Made it to Canada last night! Getting ready for the Tattoo tonight at the Fergust Scottish Festival and Highland Games (I’m not performing at the Tattoo–this is mostly pipes and drums, “heavy” event exhibitions (like caber-tossing), the calling of the clans, and singing, none of which I’m qualified to do), and for the various talks/readings and signings I’ll be doing tomorrow.
Thought I should post the times–now that I have them–for the talks/signings:
I’ll be in what they call the Geneaology Tent (this is the biggest tent–other than the whisky tent–on the grounds; hard to miss), doing talks at 9:30 AM and 2:00 PM on Saturday, and at 10:30 AM and 2:30 PM on Sunday. All talks will be followed by book-signing (usually I just sign madly until it’s time for the next talk).
I’m happy to sign any books you want to bring, but there will also be an onsite bookstore selling books–they told me last night that they’ve stocked 2000 copies of the 20th anniversary edition of OUTLANDER–I kind of hope they brought a few other titles, too–but that’s pretty cool. Not much chance of a shortage, I mean. {g}
Check out the Festival website at http://www.fergusscottishfestival.com/ and if you’re in driving distance, I’ll see you there tomorrow!
(Yes, I will have excerpts to read, from SCOTTISH PRISONER and BOOK EIGHT. Just figuring out which ones I can safely read over a microphone to an audience of several hundred innocent passersby…)
You have got to be kidding me. Fergus is an hour from my home outside Toronto. And tho I’ve never been to the games, I was invited by friends and had to say no because of a commitment to appear elsewhere. Dang those commitments. I’ll live vicariously through my friend Sharon, who will get to see you. Welcome to Canada, Diana. I hope you enjoy the festival.
Dear Mrs. Gabaldon,
please do cast Gabriel Aubry for Jamie in the Movie:
http://literarycrack.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/tumblr_lbyt2nzij71qea7ufo1_400.jpg?w=209&h=300.
Also the other actors in this “Castingmovie” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0h2sUlAu1UY are gorgeous (e. g. Geillis).
On the occasion of a reading in Hamburg several years ago, you said it might not be possible to make a movie from a weighty tome like “Cross stitch” with all its details, but since J.R.R. Tolkien’s “Lord of the rings” we know it is possible.
Please answer Outlander-Fan’s prayers ;o)
Cheers
Birgitt
We drove 2 1/2 hours from Orillia yesterday to go to the games (well mostly for Diana). I brought my daughter and her friend (both 18) who love her books as well thanks to me, although my daughter has been waiting for years to read them as I told her she had to be 18 LOL…
I am a photographer (equestrian) so I will put up a web gallery of photos on flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/myhorse from the day (Saturday), including many of Diana who seems to be the most photogenic lady I’ve ever “stalked”…;o)
Anyway her talk was fun and witty as usual, and the excerpts from the new book were tantalizing! She graciously signed autographs for HOURS!! I don’t exaggerate! Her handsome hubby strolled around in his kilt, once in awhile posing with giddy women for photos. I wonder what goes through his mind at these events…?
I spent a most wonderful Saturday listening to you speak – TWICE! (My appreciation for “dingbats” has been changed forever!) What a trooper you are to sign and sign and sign … all the while being so kind as to speak to each of us and agree to pictures at our whim. You are truly an unpretentious and genuine person – and in my chat with your husband, he agreed! How charming and fitting it was to see him in full kilt regalia! Thank you so much for taking time out of your very busy life to share a part of yourself with your fans.
Dear Leanne–
I should hope he agreed. {g} Pretty bad if your own husband thinks you’re pretentious or hypocritical, I mean. And he does indeed look good in a kilt!
Great to meet you there!
–Diana
Just wanted to tell you we were at Fergus (drove up from Rochester, NY) and you were the highlight of the festival! Thank you for taking the time to endlessly sign our books and pose for photos. As I told you, which I’m sure you don’t remember, you are incredible.
Thank you!!
The Girls from NW Indiana are here at Fergus and we’re having a GREAT TIME!
We went to both of your talks yesterday. Loved all of the excerpts especially the one with Brian… OMG!
Thanks for being so accessible and friendly. Totally worth the 7 hour drive.
Sharon, Penny, and Julie
Just got back from hearing your 10:30 a.m. talk at the Fergus Scottish Festival. It is my third time within arms reach of my favourite author. Thanks for the pure enjoyment of being whisked away in my imagination to the life and times of Jamie and Claire (having just re-read all seven books this summer.)
Hello Diana,
Just wanted to drop a quick note and thank you for coming to Fergus. I loved hearing you talk today and appreciate your staying and signing all of our books! My sister is a new fan as of today, and started reading Outlander as soon as we got home.
Hope you and your husband enjoyed your time with us, have a safe trip home!
Hi Diana,
My wife and I just got back from seeing you at the Fergus Festival (6PM, Sunday).If the organizers estimates are right, I’m sure you were signing books to almost then … with the tent threatening the blow over in the wind!
We couldn’t stay, however, and so we wanted to say what a pleasure it was to have ‘met’ you. It seems to us that you are a genuine person; and we heard that coming out in the playful way in which you conversed with the audience – plus from the edgy way you read.
If I had the chance to actually meet you, I would have ask this question…
At 65, I’m not likely to be writing novels – although I love to write. So I figure the shorter the better = essays for me (aver 500 words). I have put these on my blog; but I’m having a writer’s block of unknowingness: as I try to get the message in my heart out … do they stand up against the best?
Any comments would be appreciated. Thanks again for coming to Canada, eh! FP
RESENT from fred@fredparry.ca
Hi Diana,
My wife and I just got back from seeing you at the Fergus Festival (6PM, Sunday).If the organizers estimates are right, I’m sure you were signing books to almost then … with the tent threatening the blow over in the wind!
We couldn’t stay, however, and so we wanted to say what a pleasure it was to have ‘met’ you. It seems to us that you are a genuine person; and we heard that coming out in the playful way in which you conversed with the audience – plus from the edgy way you read.
If I had the chance to actually meet you, I would have ask this question…
At 65, I’m not likely to be writing novels – although I love to write. So I figure the shorter the better = essays for me (aver 500 words). I have put these on my blog; but I’m having a writer’s block of unknowingness: as I try to get the message in my heart out … do they stand up against the best?
Any comments would be appreciated. Thanks again for coming to Canada, eh! FP
Dear Fred–
I’ll be sixty on my next birthday, and _I_ certainly plan to be writing novels when I’m 65! {g} Best of luck with your essays–all I can tell you there is that it’s pointless to compare your writing to others’; all that matters is that you write with honesty and as much skill as you have. And remember: the more you do it, the better you get at it. {g}
–Diana
Dianna: Truly enjoyed listening to you this afternoon, even with the downpour. Once again, you were entertaining, especially the “three way” reading you described. You said it is on YouTube. Could you give some guidelines on how to find that particular one.
Dear Barbara–
If you scroll back two or three blogposts, you should see one titled “A Literary Three-Way,” which I think has a link to the YouTube video. {g} If not, search YouTube for “Gillian Bagwell.” (Though in fact, it may be on this website, under the “Video” link–don’t know if my kindly Video mistress has nabbed it yet or not!)
–Diana
Hi Diana, just wondering if you’ll be attending the Central Florida Scottish Highland Games in January (14th & 15th) 2012? My family and I have been enjoying ourselves at this event for the last three years and are quite addicted now, lol! Would be wonderful to meet you…lots of Outlander/Lord John fans down here.
Carolyn
Dear Carolyn–
No, alas. I love Highland Games, but I really need to stay home as much as possible next year, in order to finish Book Eight! Thanks for the invitation, though!
–Diana
Yes Diana, Please stay home and write, write, write. Is there anything any of us can do to take the strain off your everyday life? Organise grocery deliveries, toilet paper drop offs, (old joke), anything to keep your brilliant brain creating and your fingers typing.
Cheers from your antipodean fan.
Janet
Hi Diana,
I loved the discussion and Q&A today. I’m still laughing at your whale penis story among others. Thanks for coming up to see us in Canada!!
Whale penis…Moby’s dick? Please tell us the story.
Thank you so much not only for your gracious (and stamina!) during the book signings, but for spending the evening with us Saturday. It is always a joy to see you and Doug and to spend a bit of time away from the crowd. I hope it is as relaxing for you as it is for us!
Thanks so much Diana for the wonderful hour you spent with us all on Sunday at the Fergus Scottish Festival. It was so nice to finally meet you in person after our 20 year adventure. I will treasure my autographed 20th Anniversary edition of Outlander!!!!
Dear Diana
Just wanted to say it was a joy to have had the opportunity to hear your talk at Fergus yesterday (we stayed for both morning and afternoon) and to have met you and Doug. You are charming, gracious and very witty.
Canada loves you Diana, come back soon,
Safe journey home today,
Elaine
Dear Elaine,
I had to do a double take when I read your message as my name is also Elaine and your thank you to Diana was exactly what I wanted to express (but infinitely more eloquent than I could ever manage).
Thank you Diana for sharing your time and talents with us at Fergus – it was a wonderful day and I felt only slightly conspicuous as one of the few Asians in the sea of tartan. Many of us made new friends as we waited patiently in line at the Saturday morning book-signing
Peggy from Aurora and ?? from Cambridge and Ottawa – thank you all for a memorable day!
Elaine
PS. I have a nice photo of you Diana but don’t know how to get it to you.
Hi, Elaine!
I’d love to have the picture (or any others that folk might have taken at Fergus–will post them here {g}), thank you! You can send it to me at dgabaldon@aol.com, if you like. Thanks very much–we had a great time at Fergus; a pleasure to meet so many nice people!
–Diana
Hi Diana,
I sent a photo via your aol account a few weeks ago and I didn’t want to trouble you during your editing crisis; perhaps it went into your junk folder? Glad you made it through the tough times and are hopefully settling back to a somewhat more normal pace. Then again, your “normal” is anything but!
Have a great day,
Elaine
Hello Diana,
My Outlandish Addict friend Daniela and I were in Fergus yesterday at the festival. Our sole purpose for going was to see you and we were not disappointed. We listened to you speak in both the morning and afternoon and each brought a couple of books, which you so graciously signed. You were a delight and extremely entertaining to listen to and we absolutely loved the excerpt involving ‘Roger’….ohhh so much to consider now… you do have a gift for leaving us hanging and we love it!
So, so looking forward to the Scottish Prisioner and book 8.
Safe trip home and happy writing.
Many thanks,
Tamara
helllooooooo Ms. Diana! hope you are enjoying your time in our beautiful country. Alas i live in a province that doesn’t have the population base to support a stop on your tours.(only just over one million). And it is literally in the butt-crack of the country. But i have had the privledge of meeting you several times when you visited in Victoria, B.C.(where i’m from.) Thought id send this for a smile;
Under A Scotsmans Kilt
One Scotsman clad in kilt left the bar one ev’ning fair.
And one could tell by the way he walked that he’d drunk more than his share,
He fumbled round’ untill he could no longer keep his feet, and he stumbled off into the graas to sleep beside the street.
About that time two young and lovely girls were passing by.
And one says to the other with a twinkle in her eye, “See that sleeping scotsman so strong and handsome built, I wonder if it’s true what they don’t wear beneath the kilt”
They crept upon that sleeping scotsman quiet as could be.
Lifted up his kilt about an inch so they could see,
and there behold for them to see beneath his scottish skirt, was nothin’ more than God had graced him with apon his birth.
They marveld for a moment then one said “we must be gone. Lets leave a present for our friend before we move along.
As a gift they left a blue silk ribbon tied into a bow, around the bonnie star the scots kilt did lift and show.
Now the scotsman woke to natures call and stumbled ‘twards the trees.
Behind the bush he lifts his kilt and gawks at what he sees.
And in a startled voice he says to whats before his eyes,
“Oh lad I don’ know where ya bin but I see ya won first prize!”
Cheers:)
Great poem, Kate!
A favourite joke my husband loves to tell!
Diana
We would love for you to come to the New Hampshire Highland Games! It is a beautiful spot on a mountain in the White Mountains of NH.
Maria Rea
Hope you’re having a great time in Canada, meanwhile I’ve been meaning to post something to you on this fire in and around the Great Dismal Swamp. It’s blowing smoke and smog and grit all the way up here (Maryland), but all I can think about is William’s meanderings. Not that it’s a national treasure of history or ecology, just that a character in a book got lost in it. I found it slightly humorous (that that was the connection I made first, not that it’s happening…) and felt the need to share.
(Latest article’s at http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/08/15/us-swamp-fire-virginia-idUSTRE77E4Z920110815, if you want to read about the fire.)
Hahhaaha. I’m not too bright today. Great post!