Turkey is good. Turkey sandwiches are better. Eaten without the distraction of pumpkin pie, mashed rutabagas (not my idea of a good time, but tastes vary), yam fries with maple aioli, and the other fripperies of a Thanksgiving table, turkey achieves its highest calling between two slices of bread.
I like two kinds of turkey sandwiches. The night-of-Thanksgiving turkey sandwich, eaten late and alone, in the peaceful muzziness that follows a successful party, is moist white meat on 12-grain bread, with Dijon mustard, mayonnaise, and leafy lettuce. With a nice glass of a full-bodied chardonnay to go with. Ahhhhh.
Day-after-Thanksgiving turkey sandwich is a little fancier. Eaten for lunch (with Diet Coke if working in the afternoon, otherwise, more wine [g]), again on 12-grain bread, but mixed white and dark meat, thickly daubed with gorgonzola cheese, heavily studded with walnuts, and layered with a sliced ripe pear. You put mayonnaise on the bread, but mostly to keep it all stuck together. Oooooh.
But of course turkey (etc.) is not the primary reason to celebrate Thanksgiving. (No, really. Add in a nice bottle of Veuve Clicquot champagne, and I’m not saying, but….no, really.) So let us concentrate on the essentials.
I’m thankful for whatever it is that makes me write books.
I’m very thankful for those of you who read the books, because I might tell stories to amuse myself, but it’s having those stories read that closes the cosmic circle of creation.
I’m especially thankful to have met so many of you (in the US, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia) over the last two months. I’ve never met so many nice people in such a short period of time. But…
I’m most thankful of all to be home with my family!
Hope you all had a lovely day, and much to be thankful for, whether you celebrate Thanksgiving or not.
I am also thankful for whatever it is that makes you write books. *big grin*
I am thankful you gave us all our Outlander friends, that can walk with us through life now. No really, I often say "What would Claire do?" since there's already a bracelet out there to remind us "What Would Jamie Do?"
Have a wonderful time with your family – you have earned a break! Thanks for traveling around to see so many of us! -Bethany, Atlanta, GA. (annual fan at Decatur Book Fest)
I'm thankful for a successful Thanksgiving feast (only my second time hosting Thanksgiving at my house, but it went perfectly and everyone had a good time). I'm very thankful for ECHO, of course!! (Especially now that I've seen what a tremendous amount of time and effort it takes to produce one of these books.)
And I'm thankful for a truly amazing year, during which I found myself doing things online that I would never have imagined just a couple of years ago. My parents think I've sort of lost my mind. My brother says I'm "blossoming". <g> My sister says she sees aspects of my personality coming out online that she didn't know existed. It's been a wonderful experience, and I'm so grateful to you for giving me this opportunity.
I'm also very thankful that I got the chance to meet you in person, finally. <g>
Karen
What Warpony said… and so happy that I found your blog. I am still worried about Jem in the dark by himself though….
I am also thankful for your books.
First they got me through the Bush years (discovered Outlander the morning after the 2000 election, and read the series three times over in a row. They gave me a much pleasanter place to be in).
And this year, Echo came out just after DH had a massive heart attack. Read it three times during the last three months of his recouperation.
Jamie and Claire are family, and as such I can't leave the books sitting at any thrift store,library sale,yard sale,etc I go to – so I have many copies -enought to be able to hand Outlander to friends and say "you have to read these!" Then they go off scouting for the rest.
Have a wonderful holiday and new year!
Thank you for your stories! And thank you for being so generous and accommodating to your fans.
I look forward to the continuing saga – Echo was fabulous!
Hugs,
Judie
I am thankful for my family too. I learned, this year, never to take them for granted, we almost lost my mom in April.
Thank you Diana for your gift of writing, it has added so many wonderful friends to my life.
Glad you made it through your long journey around the world.
LisaW
I'm about 200 pages into Echo and taking it slowly to savor it! I'm thankful for wonderful books!
once again your words captivate me.
"yam fries with maple aioli"
is that a recipe you can share? it sounds wonderful.
My family made a poster of things we are thankful for. One of the things I wrote on the poster was your name, Diana. Your books have enriched my life and I am very thankful that you've shared your stories with us!
I'm thankful that you write books, too. They've been keeping me entertained now for the last 15 years.
Enjoy your holidays and your rest. We all know it's well deserved!
I am very thankful for your wonderful books, as well! They bring so much joy to so many. I am also thankful to be at home with family for the holidays, as well!
Thanksgiving is the *BEST* of holidays.Family,food and a chance to reflect on the blessings of life.
I'm wondering if I'm with it though, I left the proverbial Green Bean Casserole setting in the oven.I'm thankful the heat was off.
My fav turkey sandwich involves a lot of leftovers. Turkey,dressing,cranberry sauce, S&P,lettuce and Mayo..of course. Hard to eat,but yummy.
I just finished "Echo" and loved every letter. I'm thankful for your curiosity ,the fabulous detail.
I climbed all over the Corrimony Cairn back in '94 under the gaze of a red bull,behind a fence (another thanks) across the road. There was a crumbling cottage up the road a bit,with a walled graveyard that kept me fascinated till almost dark. Then I got a trifle spooked..
I suppose we all will make it until the next book release, but it won't be easy!
Enjoy the Holidays and thanks again.
Hi Diana,
I am going through withdrawals, I feel the ticks starting again. I am going to have to read Echo one more time…. Really, I was browsing the web and found a video about the casting for the Outlander movie. For a moment I thought it was real and almost died right on the spot. I am grateful to still be alive and waiting patiently on the next chapter. I hope you can enjoy your family through the holidays.
That day after Thanksgiving day sandwich sounds heavenly.
I too am thankful for whatever makes you write. It was so nice to finally make it to a book signing and meet you, (I always had other obligations before). I saw you at the Chicagoland signing and you were so incredibly warm and relaxed and gracious, thank you.
Enjoy the time with your family! Pour another glass and relax
I hope you never get tired of us telling you how thankful we are for your compulsion to tell stories. You make everything you describe(whether it's after-Thanksgiving sandwiches or a walk down your street)as interesting as one of your books.
Thank you for your stories! Thank you for sharing them with us! I am glad you had an enjoyable Thanksgiving with your family!
Thank you for coming to Australia (North Sydney), it was lovely meeting you. And thank you for writing such wonderful books – i cant wait for the next one!
I too am thankful for your ability to write books. Gives me something to do at 2am when sleep evades me.
I think I'll go have a turkey sandwhich now!
That thing that makes you write, I'm thankful for it, too.
Carol