited for this pre-order to arrive already! So much suspense awaiting to start reading already. Amazing interview. I do to hope it wont be another 5 years long wait for book #9 Michelle. *crosses fingers*
Thanks for this great interview!My mom and my two sisters and I have been reading and re-reading Diana Gabaldon's Outlander books since the first three were released. We feel as though the characters are family. We anxiously await the arrival of each new novel. I live in Denver and always go to The Tattered Cover for Diana's book signings. So you can imagine my disappointment when the book tour list came out and Denver isn't on it. We will miss you Diana and hope you'll come to Denver next time around.
Lovely interview! I love the Outlander series. I can't see a release date for the TV show here in the UK though! :)
What a marvelous interview with a terrific author! Thank you.
Debbie wrote: "Diana and I have the same work habit - midnight to 4 a.m. is when I get the most out of me too! As an accountant it's not as linear as her writing day is, but it works for me. Glad to hear I'm not ..."Do you really know about your parent's sex life? My adult daughters and I talk about everything but there are some things I don't share with them! And older generations probably even more so--not being open about sexuality that is. I do think that sexual/erotic energy is an important part of marriage for most people--but that does not have to mean what most people consider "sex". Diana is the only author I have ever read that really writes sex well--one of the parts I love about her books!
It has been a long time since I've read any of the "Outlander" series. Will I have to reread some to refresh my memory?
I really liked her Cross Stitch nove, but I found it too brutal to continue reading the series :o)
Yes sometimes you have to re read some books but the last couple may suffice. I am looking forward to the release of WIMOHB as I only read Echo a little while ago.It all seems to come back once you start reading.
I never was a reader until I picked up the Outlander Book and now I can't read enough! Thank you for introducing me to the wonderful world of great literature. I knew there was a good man out there and his name is Jamie Frasier!
I love reading Diana's books ,but have not been able to get over the stuff she had happen to Jamie and Claire and how it weakened him, have not been able to read her books since. So sorry.
You are so real and genuine. Thanks..can't imagine many authors who share their makings of a book. Each book I read intrigued me, and I want more. Again, thanks..
I'm very happy for you D.G.! Whew! What a wonderful life! As a WERD NERD I am very envious of people who can put down on paper what then becomes 'reality' to so so many! Lucky Me because reading is my Drug & My Happiness!
The sex parts of the series are great--more so than most authors because she uses the difference between lust and love in such a meaningful manner. There is a place for both--but they are different. J and C have loving sex which is a great gift. Even though the sex act itself was not part of the picture in the later years of my marriage, my breath still caught and I still was thrilled when I saw my husband. Loving caresses still mean sex to many of us "elders". I'm sure J and C will have that until the end, no matter how old or infirmed they get.
Gabaldon, Diana was on my "Suggested Reading List" for the last 15 years that I taught literature. My students would give me oral book reports, and never did I have a student who read a Gabaldon book not be totally in love with the characters, Diana, and the idea of finishing reading the series, in order. As I live in Scottsdale part of the year, I'd love to attend a book signing. Will there be one? Where? When?
