Sunday, March 18, 2018
Had a wonderful four days with fans in Le Paris! (Or is it La Paris? I learned to read French in graduate school—lo, these many years ago… and can still read newspapers, signs and the descriptive cards next to Museum exhibits. After several days listening to French, I can understand about half of what people are saying. Unfortunately, I have NO grammar, so can’t talk back to them, save for things like “C’est fini!” and “C’est mon plaisir.”)
Signed books at the Paris Book Fair for five and a half hours straight today, with minor interruptions for interviews with bloggers. (And before you ask, en masse (see, that’s French!), no, thanks for asking but I don’t have carpal tunnnel—you don’t move your wrist at all when signing your name (try it and see). My index and middle finger are stiff, (I did four hours at the PBF on Friday, then signed at two local bookstores yesterday—FNAC and the fabulous La Griffe Noir), but it’s actually your forearm tendons that take the brunt of heavy-duty signing. After three or four hundred books, if you placed your hands on my forearms, you’d notice that the right one is about four degrees warmer than the left!
Met wonderful people from everywhere: Mumbai, Goa, Lisbon, the Netherlands, Normandy, Lorraine,Spain (was pleased to be able to speak Spanish in front of my hosts from J’ai Lu (French publisher)—not a monoglot American!), who loaded me with wonderful gifts that I can’t possibly cram in my suitcase; will have to ship most things home, but plan to take ALLLLLL the chocolate and wine with me… (Merci beaucoup!)
Tomorrow, I have the morning off, so Doug and I can go see a museum or stroll the Champs Élysées (in the falling snow and sub-freezing temperatures)—I managed a quick dart into L’Orangerie Friday morning, to see Monet’s beautiful elliptical rooms of water lilies (and several more fantastic Impressionists and slightly post-Impressionists downstairs), but Paris has a LOT of great museums.
Then in the afternoon, we catch a train to Nancy, where we’ll do a signing at (I think) 5:00 p.m., and come home late. Tuesday, though, is completely free, so planning what to do with our time…
And to answer all the eager questions about when is the next book coming out… as I said to the thousands of people I’ve seen this week: “You know, you’ve got a choice: You can have the next book faster, or you can look at me. <pause> Are you looking at me?”
In other words, it’s great fun to come and talk to people, see great cities and eat wonderful food (even if you don’t get any of it until supper…. I highly recommend the Plume restaurant, btw; fantastic Beef Wok tonight! And Mipi (Neapolitan Mini-Pizzas, last night))—but that’s why I DON’T accept most of the zillion (not exaggerating; it’s definitely at least that many) lovely invitations I get. Tonight is the first night in five days that I’ve been able to get up in the middle of the night and do a little work. So now I’m going to go do that…. Á bientot!
P.S. Check out my new essay: “One Word Speaks Volumes (Themes of the Books)” which discusses one-word descriptions of the novels in my OUTLANDER series.
This blog was posted on my official Facebook Page on Sunday, March 18, 2018.
Sounds like a lovely time! Been a fan of your books since I read Outlander in….ummm…8th grade I think. Absolutely beautifully told story. Even like the TV adaptation. I didn’t think I would because I usually don’t like when they’re adapted, so far Outlander and Harry Potter are the only 2 exceptions, though I am awaiting some others that may or may not work out. Wish they would have done Percy Jackson better. Anyway, just wanted to say take your time, just….not too much time. We are all eagerly awaiting the next book. I shall just reread the series, I pick out something new each time I do.
Love you, Diana, but I don’t need to look at you live and in person!
I want to enter the next phase of the universe you’ve created with your words. Please write!!
Saying “Please write!” implies that I am NOT writing. I am. Every day.
Take a look at my major novels… they are huge. It takes a lot of time–years–to do all the historical research and writing for each one of them. Quality takes time.
And I do deserve a life along the way.
-Diana
I am glad you had great time in Paris. Perfect romance time for you and Doug.
Thank you for sharing your news.
I enjoyed your book signing-vacation blog about your trip to Paris. My daughter and I spent four days there a few years ago, before we joined some other people in Italy. Your books are wonderful. Thanks for the great adventures in your OUTLANDER series. I’m looking forward to your next one.
Pat
“Are you looking at me?”…No ma’am!!! Not me!!! I almost spit out my wine! I am patiently waiting and in the meantime entertaining myself with books 1-8 + the small books + the Starz TV series + voting for Sam and Catriona for various lovely polls. <3!! Marcia
I would like to say thank you for your Outlander books. My mom used to stay up all night reading when ever a new book came out. When it came on Starz Mom was in heaven. My mother passed away on Aug. 9,2017 she was 84 and legally blind. She got me interested in it. I would read to her. She really enjoyed the show and got her sister to check it out and used to talk about it on the phone. Her sister is a big fan and so am I. Thank you for that. I will keep watching and reading Outlander books. Please tell the cast and crew of Outlander thank you for me.
Bonjour Diana,
J’ai découvert par hasard “Outlander” sur Netflix France en décembre dernier, ainsi que les aventures de Claire. J’ai été hapé par cette histoire et ai achété dans la foulée les 8 tomes (format iBook) pour pouvoir les lire, à ma convenance, ou que je soit . On se trouve attaché aux personnages et à leur evolution a travers le temps aux cours des saisons et des lieux …. L’amour n’est pas un long fleuve tranquille, mais résiste au épreuves de la vie et du temps, quand il est sincère.
Merci pour cette fabuleuse histoire.
Bien Cordialement,
Jean-Luc COUTURIER
Hello Diana,
I have discovered by coincidence the Outlander Series on Netflix France by last December, and by the way, the Claire’s adventures …..I’ve been catched by this story & bought by the way, the 8 novels in Ibook format in order to read them, at my inclination, where ever I am. We found attached to the characters and the evolution way through the time during seasons and places … Love is not a Long Quiet River, but fights against ordeal lives & time, when it’s a true love .
Many thanks for this wonderful story.
Jean-Luc COUTURIER
Thank you, Jean-Luc!
-Diana
HI Diana –
I’ve read all of the Outlander series and they’re wonderful – you’re wonderful. STARZ has done a good job of the screen version as well.
Sincerely,
B
PS Any chance you can suggest that they recast the role of Brianna? Sophie Skelton is kind of terrible. Not tall, not blue-eyed, not Brianna, and not a good actress.
Sam and Caitroina are sooo good. Sophie is not believable and is hard to watch. Sorry.