Well, now–here’s a question to keep you entertained while I’m gearing up to visit the UK: What sorts of things might you like to see in THE OUTLANDISH COMPANION, Volume II?
I’ll be working on this book during 2010 (yes, yes, along with Book Eight, and a few other things, no doubt), but am just beginning to form up an idea of the potential contents. There will of course be
Detailed synopses of
THE FIERY CROSS
A BREATH OF SNOW AND ASHES
AN ECHO IN THE BONE
and
LORD JOHN AND THE PRIVATE MATTER
LORD JOHN AND THE BROTHERHOOD OF THE BLADE
LORD JOHN AND THE HAND OF DEVILS
“Cast of Characters” listings for all the aforementioned books. These lists note which books each character appears in, and give a thumbnail description of each character (for those readers who have trouble remembering who’s who).
A Comprehensive, Alphabetized and Phonetic Glossary of All the Gaelic in All the Books (so far). [g]
Interesting Features on Writing in General (chunk writing vs. outlines, how to organize scenes so you can find them again, the Fine Art of Backing Up, etc.) and Writing These Books in Particular (the “shape” of each book, internal structure, and interconnections)
Reader’s Guides (book-club discussion questions and commentary)
Features on Costume and Cookery of the 18th Century
A Truly Massive (but well-organized!) Bibliography, of allllll the References used in writing the more recent Books.
Many Inspiring and Beautiful Photographs of the Scottish Highlands (and perhaps a few less inspiring ones of the author) taken by Barbara Schnell, the German translator for the books.
A Selection of the most Piquant, Poignant, Offensive, and/or Hilarious (whether deliberately or inadvertently) Letters received–and the Author’s Unexpurgated Responses to Same.
Controversy: Commentary and discussion on the more controversial scenes, themes, or incidents in the various books.
So….what else? All suggestions welcome!
I love all the suggestions, especially the maps, family trees and medical anecdotes!
This is not really a suggetion for campion2, but I just have to suggest it anyway. I just keep thinking of the french voyaguers that get ever so small a hint of intrigue in echo…..
Is there another series waiting for you to tickle your fancy ….and ours…….Lord John, the french connection, hudson bay company….vive la companie….et,al. I once traveled a canoe in those waters….it would make a delicious story…..oh please do!
So I am going to jump on the bandwagon and say MAPS!
Also, I love the idea of out-takes from the book, or storylines you didn't use.
Diana, you made my day when you said MAYBE the 8th book won't be the last, I was under the impression that it would be. I am going to hold tight to that MAYBE
The “controversy” section is my favourite, but a section dedicated to “misunderstandings” would be so interesting! I am sure there are a million questions we could ask you but it would be nice to see what the main ones have been and whether the readers really truly grasped what you, as the author, meant to convey. Some readers are still trying to figure out what happened to Claire’s coins; the ones she sewed into her dress before going back in DIA. We are assuming she used them in while travelling but not sure … hey, that could be the first entry!!
definitely maps, I really love being able to follow along with characters' travels. I also second the idea of a timeline and family trees.
I can't wait for Volume II!
Here’s some subjects I would enjoy reading about:
*How do you weave plot and history and character so well? Any tips (do thorough research first, write with your gut and then go back and change bits to fit the time period as necessary, etc?)
*Who's the hardest character to write? The easiest?
*What are your frustrations in writing the series?
*Is there any scene that you wish you could go back and change or re-write? (I’m not saying there is…. I love them through and through!)
*Are you dreading the series being over? Or looking forward to starting something new entirely? As a reader, I feel I get (ridiculously) emotionally attached to the characters – especially since I’ve been reading the books since I was in high school – and when they’re over I feel the loss of not being in their “world” anymore; I imagine as the author you get even more invested in their “world”.
*Do you ever have dreams about the characters/scenes?
*The medical scenes are always incredibly detailed and just fantastic. Have you ever sat in on a real surgery or event to help you write about it?
I also love the spiritual aspects of the books and I would love to know if that's something that comes naturally in your writing or if you do a lot of research i.e. in quoting scripture, knowledge of Saints, religious ceremonies of the time, etc? I don't think I've ever read a book that captures people's spiritual and religious beliefs in such a beautiful and true way. It’s something I really appreciate about your books – as do my friends and family (of all different religions and spiritual beliefs) who also read your books.
Thanks!
In addition to my first post, I think it would thrill most of us to include portrait miniatures of Jamie and Claire, as they would have been painted by Brianna. Didn't Frank have a portrait miniature of a red-haired Scotsman in one of his history lectures?
I just finished Echo and I'm floored. It was great!
For the companions, I agree that I'd love to see the family trees printed out. I am fascinated with my own genealogy and I empathize with Claire (also my Mom's name) wanting to know her roots.
The other thing that really fascinated me were the two books Bree received, her Mom's home medical companion and Jamie's stories for children. I'd love to see those in print some day.
Thank you for your wonderful words!
Breathe deeply,
Laugh with abandon,
Love wholly,
Eat well.
MiLady Carol
http://www.GreenTeaLady.com
http://miladycarol.com
Dazzling jewelry that reflects sparkling personalities!
Aside from the maps suggestion, it sounds like your outline pretty much covers all the subjects I'd love to read about, at least until the next book comes along! I prefer the view of the characters that your descriptions of them have created in my mind and would not wish to have sketches of them included in Companion II, unless you felt such sketches accurately reflected your personal vision of them. Hope you have good weather in the UK!
I would like to see a layout of River Run and Fraser's Ridge. This is so exciting! Thanks Diana!
I would love a timeline, maybe simultanious timelines for what happens in Jamie&Claire, and Brianna &Rogers time.
I agree with the costume drawings, and I would love more details about 18th century clothes. How they were made, what materials, etc…
I'll vote with others on:
Timeline of historical events that appear in the Outlander and Lord John series along with much loved maps. Provide just enough information so a reader can research events that probably should have been learned in school.
Synopsis of characters and which books they appear a must. Family trees would be great.
Gaelic "dictionary" a must. A CD with audio of pronunciation would be a plus.
One item mentioned by others that I hadn't thought of, but would be very interesting would be a listing of herbs and their medical purpose as used by Claire in the 18th century based on her 20th century medical training.
Look forward to everything published by the favorite local author!
Kathy
Phoenix
- pictures or sketches of what men and women wore in 1700's America. (All I can think of is Felicity from the American girls dolls)
- pictures or sketches of fictitious places in the book. For example, I have always had a hard time picturing Claire and Jamie's house in Fraser's Ridge. Oh, how about a map/sketch of Fraser's Ridge, like where everyone lives in relation to each other? That would be great!
I am so happy that you'll be doing another companion book! My votes go to include floor plans of the house at Lallybroch and the Big House at Fraser's Ridge. A map of Lallybroch and the Ridge would also be so helpful. I would also love to see Fraser and Mackenzie family trees. And some of Mrs. Bug's recipes would be much-appreciated!
But what I am most interested in is your character development for Henri-Christian. My son William has achondroplasia, which is the form of dwarfism I assume HC has as well. My family also has enlarged adenoids, and Liam had his removed at 21 months so he could breathe again at night. (I will admit to shedding tears when reading about HC as he reminds me of my little guy.) I would love to know the research and inspiration that went into his character.
I also would love to see the characters in their costumes as well as an artist rendering of the main characters similar to Claire's portrait previously posted on your website.
I also would like to see the gaelic phrases in alphabetic order for ease of reference.
I would like to see more about Bree's dream journals in addition to drawings of all the main characters. And I too am really interested in seeing some drawings of what the characters have been wearing in the last few books. And maps. Yeah maps.
I love the map idea, too, and REALLY like the floor plan idea of the house on Frasier Ridge (the one that burned and the one still to be built–hopefully–in the future, since Jamie had already it lined off before they left).
I loved the section in the first OC where you described your getting to know the characters and how some came easily and some were tough to crack. I also LOVED the excerpts you included in that one, and I didn't stumble across them for quite some time since I assumed (silly me!) that since I was coming in to the series after 1-6 had already been written, the excerpts must have been for books 5 and 6. I was thrilled to finally "see" the scene about Jamie's hand surgery in Echo! I had been wondering when that was going to pop up!
In reality, though, I'll read anything you care to scribble down… even your recipes are entertaining!
thanks!
Shannon
Ooh, I hadn't thought about floor plans of the main residences in the series, but I LOVE that idea!
Maps&timelines yes. The Family Trees would be very helpful. I'm most interested in more information about the herbs/medicine Claire uses, and your resources for finding them. You have "painted" such wonderful word pictures about the characters, I see them in my mind. I don't know if I want to see more than that!
Dear NE Mom–
[s] People bought shoes from a cobbler, and it didn't matter what size their feet were, because there were no standard sizes to start with. Either shoes were made to fit an individual, or they were made on a last (a wooden form) that produced shoes that would make shoes that the greater number of people could at least manage with. (Bear in mind that a great many 18th century people–especially poor people who couldn't afford custom-fit shoes–wore sandals or clogs. Even shoe-shoes were frequently made as a foldover (rather than slip-on) kind of thing that tied around the ankle or over the top of the foot, so you just crammed your feet in, and hoped your home-knitted stockings would provide enough padding to keep you from getting blisters until the shoe broke in and more or less conformed to the shape of your foot.)
Dear Kathy–
The morbid sore throat was what we call diphtheria. You don't see it much in western countries anymore, because of the standard childhood DPT vaccine–the "D" part is diphtheria. (The "P" is "pertussis," or whooping cough, and the "T" is tetanus. You don't want to get _any_ of those things!)