• “The smartest historical sci-fi adventure-romance story ever written by a science Ph.D. with a background in scripting 'Scrooge McDuck' comics.”—Salon.com
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BEES: “Beetles” and “Horse Drills”


Two new bits of BEES…


2021-02-01-BEES-Beetles2

“Beetles”

Social Media Hashtags: #DailyLines, #GoTELLTheBEESThatIAmGONE, #noitisntfinishedyet, #Illtellyouwhenitis, #dontworry, #youwontmissit, #itsratherlarge

[ This excerpt is from GO TELL THE BEES THAT I AM GONE. Copyright © 2021 by Diana Gabaldon. All rights reserved.]

William found Moira, the cook, in the kitchen garden, pulling spring onions. She was talking to Amaranthus, who had evidently been gathering as well; she carried a trug that held a large mound of grapes and a few pears from the small tree that grew near the cook-house. With an eye for the fruit, he strode up and bade the women good morning. Amaranthus gave him an up and down glance, inhaled as though trying to judge his state of intoxication from his aroma, and with a faint shake of the head, handed him a ripe pear.

“Coffee?” he said hopefully to Moira.

“Well, I’ll not be saying there isn’t,” she said dubiously. “It’s left from yesterday, though, and strong enough to take the shine off your teeth.”

“Perfect,” he assured her, and bit into the pear, closing his eyes as the luscious juice flooded his mouth. He opened them to find Amaranthus, back turned to him, stooping to look at something on the ground among the radishes. She was wearing a thin wrapper over her shift, and the fabric stretched neatly over her very round bottom.

She stood up suddenly, turning round and he at once bent toward the ground she’d been looking at, saying, “What is that?”, though he personally saw nothing but dirt and a lot of radish tops.

2021-02-01-BEES-Beetles3“It’s a dung beetle,” she said, looking at him closely. “Very good for the soil. They roll up small balls of ordure and trundle them away.”

“What do they do with them? The, um, balls of ordure, I mean.”

“Eat them,” she said, with a slight shrug. “They bury the balls for safekeeping, and then eat them as need requires—or sometimes they breed inside the larger ones.”

“How… cozy. Have you had any breakfast?” William asked, raising one brow.

“No, it isn’t ready yet.”

“Neither have I,” he said, getting to his feet. “Though I’m not quite as hungry as I was before you told me that.” He glanced down at his waistcoat. “Have I any dung beetles in this noble assemblage?”

That made her laugh.

“No, you haven’t,” she said. “Not nearly colorful enough.”

Amaranthus was suddenly standing quite close to him, though he was sure he hadn’t seen her move. She had the odd trick of seeming to apparate suddenly out of thin air; it was disconcerting, but rather intriguing.

“That bright green one,” she said, pointing a long, delicate finger at his middle, “is a Dogbane Leaf Beetle, Chrisosuchus auratus.”

“Is it, really?”

“Yes, and this lovely creature with the long nose is a Billbug.”

“A pillbug?” William squinted down his chest.

“No, a Billbug,” she said, tapping the bug in question. “It’s a sort of weevil, but it eats cat-tails. And young corn.”

“Rather a varied diet.”

“Well, unless you’re a dung beetle, you do have some choice in what you eat,” she said, smiling. She touched another of the beetles, and William felt a faint but noticeable jolt at the base of his spine. “Now here,” she said, with small, distinct taps of her finger, “we have an Emerald Ash Borer, a Festive Tiger Beetle, and the False Potato Beetle.”

“What does a true Potato Beetle look like?”

“Very much the same. This one’s called a False Potato Beetle because while it will eat potatoes in a pinch, it really prefers horse nettles.”

“Ah.” He thought he should express interest in the rest of the little things ornamenting his waistcoat, in hopes that she’d go on tapping them. He was opening his mouth to inquire about a large cream-colored thing with horns, when she stepped back in order to look up into his face.

“I heard my father-in-law talking to Lord John about you,” she said.

“Oh? Good. I hope they’d a fine day for it,” he said, not really caring.

“Speaking of False Potato Beetles, I mean,” she said. He closed his eyes briefly, then opened one and looked at her. She was perfectly solid, not wavering in the slightest.

“I know I’m a trifle the worse for drink,” he said politely. “But I don’t think I resemble any sort of Potato Beetle, regardless of my uncle’s opinion.”


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“Horse Drills”

Social Media Hashtags: #DailyLines, #GoTELLTheBEESTHATIAmGONE, #noitsnotfinishedyet, #illtellyouwhenitis, #alittledistractionfromCurrentEvents

[This excerpt is also from GO TELL THE BEES THAT I AM GONE, Copyright © 2021 by Diana Gabaldon. All rights reserved.]

[ . . . ] had volunteered to rise early—very early—and make the gallons of brose and parritch to feed the militia. The warm, creamy smell crept up the stairs and eased me into wakefulness like a soft hand on my cheek. I stretched luxuriously in the warm bed and rolled over, enjoying the picture of Jamie, long-legged as a stork and stark naked, bent over the washstand to peer into the looking-glass as he shaved by candlelight. Dawn was no more yet than a fading of the stars outside the dark window.

“Getting all spruced up for the gang?” I asked. “Are you doing something formal with them this morning?”

He drew the razor over his pulled-down upper lip, then flicked the foam to the side of the basin.

“Aye, horse drills. It’ll just be the mounted men today. With the Tall Tree, we’ll have twenty-one.” He grinned at me in the mirror, his teeth as white as the shaving soap. “Enough for a decent cattle raid.”

“Can Cyrus ride?” I was surprised at that; the Crombies, Wilsons, MacReadys and Geohagens were all fisherfolk who had come—by God knew what circuitous and difficult means—to us from Thurso. They were, for the most part, openly afraid of horses, and almost none of them could ride.

Jamie drew the blade up his neck, craned his head to evaluate the results, and shrugged.

“We’ll find out.”

He rinsed the razor, dried it on the worn linen towel, then used the towel to wipe his face.

“If I mean them to take it seriously, Sassenach, they’d best think I do.”

[end section]

The sky was lightening, but it was still dark on the ground and only a few of the men had gathered when Cyrus Crombie came down out of the trees. The men glanced at him in surprise, but when Jamie greeted him, they all nodded and muttered “Madainn math,” or grunted in acknowledgement.

“Here, lad,” Jamie said, thrusting a wooden cup of hot brose into the Tall Tree’s hand. “Warm your belly, and come meet Matilda. She belongs to Frances, but the lass says she’ willing to lend ye the mare until we can find ye a horse of your own.”

2021-02-01-BEES-Beetles1“Frances? Oh. I-I thank her.” The Tall Tree glowed a bit and glanced shyly at the house, and then at the horse. Matilda was a big mare, stout and broad-backed, and with a gentle, accommodating manner.

Young Ian had come down now, in buckskins and jacket, his hair plaited and hanging loose down his back. He glanced round the group of men, nodding, then came for his own brose, lifting a brow in the direction of Cyrus.

“[Tall Tree] will be joining us,” Jamie said casually. “Will ye show him the way of it, to saddle and bridle Matilda, while I tell the men what we’re about?”

“Aye,” Ian said, swallowing hot barley broth and exhaling a cloud of white steam. “And what are we about?”

“Cavalry drills.” That made Ian raise both brows and glance over his shoulder at the group of men, who looked like what they were—farmers. They all owned horses, and could ride from the Ridge to Salem without falling off, but beyond that…

“Simple cavalry drills,” Jamie clarified. “Riding slowly.”

Young Ian looked thoughtfully at Cyrus, standing at eager attention.

“Aye,” he said, and crossed himself.

[end section]


Please visit my official webpage for GO TELL THE BEES THAT I AM GONE, where more excerpts (aka “Daily Lines”) and other information about book nine in my OUTLANDER series of major novels.


2021-02-01-BEES-Beetles4HUGE thanks to Yolande Torjman for the lovely multiple images of bees on lemon blossoms, and to Alison Hawkworth for the lovely photo of a bunch of bees in a magnolia bloom!

These excerpts were also posted on my official Facebook page on Monday, February 1, 2021 and Monday, February 8, 2021.

Please do not copy the text in whole or in part from these excerpts and post them elsewhere, since they are copyrighted material. Instead, please copy and share the URL (link) to this page:

http://www.dianagabaldon.com/2021/03/bees-beetles-and-horse-drills/

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18 Responses »

  1. Hello Diana,
    I absolutely love your books, and am very excited about Go tell the Bees publishing soon.

    My husband is an avid golfer. Wondering if you ever thought about if any of your characters would have played golf. It would seem a good fit for Jaime as it is definitely a strategic intellectual game.

    Sincerely,
    Heidi Dowd

  2. Diana,
    I have read all of the Outlander and Lord John books and am looking forward to the publication of Bees. In the meantime, I have re-read some of my favorite excepts from all of the books. While I love the history and customs of the different regions that are woven into Jamie and Claire’s love story, I very much appreciate the careful attention you give to conversations and observations about everyday life.
    Thank you,
    Catherine Wright Frank

  3. Thank you for publishing excerpts from this soon-to-be-released book. I have read all of your books in this series thus far so when I read these excerpts I try to imagine the complete story surrounding them. I am so excited and hoping that this book will be available soon!

    Bee well. Linda

  4. Tapadh leibh for these Daily Lines! This makes Droughtlander (both the show & the books) more bearable.

    Glad to see William takes after his father in the appreciation of female round bottoms LOL! I like seeing how connected they are even if William didn’t have Jamie as a father while he was growing up. Lord John did raise him well, though.

    Will Lord John find love & happiness? I know not everyone gets a “happy ever after” in real life or in fiction, but it would be nice if Lord John gets to have his.

    Thank you again for these!

    Patiently waiting for Book 9 & Season 6,

    Vicki

  5. My passport is ready; I’m eager to travel back in time to be with Jamie and Clare. I have waited patiently.

    Thank you for this wee bit dram.

  6. I love your writing!
    You may not want to mention the Emerald Ash Borer as one of your beetles. It was not found in North America until 2003. https://inspection.canada.ca/plant-health/plant-pests-invasive-species/insects/emerald-ash-borer/faq/eng/1337355937903/1337356019017

  7. I love this look at book and I am looking forward to it’s release date.

  8. Ohh Ian ! I love him and Jamie together!

  9. I love the excerpt about William, but I am compelled to question Spring onions concurrent with ripe pears & grapes. I have had both pear trees & grape vines, and neither bore fruit in the spring. A rare discrepancy in the research.

    Thanks so much for all the bits & pieces, waiting (im)patiently for the whole book! <3

  10. I just finished reading the excerpts of GO TELL THE BEES THAT I AM GONE. All I can say is: WOW!!! You will have another best seller and I am looking forward to its release. I am rereading the entire series again. Am now reading A BREATH OF SNOW AND ASHES. Enjoying is as much as the previous readings.

    Of course I am also rewatching the entire series again, too.

    Thank you so much for your great storytelling.

    Ann G.

  11. I am so ready to read this book. I love the Televised series as well, and its spot on casting. My evil plan is to finish the book stack that I have been vowing to finish , and then read the Outlander series again. It is such a wonderful place to be. Thank you for it.

  12. Hi Diana……..

    I keep returning to the website hoping more of the “Bees” will be there…it’s hard going through a pandemic without a new Gabaldon book to read. The Companions have passed on as have Men in Kilts and am getting desperate! Hopefully “Bees” will be out this year and we will be able to lock down with it!

    stay safe,

    Camille C.

  13. Dear Diana,

    I feel like I’ve been waiting forever for the “Bees” book. I have a First Edition of “Written In My Own Heart’s Blood” with a copyright date of 2014. I know I’m stating the obvious when I say “that was 7 years ago”. I know that “The Bees” has taken the longest to write of all your novels. Even when you sidetracked with the “Lord John” series and The Scottish Prisoner” and whatnot. But I think what has caused the longest delay has been the”Outlander” television series. Please, please just finish the book. I don’t know what the TV series contract calls for, but it can’t give you much time to write ! Let the TV series take a hiatus , because if you’re still doing “research” for the “Bees” then it’s never going to be finished. I’m sorry to have such a negative outlook. If I have to re-read the series one more time, the books, most 1st editions, will be in no condition to read at all !!!!!!!!

    Not So Patient in New Hampshire

    P.S. How can you even mention a tenth book when the ninth book has been a promise for seven years ?

  14. Der Mrs. Gabaldon,

    thank you for your series of Outlander and John Grey books. Your style of writing is amazing and I hope to get “Tell the bees that I’m gone” soon. I read them more than one time and I think they deserve it because of the years you have taken to write.

    Warm regards
    Manuela

  15. So happy Bees is done. Now I have something to tell my children to get me for Christmas. I love the books and the show as so many of us do! Someone talked about the music in the show and it does strike a chord with me as well. Thank you for the wonderful stories and characters of Jamie and Claire! It can’t be said enough how much pleasure your writing gives to those of us who love to read but can’t create such a treasure. Be safe and healthy!

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