Good News!
The good news for today (every day has at least some…) is that SEVEN STONES TO STAND OR FALL is now available in trade paperback format (that’s the large size paperback) in the U.S. and Canada! (It’s already out in the U.K., Australia and New Zealand.) The yellow cover is U.S./Canada; the blue cover is U.K./Australia/N.Z.
If you haven’t come across this book yet—here’s a bit from the Introduction.
Introduction to SEVEN STONES (Excerpt):
If you picked this book up under the misapprehension that it’s the ninth novel in the main Outlander series, it’s not. I apologize.
So, if it’s not the ninth novel, what is it? Well, it’s a collection of seven…. er…. things, of varying length and content, but all having to do with the Outlander universe. As for the title… basically, it’s the result of my editor not liking my original title choice, Salmagundi. Not that I couldn’t see her point… Anyway, there was a polite request via my agent for something more in line with the “resonant, poetic” nature of the main titles.
Without going too much into the mental process that led to this (words like “sausage-making” and “rock-polishing” come to mind), I wanted a title that at least suggested that there were a number of elements in this book (hence the “Seven”) and “Seven Stones” just came naturally, and that was nice (“stone” is always a weighty word) and suitably alliterative, but not a complete poetic thought (or rhythm). So, a bit more thinkering (no, that’s not a typo), and I came up with “to Stand or Fall,” which sounded suitably portentous.
It took a bit of ex post facto thought to figure out what the heck that meant, but things usually do mean something if you think long enough. In this instance, the “stand or fall” has to do with people’s response to grief and adversity: to wit, if you aren’t killed outright by whatever happened, you have a choice in how the rest of your life is lived—you keep standing, though battered and worn by time and elements, still a buttress and a signpost…. or you fall and return quietly to the earth from which you sprang, your elements giving succor to those who come after you.
So. This is (as the front cover suggests) a collection of seven novellas (fiction shorter than a novel but longer than a short story), though all of them are indeed part of the Outlander universe and do intersect with the main novels.
Five of the novellas included in this book were originally written for various anthologies over the last few years; two are brand-new and have never been published before: “A Fugitive Green” and “Besieged.”
Owing to differences among publishers in different countries, some of the previously published novellas may subsequently have been published in print form as a four-story collection (in the U.K. and Germany), or as separate ebooks (in the U.S.). Seven Stones provides a complete print collection for those readers who like tactile books, and includes the two new stories. (“A Fugitive Green” and “Besieged” will eventually be published separately as ebooks in the U.S., too, for those who prefer that mode of reading, but it might be awhile.)
Buy-Links:
If you’re interested, here are some buy-links for SEVEN STONES:
Or check out my SEVEN STONES webpage for more buy-links and information. Thanks!
This post also appeared on my official Facebook page on August 7, 2018.
Why cant Jaime go to the future and get healing for that back.
Ana,
The main reason: Jamie is not a time traveller like Claire and their daughter.
Cheers,
Loretta
Diana’s Webmistress
Congratulations! A friend recommended Outlander recently, and after hearing about the TV show I refused and said, “I’m no fan of romance.” But they insisted, saying, “Outlander isn’t a romance.” When I heard a bit more about the cool time travelling plot-line I was suddenly intrigued and now here I am checking out your website because I’m a new fan! Keep up the great writing!
Tim,
Nothing against the romance genre, but my books have never really been “romance novels.” (Many people who love the romance genre do enjoy my books, which is great.)
Reviewers have described my books as “genre-benders,” since they have a lot of actual history woven in, plus the time travel usually places any book in the science fiction category. <g>
If you decide to read my books, begin with OUTLANDER, my first one. My “Chronology of the Outlander Series” webpage gives details of my Outlander series novels, Lord John novels, and short fiction, and how they are entwined.
Thanks!
-Diana
Is the picture of the 7 stones on the cover a real place in Scotland?
I’m visiting Scotland right now in the Orkney Islands. Thanks!
Just ordered and looking forward to Seven Stones….. wondering if this year is still the plan for number 9? I fully understand and accept the work involved and do not mean to be at all pushy…….. but…… Jamie and Claire have been running down that hill in my mind for an awfully long time …. and I hope they don’t fall….
I will probably finish writing (and the research for) GO TELL THE BEES THAT I AM GONE, Book Nine in my Outlander series, some time in the fall of 2019. Once it is completed, my U.S. publisher will set a publication date. And editions for other countries will be planned after that. Each of my major novels has taken years for me to create. <g>
I hope you enjoyed SEVEN STONES!
Thanks,
-Diana
An avid reader who loves your books. I eagerly look forward to Bees. I’ve wanted to tell you forever that your ending to Own Hearts Blood was the thrill of my life’s reading experience. It was so brilliant it took my breath away. I hope Bees is published before April , because I’m traveling with my family to the U.K. Because of Outlander series I want to see Scotland. We will visit Inverness and Culloden before traveling to Skye to see Dunvegan Castle the ancestral home of the McLeods, my ancestors. Thank you
Thank you for your kind words.
As I’ve posted elsewhere, I will probably be finished writing BEES (Book Nine of the Outlander series) some time in the fall of 2019. Once I am finished with the research and writing it, a publication date will be announced in the U.S.A. and then other markets. Sorry, but BEES won’t be done by April, 2019. Not sure why the publication of BEES will affect your trip…
I hope you have a great time in Scotland! It’s a beautiful country.
-Diana
I’m not one to post online. However, I am visiting your site to refresh myself on the order of your books in the Outlander series and had to express my joy in reading your books. Most books I will read once. There are a couple of authors that have written books I may read twice. I am currently working my way through your books for the fourth time. I appreciate the research and time you spend writing you books. I believe that is what keeps me coming back. Keep up the good work.
Hello, Diana.
First of all, thank you for these books. Amazing, all of them. Thank you for sharing these characters with us.
I was wondering, and forgive me if you’ve answered this before, I looked and couldn’t find an interview where it was asked, since the scene in Outlander where Frank encounters Jamie’s fetch, has the ending of the series, as tucked away in your mind, ever changed? I know that seeing it come to life as a separate entity through TV has to be an interesting phenomenon, but I’ve always been curious as to whether you’ve been working toward a certain fixed point from the beginning, or whether the characters have dictated their own path. Have you ever second guessed their future, or has it been written in stone, so to say, from the very first manuscript?
Thanks for your time!
Tiffani
I am reading this and I’m confused about Ian. Then realized you are talking about Ian the soon to be married to Jenny. Took me a while to realize you are talking talking about Ian the son of Jenny and Ian.
Does anyone know where I can buy Lord John and the Scottish prisoner in Spanish? In Spain I can’t find it in any bookstore. Please help. Thank you.