The Eighth Book in the Outlander Series…
The eighth major novel in the Outlander series of novels is titled WRITTEN IN MY OWN HEART’S BLOOD. It continues the story of Jamie and Claire and the constellation of other OUTLANDER characters.
I call the book “MOBY” for short. My Own Heart’s Blood = MOHB = MOH-B = Moby.
-Diana
Publisher’s Description
In OUTLANDER, the story of Claire Beauchamp Randall was introduced, an English ex-combat nurse who walks through a stone circle in the Scottish Highlands in 1946, and disappears . . . into 1743. The story unfolded from there in six more novels, and CNN has called it "a grand adventure written on a canvas that probes the heart, weighs the soul and measures the human spirit across [centuries]." Now the story continues in book eight, WRITTEN IN MY OWN HEART’S BLOOD.
It is June 1778, and the world seems to be turning upside-down. The British Army is withdrawing from Philadelphia, with George Washington in pursuit, and for the first time, it looks as if the rebels might actually win. But for Claire Fraser and her family, there are even more tumultuous revolutions that have to be accommodated. Her former husband, Jamie, has returned from the dead, demanding to know why in his absence she married his best friend, Lord John Grey. Lord John’s son, the ninth Earl of Ellesmere, is no less shocked to discover that his real father is actually the newly-resurrected Jamie Fraser, and Jamie’s nephew Ian Murray discovers that his new-found cousin has an eye for the woman who has just agreed to marry him. And while Claire is terrified that one of her husbands may be about to murder the other, in the 20th century her descendants face even more desperate turns of events. Her daughter Brianna is trying to protect her son from a vicious criminal with murder on his mind, while her husband Roger has disappeared into the past…
Not the Last OUTLANDER Novel
After reading WRITTEN IN MY OWN HEART’S BLOOD (aka “MOBY”), many readers want to know, “Is this the last major novel in the OUTLANDER series?” In fact, this is the question that I am asked most often nowadays!
The answer is No, MOBY is not the last! There will be a ninth book in the OUTLANDER series of major novels! Book nine now has a title: GO TELL THE BEES THAT I AM GONE. I am writing and doing the historical research for this new book, and it will not be finished in 2017. As soon as I have finished this book and a publication date has been set, I will announce it right away on my official BEES webpage, as well as on my homepage and official Facebook page.
-Diana
A Bestseller
WRITTEN IN MY OWN HEART’S BLOOD was released in the U.S.A. and Canada on June 10, 2014. On June 18, Diana sent a special message her readers via Facebook: “THANK YOU, ALL!!! … Very happy, and very grateful—and Really Thankful for all of you!”
Diana had just learned that MOBY debuted as number one on the New York Times bestseller list for hardcover fiction AND also as first in the category for Combined Print and E-Book Fiction on the June 29 list! (The June 29 rankings on the New York Times list reflect sales for the week ending June 14, 2014.)
In Canada, MOBY debuted as number one in hardcover fiction on the June 21 bestseller list from the Globe and Mail!
At right, Diana is signing books for the MOBY release party in Phoenix on June 10, 2014. Photo courtesy of Barbara Peters from the Poisoned Pen bookstore.
About the MOBY Cover (U.S. Edition)
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY’s electronic edition (ew.com) revealed the official cover for MOBY in April, 2013. Here’s the link to their piece, which has a few questions and answers (such as they are [cough]).
While I originally wanted an octopus on the cover— both because I really like octopuses and because of the symbolism (there are eight major characters whose stories I’m telling through this book— and it is the eighth book, after all), there were certain technical issues that made that difficult. My husband— never a big fan of the octopus concept— asked whether I could think laterally; surely there were other ways to get an “8″ onto the cover.
So I thought. And almost at once, the word “octothorpe” sprang to mind. I’ve always liked the word, and it certainly was appropriate (you may or may not recognize it in its Very Artistic form here—but it’s the lowly hashtag, or pound sign (#)), as it not only has eight points (and eight “fields” of empty space surrounding it; one explanation of its origin is that it was a symbol on old English land documents for a farm surrounded by eight fields), but is a printing character—and the content of the book does indeed have a certain amount about the printer’s trade in colonial America during the Revolution.
So I went at once to Google and typed in “octothorpe”—and pretty much the first thing I saw was this. I was so ravished by Conrad Altmann’s beautiful octothorpe that I emailed it at once to my editor, with the suggestion that we use this for the central icon of the new cover design. At the upper right is the octothorpe design from the MOBY cover, U.S.A. version.
Now, frankly, the Art Department was so relieved not to have to deal with any more octopuses that I’m sure they would have fallen on any alternate suggestion with cries of gladness. However, they were as pleased with this lovely octothorpe as I was, and came up with this elegant and striking concept, which I Really Like. Hope you will, too!
-Diana
Cover discussion from the April 5, 2013 blog.
Foreign Editions
Here are a few samples of the many foreign editions of this novel. WRITTEN IN MY OWN HEART’S BLOOD is also published as:
- Legami Di Sangue (Italian edition). See image at right. Translates into English as "Blood Ties."
- Ein Schatten von Verrat und Liebe (German edition). Translates into English as "A Shadow of Treachery and Love."
If you live outside of the U.S.A., please check with your local bookseller or favorite online store for the release dates and editions available in your area.
Click here for general information on global publication dates.
This page was last updated by Diana’s Webmistress on Monday, March 14, 2016, at 1:36 p.m. (PT).
