See the note below—this post is from July 6, 2014 and is a bit outdated…
I’m about to head back out in a few hours, to do my _last_ US/Canadian book-tour event in Traverse City, MI. But thought I might grab an hour to do a bit of updating before I absquatulate again…
First—I’m delighted that so many of you like MOBY!* Thank you so much for all your kind words.
As for the next book(s), I have no idea.** I finished writing MOBY on April 15th (having stayed up 36 hours straight to do it), spent the rest of April working 16 hours a day to finish the copyedits and galley proofs, then spent most of May dealing with everything (including stuff associated with the TV show) that was pushed out of the way during the Final Frenzy of MOBY. And on June 7th, all hell broke loose and I’ve essentially been on the road for a solid month, with three brief touchdowns at home (ranging from 12 hours to a whole day-and-a-half). So far, I’ve signed roughly 38,000 copies of MOBY and will undoubtedly hit between 40-50,000 by the end of summer. (No, I don’t have carpal-tunnel syndrome, but thank you for your concern.)
Now, I realize that it’s difficult to know what to say to a writer at a book-signing; I’d be tongue-tied myself, in the presence of someone I admired but didn’t know. It’s always great to hear, "I loved this book!" or "I love your books and I’m really looking forward to reading this one!" if you need a default. "WHEN WILL BOOK NINE BE OUT?!?" is possibly a little less welcome.
But I do appreciate the enthusiasm/impatience that spawn this question, so here’s what my immediate writing future looks like (assuming I survive the rest of the summer):
At the moment, there are only scraps of Book Nine—plus a useful "What I Know" document that I wrote right after finishing MOBY, about the "shelf-hung" subplots (those are bits that are kind of folded back on themselves, but not left as cliffhangers—like where William is going or what will happen to Lord John next).
I haven’t even formally sifted MOBY’s Mfile (the regularly updated list of files written for a specific book) and moved the remnant files to JAMIE9 (the directory/folder for Book Nine) yet (that’s a two-day job in itself). The next thing I do is to go through my major reference shelves, cleaning and tidying, and in the process, assemble the "core" shelf for Book 9–for any book, no matter how many references I consult along the way, there will end up being maybe five books that are _very_ helpful/relevant and that I use a lot, and maybe 5-10 more that I want to keep close to hand, for more limited but still important stuff. I keep one shelf for that core reference stuff, and refurbish it when I start serious work on a new novel. adding new sources as I come across them. Then I read through the relevant portions of ALMANAC OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION, a _very_ useful book that gives brief notes on everything happening everywhere <g> on a given day, that had any importance in the Revolution. This is my first pass at a historical timeline (which lives in my head and evolves constantly over the course of a book). I’ll probably write bits and pieces while I’m doing these necessary chores, but it’s pretty random and nothing like the sustained effort that comes as I move fully into a book.
In other words, you’re not likely to see #DailyLines from Book Nine for awhile.
Now, there’s a _lot_ of THE OUTLANDISH COMPANION, Volume 2 in existence. I’ve been messing about with that on the side for the last 2-3 years, and most of it is _there_, if not yet tidied into its final form. There are a few chunks of original writing still to be done for that–the detailed synopsis for MOBY is the first that springs to mind, though I’ll also need to add commentary to a largish excerpt section (specialized excerpts), and a few other bits to be collected or contracted (i.e., I may have to get someone to produce things like maps or floor-plans, as I can’t do better than crude sketches on my own). But IF I move OC2 to the top of the work pile (not as the main focus, but as the main side-project), it _might_ be ready for delivery to the publisher around January, and thus might be in print sometime in the first half of 2015, which would be nice. (I also need to do slight updates to OC1, removing obsolete material and maybe improving the Gaelic Pronunciation Guide—that sort of thing.)
Then there’s the HOW TO (AND HOW _NOT_ TO) WRITE SEX-SCENES ebook. That’s actually complete, but I finished it right before both the show and MOBY hit high gear, so I now need to read it through again and do final fiddles (and maybe include a few scenes from MOBY), then run it past my agent for response and suggestions (if any). Ebooks can be produced _very_ fast, though, so once we’re happy with it, it could be out within a couple of months–I’d kind of like to have it out this fall, but that’s a matter for discussion with agents, publishers, etc.
And more or less on the same level with Book Nine (in terms of how eager I am to work on them) are the prequel volume about Jamie’s parents (for which I have only fragments at the moment) and the first contemporary crime novel. I think I have about half of that, and it’s "live" for me–but will take a good bit of intensive work, both in terms of research and writing. On the other hand, it’s short by comparison with everything else on my menu.
And on the outskirts of my mind are the germs of what might eventually be novellas, but I haven’t had the time even to _look_ at those with any attention. They _are_ brief, though, and I might well pick one up to get back into my regular routine–come September. I’ll be traveling/working most of July and August, and won’t have anything like peace and quiet ’til Labor Day. (No, I’m not going to Dragon Con this year, unless Starz decides they want to have a presence there for the show, and at the moment, they don’t.)
In the meantime, any eager soul who foolishly asks me, "When will Book Nine be out?" will be politely ignored. Or bonked on the head with the copy of MOBY they just asked me to sign, depending…
*(And for those few who complained that the ending of MOBY was a cliffhanger….go back and read the end of AN ECHO IN THE BONE, to see what one actually looks like. <g> If you just wanted to "see" what happened next in MOBY…feel free to fill in your own version of "OMG! OMG! OMG! <hughughug> <weep tears of joy> OMG! OMG! OMG! <broken endearments> OMG? OMG? OMG? <hopping up and down> OMG!" I have complete faith in my readers’ intelligence and imagination, and I don’t tell y’all things I know you can figure out for yourselves.)
**Webmistress’s Note on August 28, 2015: A lot has changed in the year since Diana posted the blog above on July 6, 2014:
- See Diana’s Book Nine webpage for excerpts (aka "Daily Lines") and current information.
- The revised, updated and expanded version of THE OUTLANDISH COMPANION, VOLUME ONE, was published on March 31, 2015 in the U.S.A. This ultimate guide to the OUTLANDER series covers the first four major novels: OUTLANDER, DRAGONFLY IN AMBER, VOYAGER, and DRUMS OF AUTUMN. (The original OC was published in 1999. The U.K. edition of this guide was titled THROUGH THE STONES.)
- THE OUTLANDISH COMPANION, VOLUME TWO will be published in the U.S.A. on October 27, 2015. OC II is the guide to the second four major novels in the OUTLANDER series: THE FIERY CROSS, A BREATH OF SNOW AND ASHES, AN ECHO IN THE BONE, and WRITTEN IN MY OWN HEART’S BLOOD (aka "MOBY").
I just finished reading “Written In My Own Heart’s Blood”, and even the interesting blurb about what most would think were misspellings. I had to laugh because although you admitted that there are always misspelled words in almost everything written, you might want to read the very last sentence of the story. Although I love the inference of the last line, I suspect that you must choose between flying or flyng. Cannot have it both ways! Love the books even though between you and Ken Follett, I may be blind soon. Cannot put these tomes down until I finish them!
Dear Elaine–
Actually, I said there are typographical errors in any book ever published. I tell you what, though–there aren’t any misspellings in mine. [g] (I differentiate between a typo, which is inadvertent, and a misspelling, which is ignorance.) Obviously, the last line (which was corrected when we caught it in the first printing–so if you have an erroneous copy, you have a collector’s item [g]) contains a typo. Pleased you’re enjoying the books!
Best,
–Diana
Diana,
Let me say thank you first, for giving me something to “sink my teeth in to” for the last 3 months. These books have been a Godsend for me. I suffer from depression and anxiety, and I find myself feeling like a human again when I read your books. I’m sad to say I never knew they existed until I read “Discovery of Witches”. Your name and your books are praised by Deb Harkness and all her fans! So when I saw such a following, I thought I would pick them up. I have been 100% consumed since, and have felt more free than I ever have. I find myself talking to anyone who will listen to me about your books. Your ability to tie the rich history of Scotland, England, and the Early Americas into the glorious maze of wonderfulness (for lack of a better word), it’s just simply AMAZING! Please continue to write, anything at all. I will pick it up and engulf myself in whatever you put to paper (or kindle hehe!).
Your most obedient servant,
L S Muncy
So pleased the books could be a help to you, Larissa! And how kind of you to write and tell me. [smile] Have you read the assorted novellas yet? (Might help tide you over while I work on the next things…)
Best,
–Diana
Over the last eighteen years, I have read, re-read and listened to the unabridged version of all eight books. What a truly amazing and gifted writer you are.
After viewing episode 8 on Starz and finishing Book 8, my friends and I have decided to start a support group for those of us who are Outlander obsessed. We will discuss, read and re-read to pass the time until April 2015 and Book 9.
Thank you so much Diana for creating these wonderful characters and a big thank you to Starz for bringing them to life.
Dear Diana,
In 1992 my sister-in-law, Miriam, was our houseguest for 10 or 12 days. When she left, she left behind a stack of books, among them Outlander and so began my odyssey through twenty years of excitement, romance, history, heartache, admiration, suspense ….. well, you get the picture. I’d look on my laptop and read about possibilities of making “a movie” of these books, and I would dread it, for I knew they could not be condensed into two hours. Also, how could they possibly come up with a mere man to be Jamie. I thought perhaps they could find a Claire, but when I saw pictures of overly made-up and coiffured actresses, I gave up hope.
And then came Ron Moore with his exquisite taste, talent and insistence on perfection (and his talented wife who had such influence ). And he met with you and you were convinced. And, And, And these perfect, I mean PERFECT, actors (pardon my being carried away). Could any man be more perfect than Sam. His physical beauty, his voice, his facial expressions, he IS Jamie. And Claire, Caitriona IS Claire, so exquisitely beautiful, but a natural beauty whether in that incredibly fabulous wedding gown, or wet on a hillside or on horseback.Thank goodness I have DVR, I have watched each episode several times and always notice something new.
And now “The Boys.” I absolutely adore Murtagh (am I wrong in remembering that, though not expressed, Murtagh loved Ellen, Jamie’s mother? ) I get that in his gentle expressions in the series. Rupert is hilarious, Angus grows on you, Colum was perfect and, oh my, so is Dougal, such a mixture of sexuality and violence.
I have one fear, I just turned 80, so I don’t like a long hiatus and do worry about how Dragonfly is going to be handled, but I am glad I got to see as much as I have. Ms Gabaldon, you are brilliant and so original, it was such a good fortune that you chose to wait until the right team came along to see your books on the screen. Thank God you did.
Gratefully,
Jeanne M. Ney
Huge fan, love the books, I echo all the great things people have said above me. What makes me laugh are the comments about “too many graphic sex scenes”, or “the sex scenes aren’t necessary”…..wtf? I love the sex scenes, sometimes skip pages to find them (I go back and read the rest of course), and I appreciate how well they are written. There is smut and then there is the Outlander series. Two totally different kettles of fish. Hilarious. What do these people think they are going to read in a ROMANCE\historical fiction? Keep it up, all of it, and as always I will flip to my favourite bits….the graphic sex scenes.
Oh and I also checked the last line of my MOBY after the previous comment about the typo and I am thrilled to say mine has the typo, didn’t even notice. Needles to say I will be taking it to the Fergus Highland games in Canada next summer if you are going to be making an appearance. Gotta have it signed for sure
Finally got my hands on my mothers copy of MOBY. Loved it. Only took a week to read. Looking foreard to book 9. .
Will be interesting to see how Roger, Bree and the kids get through. Also does Buck go back to his ‘own’ time and when will William finally be accepting of Jamie as his father…….
Diana,
I am an avid reader and on a trip to Oklahoma last year, my wife came a cross some of your Outlander books in a used books store. I raised an eyebrow at the category of Outlander (Romantic/Adventure) on the spine but, started it anyway. Halfway through, I purchased the two volumes needed to complete the then 7 volume set (yes, halfway through volume 8). Being of Scottish ancestry (Stuart and Campbell) I read Outlander with interest, aware of what the English did to the Scots and Irish (Grandma Campbell was a Logan). Some would say “Too long and verbose”; I say incredibly detailed and captures the events in Scotland and the Colonies beautifully. Some would complain the books are too graphic but, that is real life, Aye? Yes, hopefully you will have volume 9 out by 2016. Meanwhile, I’ll check out the Lord John series and probably reread the Outlander series. Super series! Your photo on the dust-jacket of volume 8? I see mischief there and that is great. You need it to complete a series such as this. Keep up the good work and I look forward to “Jamie9″.
You made me scream a very bad word in the presence of my 9 year old son when I finished Moby. Well, two, one was a plain bad word and one disparaged your character…. I. Can’t. Wait. For the next one.
Dear Jeni–
I’m flattered. [g]
Best,
–Diana
Thank you for the great stories and thank you for the next book in the story. I can wait to read it.
Here’s to hoping Jamie can actually time travel with Claire and the immediate family live out their last days on Lallybroch together. I would love that. Can’t wait for your next book…
Dear Wendy–
Not happening, but I hope you’ll enjoy the next book, regardless!
–Diana
Dear Diana,
I just wanted to say that I am still just feeling so warm and happy and just euphoric with the end of MOBY. I finished it before the end of JUNE and sill on a MOBY high. I would have been totally fine with that being the end. But I’m so glad it’s NOT! Thank you for not leaving me with a cliff hanger this time!
I know, I know, the next book is going to take some time. Let me just say, I totally understand why! To anyone complaining about how long the books take……seriously? Let’s think about this; We have Jamie and Claire. A total novel, just on THEM. Then there’s Bree and Roger. Again, a whole other novel. Ian……holy cow, that boy was a book all on his own for a LOOOONG time.
I’m amazed at the amount of research each story line must take. My head spins. I’m embarrassed to admit it, but I have to skip through your medical descriptions. Oh dear God, the eye socket resetting! Made my husband find where that one ended so I could start reading again. Sorry, I’m sure it was wonderful…….for the non squeamish!
Thank you so much for this wonderful story.
Humbly, adoringly,
Jen
Diana~
I just had to let you know, as a very avid reader of novels, that your Outlander series is THE BEST series I have EVER read. I have never been able to read a novel, let alone a series of novels, and then reread the same novel again. In fact, I keep a list to make sure that I don’t. HOWEVER, I just finished the entire series yesterday, and just picked up Outlander again to start reading it all over again! I just can’t imagine a day without Jamie and Claire in it! Well done! You are incredibly talented, and I’m so glad there will be a book 9.
Best Regards
~Lisa
Diana,
First thank you for Outlander and all that followed it.
I first become aware of Outlander when Starz starting airing promos for it. After seeing the 1st episode I was hooked. I wanted to read the book and As an avid reader was shocked I didn’t know about them. I am happy and sad to say that I have finished MOBY. Happy because it was a great read, but sad because no book 9 readily available to download.
I will patiently wait for book 9 (whom am I kidding….I’m already going through withdrawals).
Thank you for such a great story and great characters.
Randi
Hello Diana,
I was wondering if the Blood Vow was used in of the other weddings in the Outlander series?
Jenny/Ian, Jamie/Laoghaire, Fergus/ Marsali etc.
Thank you, Leann Nickerson
Dear Leann–
Well, you know it wasn’t in Fergus and Marsali’s, because you saw that ceremony. And I’m sure it wasn’t in Jamie’s marriage to Laoghaire; he would have vowed to take her in sickness and in health, etc.–but I doubt he would have given her body and soul. As for Jenny and Ian–probably, but we don’t know, as we didn’t see their wedding.
Best,
–Diana
Dear Diana,
I read all 8 wonderful books, I have cried and laugh a lot ! I am loving the amazing Starz tv series too! Sam and Cathriona AWESOME!!! About other comments above i totally disagree about explicit scenes being offensive and/or excessive! I love the way you write and I can’t wait to see more!
I’m really worried about Claire’s and Jamie’s age. I don’t want to stop reading about their scenes of sex, conversations, the smart honorable brave lovely warrior, the medical procedures and with family next to them! The latest books i missed them together, never is too much!
I got very upset with some blogs i read about Claire being too old to “make love” with Jamie such desire. It is important to say i love when characters praises her beauty, this way you show that older women can be beautiful and sex taking care about their food and exercises.
But i beg you please go slowly with the timeline story, i like Brianna and the others but the heart and the body of the book are Jamie and Claire’s so if they get too old…
I ‘m afraid that could happen like in Anne and Serge Golon’s book, Angélique de Sance de Monteloup, where she lose space to other characters.
Sorry my precarious english
i’m from Brazil and I’m out of practice but i wanted to feel closer to you !
Your most obedient anxiety fan
Thaise
Dear Thaise–
Your English is very good–and certainly better than my Portuguese. [g] Sex hasn’t got that much to do with age, as you note–as long as the people are healthy, it’s fine. Young people just don’t like to think of older people having sex, I think–but eventually, they’ll be older, too. [g]
Best,
–Diana
Diana
I’ve been a huge fan since the beginning, when I first read outlander, I was totally hooked, and waited for each and every book to come out. Yes I am one of those that just finished book 8, and am dying to read your next. lol Please don’t smack me, I didn’t ask when it will be out. I just wanted to thank you for letting me indulge my addiction by reading your wonderful series. Please keep writing.!!!!!! Thanks
A huge fan from Canada
Leah
ALso, you made me bawl my eyes out when Rollo passed, it took me 30 hrs straight to read the book, I do that, I can’t put books down, and thankfully I have a job that allows me to read at work. Once again, thanks for a wonderful series.
Leah
I have recently enjoyed reading for the first time your cross-stitch novel, it really was smashing. I own NOOK and decided rather than order the next book from Amazon I would order the Kindle version as there are 8 books in this series and wanted to follow this story but had limited shelf space. (you can convert docs to NOOK format really easily). I purchased by ebook and was then told that you cannot view this on NOOK. I cannot refund this I now have a copy of Drangonfly in Amber which I can only view on my PC. I am so upset that I have this un useable copy. Can you please suggest an alternative option or what I can do to actually read this latest instalment?????
Dear Jane–
Well. The only things that occur to me are
1) read the book on your PC.
2) contact Amazon’s Customer Service department and explain the situation. If they won’t give you a refund, they may be able to tell you how to transfer the book to someone else who has a Kindle e-reader.
Best of luck, and I hope you’ll enjoy DRAGONFLY when you get it in the proper form for reading.
–Diana
Jane,
Nook HD and HD+ support a kindle reader app in the play store, unfortunately the older Nook will not access the play store unless you root (if root means nothing, then its likely not a direction you want to consider, its kind of techy).
Diana,
I have just finished reading MOBY in a cold terraced house in North London and was surprised by my reaction. There was a very unladylike grunt of frustration followed by a flood of what can only be described as grief, that I am now without my regular escape into your fiction. I have now had a cup of tea, walked the dog, and in a calmer frame of mind can appreciate that the latest instalment has arrived when I am only 30 years old. There’s plenty of time to wait for the next one!
Love your work. Have done since the age of 16.
Katie x
P.s. I should mention that I managed to get my current boyfriend to read Cross Stitch, which I feel is a huge achievement. Out of three long term relationships he’s the first, so he must be a keeper!
Dear Diana
just finished book 8, amazing and satisfying. What a woman you are, everything I want to read all together in one long, long, story
love it, love it
At 52 I have finally found the perfect writer, thankyou
Robyn
Australia
I recently finished MOBY. I started reading book 1 in July and just kept going until I finished MOBY. I loved all the books. And while MOBY was not a cliff hanger – I feel so lost now without Claire and Jamie in my life. Wonderful series. I just have to figure out what to do with my time until book 9 comes out!
Thank you for a wonderful experience.