Theoretically, THE SCOTTISH PRISONER was released in the UK, Australia, and New Zealand today (well…December 1. I haven’t gone to bed yet, so it’s still Dec. 1 for me). I _know_ it was released November 29th in the US, because we had a delightful launch party for it, and people have apparently been enjoying it ever since. Hope y’all enjoy it!
I did hear from several people that they had received emails from Barnes and Noble, informing them that their books hadn’t shipped yet, “because the release date had changed.” {ahem} Far be it from me to say that a respectable large bookstore chain lies like a rug, but I also have a number of photos sent me by readers, proudly showing off their new books–not a few of which sport B&N “20% Off Bestseller” stickers.
Now, they may possibly not have ordered _enough_ copies, and thus be trying to prevent people canceling their orders and buying the book elsewhere while they scramble to get more–I’m sure couldn’t say as to their possible motives–but I _can_ say that the book is out.
Hope you enjoy it whenever and however you get it!
And Many, Many Thanks to Elenna Loughlin, who provided the beautiful author’s photo–which I include here, because the UK readers tell me it isn’t on the trade paperback edition that they mostly get, and they should get to enjoy it, too.
Now, for those of you who’ve already reached the Author’s Notes, there is a note there to the effect that we have sound files of the Gaelic bits, _and_ phonetic pronunciations, and those will be available here. They _will_, but probably not before the end of the weekend–I’m madly finishing a novella (“The Space Between”) and the wonderful Cathy MacGregor is working on the pronunciations in the interstitces of her own work. But they _will_ be up here, as soon as we can manage it!
Amazingly, I was in the first batch to be able to check out the book from the library and got it on Dec. 1 (thank you Henderson NV for reserve listings in October!) Half way through, and would be farther if it weren’t for end of the semester grading. Wonderful as always!
I finished it on December 1st and had to immediately pick up Voyager. I will not give details as to why I had the urge to do this but…I just had to.
Thank you, Diana. I have been happily living in the Outlander world since May of this year and I still refuse to leave it!
Hi Diana,
I just fihished The Scottish Prisoner today…I’m always a bit sad when I finish one of your wondeful novels. I feel like I have to leave the land of Jamie to resume real life and I miss all of the characters.
I spoke to you briefly just after you arrived at the Breadalbane Inn in Fergus…you were still toting your suitcase, pausing to watch the parade. You assured me that I would enjoy The Scottish Prisoner and you were spot on! I loved this story of Lord John and Jamie….lots more insight into both of these enigmatic men.
So, thanks for your fantastic brain that holds all of these engrossing tales.
Kind regards,
Susan
When I got the package in the mail from Amazon I couldn’t imagine why it weighed so much. I was delighted when I opened it and saw the size of S.P.! Got it on the 3rd; finished it on the 4th. I am (always) rereading THE series, and had just finished Voyager. Good timing, eh?
I was fortunate to visit Ireland (stayed in the best B&B just down the road from Athlone) several times in the 90′s, and felt like I’d gone back for a visit in the parts of S.P. that took place there.
Beautiful picture of you on the jacket. Such a beautiful garden in such a sorrowful place.
Thanks again for another great read. I had read Blade and Private Matter and will admit to always wanting more of Jamie on the page. S.P. was, for me, a lovely balance of Jamie and John.
Thanks also for the history, and for always providing us with information in the book or on the blog as to where you take little liberties with timelines and possibilities so we know what’s what.
Now to time it right – reading the series, with S.P. in place after Voyager – and finishing the last page of Echo just before MOBY arrives!
Moran taing!
Word of caution.. I was so anxious to read this .. read it so fast, a blister has formed on the white part of my eye! My daughter says its from the fiction friction …. and now I have to go to the eye Dr. No spoilers here though!
Please don’t tell my friend Trishy who lives in Warwickshire! I ordered her a signed copy from the Poisoned Pen and plan on shipping it to her from Michigan for Christmas;)
Thanks for that too!
Thanks, Diana, for offering to sign so many copies.
BTW – I was one of the winners of the 10 free paperback Outlander, and have gleefully passed them out to many friends and acquaintances
Diana!
Loved The Scottish Prisoner – burned through it in 2 days! Seems you cannot write fast enough for my Outlander addiction – lol – otherwise your blessed digits would be worn to nubbins.
I have turned several family members and friends on to your work. My sister is on her third run through the series, and reports that she discovers new things each time – I only told her about them last year.
Read the preview of the up and coming one at the end of The Scottish Prisoner, and will pre-purchase as soon as it shows up on the list of Kindle books available.
I’m so grateful for your work, and that you are still such a young woman. You are giving me a great perspective on my genetic background (mom was a Robertson). Doubt that I’ll ever make it to Scotland, but you bring it alive for me in your work.
jump up and live
long life
honey in the heart
no evil
thirteen thank yous
p
I was home today due to a scheduled doctors appointment and so wishing I had set the appt. for Thursday when Amazon said TSP would finally be here. While checking my email, I came across the one from Amaz0n that said they had shipped the book and here was the tracking link. Thought I would double check. Miracles do happen. It said ‘Delivered’. My mailbox is 1/4 mile away, uphill, both ways. I made it in record time. So enjoying my afternoon and evening. Lovely photo of you on the back. Thank you so much for sharing your incredible storytelling talent with us.
I started looking for the UPS man the day before the release date. I got it when promised (I ordered in Aug) but I had talked about it so much my sons and husband played keep away with my copy until I used my best teacher voice and threatened “No Dinner” until I got my book back…..I got it back, called for pizza and ran upstairs to dive into the next Jamie & John adventure….Thanks Diana!
I suspect that I will get a copy of “The Scottish Prisoner” for Christmas and so looking forward to reading a Diana Gabaldon novel again ! Love the Daily Lines and keeping up to date with what’s happening, where you are going and the books you are working on !
Diana,
I just finished The Scottish Prisoner – really enjoyed it. Thank you. And a big sigh of longing for book eight.
Your talent as a writer amazes me. I think it would be quite something to know you.
Slainte!
Hi Diana,
I am (unfortunately) almost finished reading SP, I love it so much that I can’t put it down! I’ve blasted through it (like I was starving) that I’m now sad that I’ve only 20 pages to go! I’m going to reread (for the billionth time) the series again when I finish. I love to lose myself within the world you so brilliantly bring to life.
Thank you so much for bringing these wonderful characters to life. As a *very* novice writer myself, you do inspire me to grow in my own sphere of fiction.
I can’t wait for the 8th book to come out and I echo the thoughts of others in saying that I’d love to read about Claire’s life before she went back to Jamie.
I can also imagine an novella about the British Intelligence aspects of Frank Randall’s time during the Second World War. Rodger’s father Jerry’s short story left me hungering for more.
I would also love to see ‘MOBY’ or ‘book 9′ look into how Frank Randall dealt with Claire’s initial disappearance, and what he learned after she returned pregnant with Brianna. I imagine Frank knew a lot more than Claire ever realised he did, particularly as he seemed to have devoted time to preparing Brianna for a life in the wilderness, (hunting, shooting, etc).
Kindest regards
Janet
What a stunning photograph, and a gorgeous outfit! Such a shame we won’t be seeing it on the UK edition. I’m hoping for mine for Christmas – Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without a Diana Gabaldon novel to snuggle up with and read at the expense of feeding my children…
I loved it!!!! I pre-ordered it thru my Nook Color and it was waiting on me when I woke up on 11/29!!
The only part I didn’t like was the “Sneak Peek” to the Next Outlander Book!!! ARRRGGHHH!!! I cannot wait for it to be out!!!! Another wonderful job, thank you!!!!
Diana,
My “copy” of The Scottish Prisoner landed magically on my Kindle on November 29th and I am happily getting my Jamie “fix!”
Georgia
Dear Georgia–
Great! Glad you’re enjoying it! {g}
–Diana
Hi Diana,
I hope that your book will be translate very soon in french ’cause my english is poor (specially the gaelic accent and terms!) But I know that is very long to have the translation so I think that I will try to read it. I can not wait 1 year to read it!! I love the caracters and the romance in all the outlander serie and you makes me dream! I don’t remember how many times I read all your books and I really hope that the next will come in the next year!! Thanks to share with us your talent and imagination!!
Dear Julie–
I hope you’ll enjoy it!
–Diana
Check that off the list of tnhigs I was confused about.
Hi Diana,
Not a fan of B & N, gotta say. I went in to arrange a book signing with them for my latest book, which they carry in stores (they had three copies at that bookstore) and online, and they told me the don’t do book signings with local authors apart from once a year (had to apply to be included in that deal). I replied, but you want locals to support the bookstore, right? Sooooo? How’s come you don’t want to reciprocate?
Another author friend of mine was given the cold shoulder-of-mutton treatment too, so boo sucks to them, I say.
I have Scottish Prisoner on my iPad. Love the beginning. You are such a great writer.
Dear Sharon–
Well, so–tell us what your new book is, so we can go buy it from someplace other than B&N! {g}
–Diana
Hi Diana,
We in Ashland, Oregon are blessed with an amazing bookstore, Bloomsbury Books. It may cost a bit more, but I always have your latest the day after publication.
Thanks to your blog, I discovered Sara Donati’s wonderful Into the Wilderness series. I must admit to total confusion as to how she could have known in 1998 (when ITW was published) that Jamie had been wounded in the battle of Saratoga when An Echo in the Bone wasn’t published until 2009. I hate being confused and hope you can explain. Thanks for the countless hours of reading bliss.
Dear Norma–
I knew Rosina (Sara’s real name) years ago, on the Compuserve Literary Forum (we’re now the Compuserve Books and Writers Community), and those of us who wrote would often talk about what-all we were doing in our books. I mentioned that I would at some point be using the Battle of Saratoga (which I did…I just didn’t get to it for a number of years ), as I knew Jamie had been wounded there (I actually wrote the scenes concerning his finger more than ten years ago, and just plugged them into ECHO when I finally got to the right place for them). She wrote that little scene in which one of her characters (in 1795) is reminiscing about _his_ experiences at Saratoga, and put in the brief mention of Jamie, Claire and Young Ian–as though they had been real historical characters who were there–showed it to me, and asked if I minded. I said I thought it was a nice in-joke, so let her do it.
–Diana
Dear Diana,
I’m so glad you let Rosina do it. Seeing Jamie, Claire and Ian pop up so unexpectedly gave me quite a rush. I’m hoping that Jamie and Claire will still be around in 1795 (and Ian and Jenny, of course), old though they would be.
I’m well into The Scottish Prisoner and enjoying it thoroughly.
Diana-
I have loved your Outlander/Lord John books for years! The new book did not disappoint, but…now I am needing to know the story of Lord John and how he ends up marrying Lady Isobel and raising William! Also a story of Hal and Minnie’s adventures in courtship sounds very intriguing as well!
Thank so much for sharing the Outlandish world!
Hi Diana
I’ve asked for Scottish Prisoner for christmas, so i’m keeping my fingers crossed and very much looking forward to reading it!!
On another topic, I’ve been reading the Cross Stitch series again and remembered a question that i’ve been wondering every time I read Dragonfly in Amber. When Jamie has just killed Dougal, and Murtagh and Claire have signed the deed of sassine, Murtagh says ‘Let it be your own folk, not the English’. I don’t get it.. what does he not want to English to be? Am I being dense?
Thanks, from Emma in Fife
Dear Emma–
He–and Jamie–both think Jamie’s a dead man, and Murtagh is urging him to let it be the English who kill him (in battle), rather than the MacKenzies killing him when they find out he’s done for Dougal.
–Diana
Thanks so much for that Diana! I’ve been wondering for years what it meant. And (I think) its the only part of any of your books that didn’t make sense to me.
Hope you have a merry Christmas when it comes!
Emma
Dear Diana, When my daughter -in-law handed me your Outlander books, she said we couldn’t be related anymore if I didn’t like them! I loved them..you are a gifted writer.Thank you .I am going to start The Fiery Cross shortly but am reading a book from a local author,Jeanne Treat called Dark Birthright .I must say I feel like I’m cheating on you!…….one little thing I noticed in your characters especially Ian,old and young,Jenny’s husband and son you call them homely in describing their features .As if only Jamie and Claire are the beautiful people..just an observation..Sincerely,Susan HoenNowak
Dear Susan–
Er…noting that a father and son a) resemble each other and are b) homely in an attractive male way, hardly implies that only Jamie and Claire are “the beautiful people.” Literally dozens of other people in the books are described as good-looking in one way or another. Ian and Young Ian _do_ have rather long, bony faces, but are still very attractive men, as surely is obvious from the way other people see and respond to them. Goodness.
–Diana