| Diana
Gabaldon is the New York Times best-selling author of the Outlander
series, which tells the story of Jamie Fraser, a Scottish Highlander from the
18th century, and his time-traveling wife, Claire. The latest book in the series,
A Breath of Snow and Ashes, is on bookshelves now.
...More Biographical Information
Dianas Blog
Dianas Blog at Panalba
23 April 2009
Radio Interview - April 24th As part of the promotion for the Alachua
County Library Gala that Ill be doing in Gainesville on May 17th, Ill
be doing a half-hour interview on Hank Conners Conner Calling
radio show this Friday, April 24.
Itll be a live interview, at 1 PM (EDT), on WUFT/WJUF FM. If you have an
internet connection (and we certainly hope you do, if youre reading this),
you can listen at http://www.wuftfm.org.
(Im told that questions can be phone in or submitted by email, but I dont
have details on that. You might check the WUFT site.) Here also is the homepage
for Conners show:
http://www.jou.ufl.edu/faculty/hconner/conner_calling_schedule.htm
This page apparently also has recordings of previous interviews, so you may be
able to listen to mine ex post facto, [g] if youre busy at 1 PM Friday.
Yes Thanks, the Final Frenzy is Proceeding as Expected (With Notes on
Appearances in Michigan and New York, and Book Tours Down Under)
Final Frenzy is how I describe the last few months of a books
writing. I have immense amounts written, know Almost Everythingand am horrified
at how many holes there still are to be filled (you were wondering why the books
are long? Because they need to be. Why else? [g])-but everything does in fact
get done, even though I personally am doing nothing much aside from writing. Minimal
eating and sleeping, though the fact that I recently acquired a second young dachshund
insures that Im getting enough exercise. I got Homer on New Years
Day, and have just acquired his brother JJ (who was destined for stardom as a
show-dog, but unfortunatelyor not, depending how you look at itturned
out to be slightly too small). There are Dachshund Races through the house six
or seven times a day, interspersed by a sort of mobile Tae Kwon Do tournament,
as The Boys tackle each other with earth-shaking thuds, throw each other through
the air, and try out all their best badger-killing moves. Its a wonder either
one of them still has an ear attached to his head.
But I digress (yes, actually, that is why the books are so long; I like digressions).
We do indeed have a pub date (September 22, in the US, Canada, and doubtless a
few other places; November in Germany (no date yet)), which we are all looking
forward to, and a bit more information on book-touring, to wit:
Orion Publishing, my UK publisher, has asked me to go to New Zealand and Australia,
which Im happy to do. I dont yet have dates to match to cities, but
Im leaving Oct. 31st, arriving in Auckland Nov. 1, and will be doing appearances/signings
in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin, before zipping off to Australia
on the 7th, for two weeks. In Australia, we have a much more ambitious schedule
than on previous visits. Ill be in (no particular order here): Perth, Melbourne,
Hobart, Canberra, Sydney and Brisbane. See yall there!
Now, one of the things that aggravates the Final Frenzy stage a bit is that all
of the expectant publishers naturally need to begin planning their promotions
and schedules now, in spite of the fact that I am still writing the book. This
means that I have to stop every other day or so in order to do an interview, answer
emails asking if I can appear here or there, make arrangements for traveling to
the various heres and theres Ive already agreed to, say no to the several
dozen kind invitations that I unfortunately cant accept, and engage in the
odd bit of Unusual Correspondence.
Under this last heading comes Sheffield-Hallam University. Not that they are particularly
odd in themselves, I dont thinkbut they did pop up last week with
an unexpected invitation. Now, Im Hispanic on my fathers side-hence
the last name; its my name, btw, not my husbands (I dont really
mind people calling me Mrs. Gabaldon as a sign of respect, but if
you really insist on that degree of formality, its actually [cough] Dr.
Gabaldon. Most folk just call me Diana, and youre certainly welcome to,
as well)but mostly straight English (with one strange Swiss/German branch
of mercenaries) on my mothers side, and among my great-great-grandparents
was one Godfrey Sykes. (Youd think one would be enough, but nooo
.Godfrey
is an old family name, and theres been one in almost every generation for
some seven hundred years, so far as I can tell.)
Anyway, this particular Godfrey Sykes was a Royal Artist during Queen Victorias
time, and particularly well-known for his architectural friezes and elements.
He had a long-standing association with Sheffield-Hallam University, and theyve
decided to hold an exhibition of some of his work this year, with an affiliated
lecture program, featuring various person of differing degrees of celebrity. Well,
theyd cleverly ferreted me out of the woodwork, and asked if Id come
do one such lecture. I said Id love to, but explained that I couldnt
engage to do anything between early September and the end of November, what with
the usual sort of bedlam that happens when a new book comes out.
They kindly said that actually, December would suit them very well, and so were
going to talk about it when I meet them in Edinburgh at the Gathering at the end
of July (see Tours page). Meanwhile, a nice
playwright/composer also popped up to invite meto his current musicalin
Edinburghwith an eye to discussions regarding the feasibility of doing a
musical stage production of Outlander (the mind boggles, and NO,
there arent any plans to do such a thing. He just wants to talk
to me about it.). But whatImeantosay is, this is the sort of thing that happens
All the Time around here, and fascinating as it is, it does cut into the available
frenzying time. Still, cant complain. [g]
Anyway, a final Note regarding my appearance at the Word
Wise library event in Jackson, Michigan next month. This will be May 8th
and 9th, at the Carnegie Libraryand while there are details on the Tours
page, the organizers have also kindly sent me along their official brochure and
New Improved website for the event. Here is the brochure,
and here isthe website is here: www.myjdl.com
Oh, not quite final, after all, I was forgetting BEA. This is Book Expo America
(I think thats what it stands for) and its the giant trade show in
the US for booksellers and publishers. Its being held in New York this year,
and seeing as I have a book coming out in the fall, the US publisher asked me
to a) select excerpts for an exclusive giveaway booklet (exclusive
means the excerpts havent been posted here), and b) come for a day to address
a lot of librarians as a special breakfast and then c) sign said booklets in their
booth at the BEA. It isnt that the BEA isnt open to the publicheres
their website-- http://www.bookexpoamerica.com/ - but it is a trade show for the
book world, and admission is probably rather expensive. If you happen to be connected
with the book world, though, and will be at the Expocome by the Random House
booth between 10 and 11 AM on May 29th and say hi! (No, Im sorry, Im
not doing a public signing in New York. The new book wont be out yet, and
I do have to keep writing it here
)
22 March 2009
YES, we do have a pub date!!
An Echo in the Bone
will be published (always assuming that I finish writing the dang thing one of
these days Right Soon Now) on September 22, 2009! Or at least thats what
Random House says in their catalog copy (see below).
The eagerly anticipated seventh novel in Diana Gabaldons worldwide
bestselling Outlander saga (seventeen million copies in print!) is a masterpiece
of historical fiction from one of the most popular authors of our time!
[modest cough. Look, I didnt write the headline, OK?]
Jamie Fraser, erstwhile Jacobite and reluctant rebel, knows three things about
the American rebellion: The Americans will win, unlikely as that seems in 1777;
being on the winning side is no guarantee of survival; and hed rather die
than face his illegitimate sona young lieutenant in the British armyacross
the barrel of a gun.
His time-traveling wife, Claire, knows that the Americans will win, but not what
the ultimate price may be. That price wont include Jamies life or
happiness, thoughnot if she has anything to say about it.
And in the relative safety of the 20th century, their daughter Brianna and her
husband, Roger, watch the unfolding of her parents story in the pasta past
that may be sneaking up behind their own family.
[yes, yes, yes, Young Ian is in the book. So is Rollo, the White Sow, and all
kinds of other interesting people, but they only gave me 120 words to write a
synopsis with.]
All Things Scottish read Panalba!
Well, I was just sitting here quietly tapping away, a few months back, when one
Lord Jamie Sempill popped up to say that he was setting up a Scottish social-networking
website called Panalbaand would I like to write a regular blog for
it?
Why not? I said (this being my usual response to people asking me
to do unusual things, which I must say leads to a very interesting life), and
did.
Panalba has just gone publicits free, and open to everyoneand
so I would like to invite you to drop by. In addition to my own deathless prose
on the subject of Men in Kilts, Scottish accents, and Why You Do Not Want to Order
Fudge in Scotland, there are a number of other fascinating blogs and
features on whisky, food, the Edinburgh Gathering (taking place this
July), and other subjects of great interest to Albaphiles.
Go to Panalba and see!
12 February 2009
New Excerpt from An Echo in
the Bone
Phoenix Scottish Festival and Highland Games - Update!
OK, were all arranged with the Poisoned Pen; theyll have a booth with
books at the Phoenix Highland Games (Saturday, February 20th, Margaret Hance Park,
Phoenix), and Ill be there to sign said books from 11 AM to 4 PM. Well
try to have a banner on the booth, as well as one by the entrance, but as I havent
been to these Games since they moved them to the new venue, Im not sure
what the physical setup may be like.
I will be there Saturday Only (I do need to finish writing An Echo
in the Bone).
Since the Poisoned Pen is supplying books, btw--if you want a particular
book or format (a hardcover Dragonfly, for instance, or a trade paper of
Brotherhood of the Blade), you can email Patrick
at the Poisoned Pen and ask him to reserve a copy for you--I can then sign and
personalize it when you pick it up at the Games.
See you there!
Well, yes, I do know
. But many thanks to the many helpful
souls whove lately written to inform me that yes, I do have a publication
date for An Echo in the BoneAmazon.com lists it as September 29th!
Mm. Yeah. They do. The thing is
Amazon.com does not actually have the
faintest idea when the pub date is, until the publisher tells them (at which time,
the publisher presumably would also tell me, and I would tell you). This does
not stop them from listing a date; they seem to think it encourages people to
place pre-orders if the listing looks more official. They are, however, pulling
these dates out of their collective rear end, for the most part. (BTW,
the fact that you can pre-order a book on Amazon.com also does not indicate that
they have a pub date. For years, they were happily taking pre-orders for several
books (under my name) that didnt actually exist. You can, btw, usually order
or pre-order any book from a major publishing house through any bookstore. (For
instance, Barnes and Noble rarely shelves hardcover editions of my books, thinking
that nobodys likely to want a hardcover of a 17-year-old book [g]--but the
B&N Customer Service counter can in fact order any of the hardcovers for you,
if you want one; theyre all still in print, and the publisher assures me
that theyll continue to be.*) * NB: Amazon also goes around blithely
stating that various books are out of print or unavailable, when what
they mean is merely that they dont have one available for shipping right
this minute. Theyve been listing a paperback edition of The Outlandish
Companion, for instance, with the out of print or unavailable
notation. In fact, there is no paperback edition of this book; its never
been printed in anything other than the hardcover edition. And the hardcover editionwhich
they were likewise claiming to be OP/UNis certainly in print and availablejust
not from them, right this minute.
28 January 2009
Book-touring Season
So far as I know at present, Ill be going to Canada and Australia (possibly
New Zealand? They havent told me yet) as well as zipping around the US to
some unspecified degree (no idea what effect the current economic climate will
have on publishers willingness to finance book-tours). (Visit the Tours
section to see the details of what Diana has right now.)
Now, we dont yet have a publication date for An Echo in the Bone,
so I dont know at what point this all breaks loose. However, I have been
invited to take part in the Atlanta-Decatur Book Festival, which takes place over
Labor Day weekend (Sept. 4-6). Its not a firm date, yet, but Id like
to do this, and assuming it doesnt interfere with any other plans the publisher
might have, Ill be there.
Beyond that
no telling. But Ill post any details, as soon as we get
them. (Mind, we dont usually have anything resembling an itinerary until
really close to the pub date, so dont hold your breath there.)
N.B. I know from experience that the mere mention of book-touring causes a flood
of kind invitations from bookstores and hospitable persons wanting to invite me
to stay with them and spend several days sight-seeing.
Alas, sight-seeing is not allowed for in the average book-tour, which involves
changing cities Every Single Day, and moving pretty dang rapidly from Point A
to Points B, C, D
etc. from about 4 AM to 11 PM or so. That sort of schedule
is not conducive to house-guesting either, Im afraid-but I do appreciate
the kind thought!
Likewise, publishers dont really send authors anywhere (nice though that
would be [g]). They usually have a short list of large cities, because these contain
Large Bookstores (both independent and chain) and reasonable access to media for
interviews and other coverage. In other words, much as Id like to come visit
a small used bookstore in Oyster Bay, thats probably not happening.
On the other hand, if youre affiliated with a bookstore near a reasonably-sized
city, and are interested in having me for an event, you actually dont ask
me; you ask the publicity department at Random House (US), Random House (Canada),
or Orion (UK, Australia, New Zealand). Ill ask the various publicity persons
if they mind my posting their contact info [g]; if they dont, Ill
put it up here.
from Diana newsletter 2008
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