• “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
  • A time-hopping, continent-spanning salmagundi of genres.”
    —ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY
  • “These books have to be word-of-mouth books because they're too weird to describe to anybody.”
    —Jackie Cantor, Diana's first editor

Days of the Dead…


Diana's Jack-o-LanternSocial Media Hashtags: #DailyLines, #Prologue, #MasterRaymondsBook, #NOitisntwrittenyet, #HappyHALLOWEEN

In the chilly season, when the air grows cold and the spiders die, comes a thin time. The days are short, so all the light of them is concentrated, squeezed between the dawn and dark. This is why the light is different, and each thing has a Shadow. This is when the other worlds draw close, and the barriers between grow thin. In a thin time, they say, you must be careful, because you might walk through a cobweb unthinking, and find yourself Elsewhere.

There is more than one other world; no one knows how many. Some beasts can see one; the dogs will sometimes stare at a blank space on the wall of a cave, and their hackles rise at what they see.

Sometimes, I think I see it, too.


Los Dias de los Muertos

Lit candleIn the Southwest, for those of us of Hispanic descent (or inclination), today and tomorrow are Los Dias de los Muertos—the Days of the Dead.

Today (Nov. 1) we celebrated the presence in our lives of those who’ve gone before and await us in heaven; the Feast of All Saints. Tomorrow (Nov. 2) is the Feast of All Souls, when we commune with our own beloved dead.

May all your own families be with you in love today, no matter on which side of the veil.


From November 2, 2018. Also posted on my official Facebook page.

What a week it’s been!


Tuesday, October 23, 2018

2018-10-Roses-PBS-Read-ResultsMAN, what a week it’s been! First off, let me thank ALL of you who did such great work, voting in the PBS “Great American Read” program. I know a lot of you voted day after day, and often multiple times a day; I appreciate that HUGELY—and your votes were not in vain!

PBS filmed the finale on Sunday night (swearing the audience to secrecy, which apparently worked; I didn’t see any leaks), but aired it this evening (Tuesday). It was an interesting format: they invited a number of authors from nominated books to come and introduce segments of the list (with light running commentary)—by “segments,“ I mean they had two writers count down the list from the book that ended up in 100th place, to the book that was #81. Then they did a video about one or another of the five finalist books, shuffled their screen of intriguing book-covers, and called up the next set of authors to comment on books 80-61, and so on.

When they got to the last (or first, depending how you want to look at it) ten books, they counted down to the final five, then called the representatives of those books out on stage for the final countdown. I say “representatives,” because the authors of three of the finalists are dead, and J.K. Rowling, who was in the list, wasn’t there. I was the only author representing my own book. <g>

If you’d like to watch the finale episode yourself, here’s a link to it:

https://www.pbs.org/video/grand-finale-q4ij7z/

But for those who don’t want to sit through the suspense <g>—OUTLANDER came in second, behind TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD (the PBS people noted that MOCKINGBIRD had been #1 on the list from the very first day of voting, and never wavered from that position).

Personally, I was thrilled—we beat PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, LORD OF THE RINGS (!!) and HARRY POTTER! TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD is a great classic, a wonderful read—and a book that means a lot to a great number of people in the current political climate, owing to its themes of racial and social justice. It totally deserved to win.

Besides, as my lovely editor said in an email to me this morning (retrieved in JFK airport on my way home),

“You are officially the most beloved living writer! … We are so thrilled and proud to be your publisher!”

I’m thrilled and proud to have the support of a great publisher—but most of all, to have the support of so many wonderful readers! MORAN TAING! (that’s “Thanks a lot” in Gaelic)

And if you’d like to see the final results of the “Great American Read”here’s the complete list:

https://www.pbs.org/the-great-american-read/results/

-Diana

PBSGreatAmericanReadLogo

NYCC This Weekend…


nycc-logo-colorAnybody going to New York Comic Con this weekend? If so…

Come by and see me! NYCC has invited me to participate on a panel called “Pages to Pictures”—to do with adaptation, screen-writing, etc. this will be at 10:00 a.m. on SUNDAY, October 7th, at the Shop Studio location.

The panel will be FOLLOWED BY a signing event at the Penguin Random House booth in the Javits Center, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m..

I’ll put up room/hall numbers for you tomorrow—at the moment, I’m at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. Which is wonderful, dramatic, utterly lacking in WiFi (I’m writing this on my iPad in a general store at the nearby campground) and Utterly Wretched phone reception.

See you in New York!

-Diana

P.S.: My Webmistress, Loretta, says sorry, but all entry badges to NYCC are already sold out. She has written up some pointers for those attending a large comic-con like this one for the first time in the NYCC entry on my official appearances page.

My future events are also listed on my official appearances webpage as they are confirmed:

http://www.dianagabaldon.com/appearances

Reminder – Great American Read (PBS)!


Rosie The Riveter and the Great American ReadWell, alrighty, then… So, the voting for your favorite book(s) in the PBS “Great American Read” series goes on until October 19th! That’s a whole lot of voting, and I hesitate to urge anybody to DO it every day…. but I feel that I should tell you that you can if you want to. <g>

You can vote for as many of your favorite books as you want, every day. But—

You can vote ONCE PER DAY PER VOTING METHOD for any given book. (So you could vote five times per day for any given book(s), though I must say that sounds like a lot of trouble…)

As for HOW you can vote… the many possibilities make my head swim. Choose your favorite(s):

Method 1: Voting Using Social Media (Your Facebook and Twitter Accounts)

An easy way to vote for my OUTLANDER series (if you use Facebook and/or Twitter) is to create an original Facebook post (on my Facebook page, your Facebook page, or anywhere else on Facebook) that includes the hashtag:

#VOTEOutlander

You can do the same thing via Twitter—just add #VOTEOutlander to one of your tweets that day for another vote.

(Note that if you don’t have a Facebook and/or Twitter account, you cannot use these voting methods.)

Click here for a list of hashtags for all of the 100 book finalists (PDF format).


Method 2: Text Message (SMS) Voting

Uncle-Sam-GrAmReadPBSSend a Text Message (SMS) to 97979 with a unique hashtag for your favorite book in the message. For OUTLANDER, it is:

#VOTEOutlander

Click here for a list of hashtags for all of the 100 book finalists (PDF format).


Method 3: Phone Voting

Each of the 100 finalist books in the Great American Read has an assigned toll-free number.

To vote for OUTLANDER, dial (855) 443-6574 (U.S.A., U.S. territories, and Canada only).


Method 4: Vote On The PBS Great American Read Website:

Visit the PBS voting webpage for the Great American Read where you can vote for multiple favorite books each day by pointing and clicking. (You will need to log in to the PBS website to vote using your account, by email address, or using your Facebook account login).

In your web browser application, go to:

https://www.pbs.org/the-great-american-read/vote/

Scroll down and click on a book, such as OUTLANDER, and select all your favorites.

Note that after choosing your favorite book(s) you must click the Confirm button for your votes to be submitted and counted. You will asked to log in if you haven’t already.


Information on all the ways you can vote is on the PBS website at:

https://www.pbs.org/the-great-american-read/about/how-to-vote/

AND THANK YOU VERY MUCH INDEED!!!

-Diana


Yankees – First Pitch!


A Big Honor

September 14, 2018

2018-09-14-Diana-warming-up Life gets weirder by the minute—but in a GOOD way! Today I was honored to throw the first pitch at the Yankees game. (They beat the Toronto Blue Jays 11 to 0 in Yankee Stadium in the Bronx.)

Thanks, Yankees! It was the thrill of a lifetime!

From the celebratory wine:

“Growing up in distant Arizona, without a hometown team to follow, young Diana dreamed of one day playing for the Yankees. As the years passed, she dabbled in different fields: marine biology, zoology, hoping the phone would ring. Finally, with the playoffs in sight, Gabaldon was called up to anchor the bullpen. Joined by family and friends, Diana tossed out the first pitch for the New York Yankees.”

first-pitch-wine-DG

DG-Yankees-twitter


Photos on this blog post by Diana Gabaldon and her husband, Doug.

SEVEN STONES In Trade Paperback!


Good News!

US-cover-SEVEN-STONES-tpbThe good news for today (every day has at least some…) is that SEVEN STONES TO STAND OR FALL is now available in trade paperback format (that’s the large size paperback) in the U.S. and Canada! (It’s already out in the U.K., Australia and New Zealand.) The yellow cover is U.S./Canada; the blue cover is U.K./Australia/N.Z.

If you haven’t come across this book yet—here’s a bit from the Introduction.

Introduction to SEVEN STONES (Excerpt):

If you picked this book up under the misapprehension that it’s the ninth novel in the main Outlander series, it’s not. I apologize.

So, if it’s not the ninth novel, what is it? Well, it’s a collection of seven…. er…. things, of varying length and content, but all having to do with the Outlander universe. As for the title… basically, it’s the result of my editor not liking my original title choice, Salmagundi. Not that I couldn’t see her point… Anyway, there was a polite request via my agent for something more in line with the “resonant, poetic” nature of the main titles.

Without going too much into the mental process that led to this (words like “sausage-making” and “rock-polishing” come to mind), I wanted a title that at least suggested that there were a number of elements in this book (hence the “Seven”) and “Seven Stones” just came naturally, and that was nice (“stone” is always a weighty word) and suitably alliterative, but not a complete poetic thought (or rhythm). So, a bit more thinkering (no, that’s not a typo), and I came up with “to Stand or Fall,” which sounded suitably portentous.

UK-Seven-Stones-tpbIt took a bit of ex post facto thought to figure out what the heck that meant, but things usually do mean something if you think long enough. In this instance, the “stand or fall” has to do with people’s response to grief and adversity: to wit, if you aren’t killed outright by whatever happened, you have a choice in how the rest of your life is lived—you keep standing, though battered and worn by time and elements, still a buttress and a signpost…. or you fall and return quietly to the earth from which you sprang, your elements giving succor to those who come after you.

So. This is (as the front cover suggests) a collection of seven novellas (fiction shorter than a novel but longer than a short story), though all of them are indeed part of the Outlander universe and do intersect with the main novels.

Five of the novellas included in this book were originally written for various anthologies over the last few years; two are brand-new and have never been published before: “A Fugitive Green” and “Besieged.”

Owing to differences among publishers in different countries, some of the previously published novellas may subsequently have been published in print form as a four-story collection (in the U.K. and Germany), or as separate ebooks (in the U.S.). Seven Stones provides a complete print collection for those readers who like tactile books, and includes the two new stories. (“A Fugitive Green” and “Besieged” will eventually be published separately as ebooks in the U.S., too, for those who prefer that mode of reading, but it might be awhile.)


Buy-Links:

If you’re interested, here are some buy-links for SEVEN STONES:

Or check out my SEVEN STONES webpage for more buy-links and information. Thanks!


This post also appeared on my official Facebook page on August 7, 2018.

August 10 Event – Poisoned Pen


Dear Readers,

If you’re in the Phoenix area, the Poisoned Pen Bookstore is hosting two upcoming events that I will be part of: 1) a “pop-up” signing event in a few days on August 10, and 2) a celebration for the release of the special 25th Anniversary Hardcover Edition of VOYAGER on October 28.

Below is more information about the August 10 event.

More details on the October VOYAGER celebration and all of my appearances are available on my official Appearances Webpage.

Thanks!

-Diana


Friday, August 10, 2018 – SCOTTSDALE, AZ

Mew! Susanna Kearsley signs BELLEWETHER, Hosted by Diana Gabaldon!

Event begins at 7:00 p.m.

Event Host and Event Webpage: The Poisoned Pen Bookstore

Ticket purchase is required. See below for details.

Venue:
The Poisoned Pen Bookstore
4014 North Goldwater Boulevard
Suite 101
Scottsdale, Arizona 85251
U.S.A.

From Barbara Peters of the Poisoned Pen Bookstore:

The Poisoned Pen Bookstore is hosting a “Pop-Up Event” With TWO New York Times Bestselling Authors on August 10!

Bellewether-coverDiana Gabaldon will host Susanna Kearsley on Friday, August 10, 2018 at the Pen. The event begins at 7:00 p.m. Both authors will discuss their works, and a book signing will follow.

Diana admires the wonderful novels of Canadian author Kearsley whose gig it is to write time-jump novels, with some mystery at their heart, taking you from a story in the present to one in the past… and back. Kearsley is a New York Times best-selling Canadian novelist who writes historical fiction and mysteries, as well as thrillers (under the pen name Emma Cole). In 2014, her novel THE FIREBIRD received the Romance Writers of America’s RITA Award for Best Paranormal Romance.

Diana has said, “I’ve loved every one of Susanna’s books! She has bedrock research and a butterfly’s delicate touch with characters—sure recipe for historical fiction that sucks you in and won’t let go!”

Event Tickets:

Tickets are required, at $20 per person, and seating is limited to 125 persons, so purchasing tickets in advance is highly recommended. Tickets could very well sell out before the event.

Purchase your tickets by calling the Pen at (480) 947-2974 or toll-free at (888) 560-9919.

murieta-coverYour ticket includes entry to the event and your choice of one of these three paperbacks for signing:

  1. THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JOAQUIN MURIETA, THE CELEBRATED CALIFORNIA BANDIT (Penguin Classics, $17 value). Diana has written a new foreword to this classic from the mid-1800s
  2. SEVEN STONES TO STAND OR FALL ($18, paperback edition value), a collection of seven of Diana’s Outlander short stories and novellas, or
  3. Kearsley’s BELLWETHER ($16.95, paperback edition value).

Additional books by both authors will also be available for purchase and signing, including the three paperbacks listed above, Diana’s hardcover and paperback titles, and the hardcover edition of Kearsley’s novel, BELLEWETHER.

For more information or questions, please contact the friendly staff at the Poisoned Pen by phone at (480) 947-2974 or toll-free at (888) 560-9919


(Please do not contact my Webmistress for questions about this August 10 event by email. She does not have any further information.)


The Great American Read with PBS!


PBSGreatAmericanReadLogoPBS would like me to remind you about The Great American Read—which I’m delighted to do. The Great American Read is a “new television series, competition and nationwide campaign which explores the power of books and the joy of reading through the lens of America’s 100 best-loved novels, as voted on by the public.”

Outlander-cover-mediumThank you, PBS, and all the readers across the U.S.A. who chose OUTLANDER in the initial survey as one of the 100 most-loved American novels!

The Great American Read program series was launched on PBS on May 22, 2018 when the list of 100 favorite books was revealed in the first two-hour broadcast episode.

Over the summer and into the fall, you will have time to read all 100 books if you choose. Plus you are invited to vote daily and help choose America’s favorite novel from the list of 100! Online voting began on May 22, and will end on October 18, 2018 at midnight (Pacific Time).

Print a checklist of the 100 books.

I should mention—because I got it wrong last time I posted a reminder—that you may vote for any number of books from the list on any given day—you just can’t vote more than once per day for any single book.

Five one-hour ‘themed’ episodes will be aired in the fall which examine concepts common to the groups of books on the list.

During The Great American Read series finale—to be aired on PBS on October 22—results of the nationwide vote to choose America’s best-loved book (or book series) will be announced!



Vote Using The PBS Website:

So, should you feel moved to vote for your favorite book(s), one method is to visit the PBS voting webpage. With this method, you can vote for multiple favorite books each day! (Only one vote per day per favorite book…)

Vote-Outlander-PBS-nobutton

  1. Go to: https://www.pbs.org/the-great-american-read/vote/

    At some point during the first time you vote, you will be asked to log in. You may use your email address, your Facebook or Google login, or your PBS member account. (Logins are required so that PBS may limit voting to only once per day pr person per book, and to readers in the U.S.A.) After this first login, voting using the website should be only a few clicks if using the same phone, tablet, or computer.

  2. Scroll down through the 100 books with images of their covers and click on your favorite(s) to vote. To vote for OUTLANDER, scroll down until you see it listed (with the example cover shown at right). Note that on this PBS voting webpage, the text on the icon for OUTLANDER says “Outlander (series)”.
  3. Click on the “Vote” button.

    Once you vote on a book on the PBS voting webpage, a confirmation window will appear.

  4. Click on the “Confirm” button to finish casting your vote for a book.

    If you don’t confirm, your vote won’t be counted!

  5. You may vote for multiple books each day, repeating the steps above.


Vote Using Facebook or Twitter:

Or you may vote for OUTLANDER using your Facebook or Twitter account using this special hashtag:

#VoteOUTLANDER

in a new entry you have created and posted.

To vote for your other favorite books on social media, download a list of voting hashtags (PDF format) for all 100 books.


Need more information? Click here for full voting details from the PBS website, or see the links below.

Thanks for your attention! Happy reading!

-Diana



More Information on The Great American Read:

PBS-GreatAmericanRead-windowFrom the PBS website:

“THE GREAT AMERICAN READ is an eight-part series on the PBS network in the U.S.A. that explores and celebrates the power of reading, told through the prism of America’s 100 best-loved novels (as chosen in an initial national survey). It investigates how and why writers create their fictional worlds, how we as readers are affected by these stories, and what these 100 different books have to say about our diverse nation and our shared human experience. The television series features entertaining and informative documentary segments, with compelling testimonials from celebrities, authors, notable Americans and book lovers across the country.

“The series is the centerpiece of an ambitious multi-platform digital, educational and community outreach campaign, designed to get the country reading and passionately talking about books.”



Links:


This post was last updated on Thursday, May 31, 2018 at 3:20 a.m. (PT). by my Webmistress.

Season 3 Global Release Dates


Season 3 Release Dates In DVD, Blu-Ray and Digital Formats

Season3-Collector-EditionSony International, the distributor for the Starz Outlander TV series, has sent me the following release dates for Season 3 in DVD, Blu-Ray and Digital formats:

March 5, 2018: U.K. and Germany

March 7, 2018: Australia and New Zealand

April 9, 2018: Norway, Sweden, Finland, and South Africa

April 10, 2018: U.S.A. and Canada (Canada: English & French-speaking)

April 11, 2018:: France, Czech Republic, and Taiwan

April 12, 2018: Denmark

April 13, 2018: Spain

April 17, 2018: Hong Kong

April 18, 2018: Belgium (French-speaking)

May 7, 2018: Greece

May 30, 2018: Brazil

Release dates for other countries and areas are to be announced. Updates to this list will be added as soon as available.

For digital downloads and streaming of Season 3, please contact your favorite digital services after the release dates listed to determine availability in your area. See my Where and How To Watch page for more information.

The cover for the Blu-Ray Collector’s Edition of Season 3 (U.S.A. edition) is shown in the image above, which goes on sale on April 10, 2018.

Note that all release dates are decided upon and announced by Sony International, the distributor for the Starz Outlander TV series. Neither I nor my Webmistress have any say in—or control over—when the DVDs will be for sale in any country or region.

Enjoy!

Sneak Peek on April 3rd!


OK…. So, how many of y’all might be available April 3rd to join me and Toni in L.A. for a Sneak Peek of the Season Three DVD set? (Note that it’s free, but limited seating—RSVP!)

Click on the image below to view the invitation in higher resolution, or see event details below the image:

sneek-peek

Event details:

Tuesday, April 3, 2018 – CULVER CITY, CA (L.A. Area)

Sneak Peek Fan Event for Outlander Season Three Limited Collector’s Edition Blu-ray Set with Author Diana Gabaldon and Executive Producer Toni Graphia.

RSVP required! Limited seating!

To RSVP, send an email to: OutlanderRSVP@mprm.com

RSVP EARLY TO SECURE A SEAT! SEATING IS LIMITED!

After you send your RSVP by email, the organizers of the event will contact you by replying to your email.

Make sure the email account you use is in YOUR NAME! Or that you include your name in the body of the email. If you obtain a spot at the event, you will need a driver’s license or state picture ID with your name on it to be admitted. The name on your email and the name on your ID have to match for you to be admitted.

Check-in: 4:30 p.m.
Program starts: 5:00 p.m.

Event Host:
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

Event Venue:
Sony Pictures Studios
Jimmy Stewart Building
10202 W. Washington Blvd.
Culver City, CA 90232

Special features screening with Q & A, followed by a light reception.

All attendees must be over 21 years old.

Note that the limited edition Blu-Ray set of Season 3 will be available for purchase in the U.S. on April 10, 2018.

For my other upcoming events, please see my appearances webpage.