Site Announcements 2008

This page archives the announcements that Diana sent in 2007, which were originally posted on the home page.

20 October 2008

New Podcast - Places To Which I Am Invited
Diana Gabaldon travels frequently to highland games, various science fiction and fantasy conventions, librarian associations and even prisons. In this episode, Diana shares a snapshot of her experiences speaking to these various organizations and what it’s like to attend these events.

6 October 2008

New Podcast - Battlefields
Have you ever wondered how Diana Gabaldon researches, prepares and constructs a battlefield scene? In this episode Diana provides an in-depth description of the battle-field writing process discussing the importance of the surrounding action, big picture focus, and how she “listens for the echoes” when visiting battlefields.

28 September 2008

New Podcast! New Excerpts

I’ve recorded several new podcasts for Random House, to be released over the next few weeks.

The State of the Wicket

Well, first off—welcome back to Rosana, who’s been off for a bit to take care of her family in the wake of her father’s illness and death—our deepest sympathies to her and her family.

Now, we’ve been getting a lot of mail, asking about the status of An Echo in the Bone, the graphic novel, the Lord John books, etc. So I thought I’d give you a quick run-down of what-all I’ve been doing, where it all is at the moment, a short peek at everything, and—most importantly [g]—when things will be published.

1) For starters, I’m very pleased to announce that Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade was released in trade paperback on September 7th, 2008. This release also includes a “teaser” chunk from An Echo in the Bone.

2) A Breath of Snow and Ashes will be released in mass-market paperback (that’s the small size) in October.

3) Lord John and the Hand of the Devils will be released in late November in trade paperback.

OK, -- on to An Echo in the Bone, which is probably what most people want to know about.

1) An Echo in the Bone is the seventh volume in the main Outlander series.

2) An Echo in the Bone is not the last book in this series!!

3) I am still writing An Echo in the Bone!!!

A) I get a certain amount of idiotic email accusing me of having already finished the book, but “hiding” it from the readers, or keeping it off the market “just to be mean” or (of all insane notions) “to drive the price up.” (It ain’t pork bellies, people; the cover price is the same whenever it comes out, and I don’t set it.) I don’t mean to be impolite here, but…geez, guys.

i) Look. Books are

a) written in order to be read, and
b) published in order to make money.

ii) Publishers do not make money from books that are not in bookstores. Ergo….
iii) Publishers want to sell books as soon as the books are ready.
iv) So do authors. What do you think I live on, while I’m supposedly keeping a book off the market to be mean? And why do you think I’d want to be mean to the people who read my books? Sheesh.

4) Right. Now, I hope to finish writing An Echo in the Bone around the end of this year.

OK, pay close attention now….

5) The book will not—repeat not—REPEAT NOT!!!—be published on December 31st, even if I finish writing it on December 30th. Why not? Well, because…

A) Books don’t go directly from the author to the bookstore.

B) Books go from the author to the Editor, who

i) reads the manuscript
ii) discusses the manuscript with the author, and
iii) suggests minor revisions that may improve the book

C) The book goes back to the author, who

i) re-reads the manuscript
ii) considers the editor’s comments, and
iii) makes whatever revisions, emendments, or clarifications seem right.

D) The book goes back to the editor, who

i) reads it again
ii) asks any questions that seem necessary, and
iii) sends it to

E) The copy-editor. This is a person whose thankless job is to

i) read the manuscript one…word…at…a…time
ii) find typos or errors in grammar, punctuation, or continuity (one heck of a job, considering the size not only of the individual books, but of the overall series), and
iii) write queries to the author regarding anything questionable, whereupon

F) The book comes back to the author—yes, again—who

i) re-reads the manuscript
ii) answers the copy-editor’s queries, and
iii) alters anything that the copy-editor has changed that the author disagrees with. After which, the author sends it back to

G) The editor—yes, again!—who

i) re-re-reads it
ii) checks that all the copy-editor’s queries have been answered, and sends it to

H) The Typesetter, who sets the manuscript in type, according to the format laid out by

I) The Book-Designer, who

i) decides on the layout of the pages (margins, gutters, headers or footers, page number placement)
ii) chooses a suitable and attractive typeface
iii) decides on the size of the font
iv) chooses or commissions any incidental artwork (endpapers, maps, dingbats—these are the little gizmos that divide chunks of text, but that aren’t chapter or section headings)
v) Designs chapter and Section headings, with artwork, and consults with the

J) Cover Artist, who (reasonably enough) designs or draws or paints the cover art, which is then sent to

K) The Printer, who prints the dust-jackets--which include not only the cover art and the author’s photograph and bio, but also “flap copy,” which may be written by either the editor or the author, but is then usually messed about with by

L) The Marketing Department, whose thankless task is to try to figure out how best to sell a book that can’t reasonably be described in terms of any known genre [g], to which end, they

i) try to provide seductive and appealing cover copy to the book
ii) compose advertisements for the book
iii) decide where such advertisements might be most effective (periodicals, newspapers, book-review sections, radio, TV)
iv) try to think up novel and entertaining means of promotion, such as having the author appear on Second Life to do a virtual reading, or sending copies of the book to the armed troops in Iraq, or booking the author to appear on Martha Stewart or Emiril Lagasse’s cooking show to demonstrate recipes for unusual foods mentioned in the book.
vi) kill a pigeon in Times Square and examine the entrails in order to determine the most advantageous publishing date for the book.

M) OK. The manuscript itself comes back from the typesetter, is looked at (again) by the editor, and sent back to the author (again! As my husband says, “to a writer, ‘finished’ is a relative concept.”), who anxiously proof-reads the galleys (these are the typeset sheets of the book; they look just like the printed book’s pages, but are not bound), because this is the very last chance to change anything. Meanwhile

N) A number of copies of the galley-proofs are bound—in very cheap plain covers—and sent to

O) The Reviewers. i.e., the bound galleys are sent (by the marketing people, the editor, and/or the author) to the book editors of all major newspapers and periodicals, and to any specialty publication to whom this book might possibly appeal, in hopes of getting preliminary reviews, from which cover quotes can be culled, and/or drumming up name recognition and excitement prior to publication. Frankly, they don’t always bother with this step with my books, because they are in a rush to get them into the bookstores, and it takes several months’ lead-time to get reviews sufficiently prior to publication that they can be quoted on the cover.

P) With luck, the author finds 99.99% of all errors in the galleys (you’re never going to find all of them; the process is asymptotic), and returns the corrected manuscript (for the last time, [pant, puff, gasp, wheeze]) to the editor, who sends it to

Q) The Printer, who prints lots of copies (“the print-run” means how many copies) of the “guts” of the book—the actual inside text. These are then shipped to

R) The Bindery, where the guts are bound into their covers, equipped with dust-jackets, and shipped to

S) The Distributors. There are a number of companies—Ingram, and Baker and Taylor, are the largest, but there are a number of smaller ones—whose business is shipping, distributing, and warehousing books. The publisher also ships directly to

T) The Bookstores, but bookstores can only house a limited number of books. Therefore, they draw on distributors’ warehouses to resupply a title that’s selling briskly, because it takes much longer to order directly from the publisher. And at this point, [sigh]…the book finally reaches

U) You, the reader.

And we do hope you like it when you get it—because we sure-God went to a lot of trouble to make it for you. [g]

6) As it happens, Random House (who publishes my books in the US and Canada) prefers to publish my titles in the Fall quarter (between September 1 and December 31). That’s because this is traditionally the biggest sales period in the year, what with the run-up to Christmas, and therefore all the publishers normally release their “big” titles in the Fall. I’m flattered to be among them.

If I do finish the manuscript around the end of this year, Random House (and the UK publisher, Orion, and the German publisher, Blanvalet) will have just about the right amount of time to do all the production steps described above, in order to release the book in Fall of 2009.

(The other foreign editions—I think we’re now up to 24 countries, including Israel, Croatia, Russia, and Greece, which is pretty cool—will be out whenever their respective editors and translators finish their production processes, but I’m afraid I can’t predict that at all.)

So—that’s why the English and German-speaking readers will almost certainly get An Echo in the Bone in Fall of 2009.

When I have a specific publication date, rest assured—I’ll tell you.

That’s probably enough information to be dealing with in one go, so I’ll come back a little later and tell you about graphic novels, anthologies, and Other Weird Stuff. Meanwhile, though—

Since some of the anxious questions I get regarding An Echo in the Bone include

A) “Is it mostly about Jamie and Claire?”
B) “Will we see more of William?”
C) “Will we see more of Young Ian?” and
D) “Are Roger and Brianna and the kids gone for good?”—

Here are two brief excerpts from An Echo in the Bone that might help answer those questions. Enjoy!

[excerpt]

[excerpt]

25 September 2008

Three new excerpts. One from the Dragons anthology, which is a collaboration with Sam Watkins (Diana’s son). One from Phoenix Noir titled Dirty Scottsdale, which features Tom Kolodzi, and one from The Lord John series, The Custom of the Army, which will be published in the Warriors anthology.

24 September 2008

New excerpt from Outlander Graphic Novel

23 September 2008

New excerpt from An Echo in the Bone

22 September 2008

Podcast “The State of the Wicket”
Excitement is brewing in the world of Diana Gabaldon. In this episode Diana gives her “general state of affairs” address sharing an overview of all publications to come including where her stories are heading and when you can get your hands on her next book. Bonus: Diana reads an excerpt from an upcoming Lord John story, “The Custom of the Army.”

“Storyteller’s Award” Writing Contest
I stumbled into the Surrey (BC) International Writers Conference while on a booktour back in…goodness, 1994-and was so charmed by the organization and personality of the conference that I’ve gone back every year since. (And I’ll be back this year, too-October 24-26-doing (among other things) a workshop with the ever-hilarious Chris Humphreys about how to write sex scenes.)

Well, another of the Old Regulars at this conference is the delightful Jack Whyte, author of the excellent Arthurian Brood of Eagles saga, and more recently, several novels about the Knights Templar. Jack’s a long-time friend, and at one of these conferences, we got talking about what we like to read, as well as what we like to write, and concluded that Story is Everything.

The upshot of this discussion is that Jack and I ended up funding the “Storyteller’s Award”-a cash prize awarded for the best short story submitted to a contest sponsored by the SiWC each year. Jack and I are the judges of this contest, and first prize is $1000. (We also have in progress a project in collaboration with Chapters bookstores to compile and publish a book containing the winning entries.)

There are also contests for non-fiction and poetry-and no, you needn’t attend the conference to enter, though of course I think the conference is well worth it. [g] (Here are further details about the conference.)

For those of you who work in short forms…give the contest a look!

Work(s) in Progress
I’ve been getting the occasional email lately expressing interest in what-all I’m writing these days, since there seems to be a lot of it. [g] Well, there is a lot of it. I do normally work on multiple things at once (it keeps me from having writer’s block, for one thing), but I will say there’s more variety in the old to-do pile than usual, thanks to several invitations from interesting anthologies. In (rough) order of priority at the moment, though, I’m working on:

An Echo in the Bone - this is the 7th (but not the last!) book in the main Outlander series, in which we continue the adventures of Jamie, Claire, Roger, Brianna, Young Ian, Willie, Lord John-and Quite a Lot of Interesting People You Haven’t Met Yet. [excerpt]

I’m hoping to have the manuscript finished by December of this year-and to this end, am trying Really Hard not to go anywhere. Mind, this does not mean the book will be out in December of this year; it means I’ll be through writing it. It will be published (God willing and the creek don’t rise) probably in early Fall of 2009.

Graphic Novel (so far untitled) - a graphic novel, for them as don’t know, is a sophisticated comic book for adults. (And I do, of course, delight in my Very Sophisticated Readers.) [g] Ballantine, the publisher for this, asked me for a “new” Jamie and Claire story, set in the Outlander universe-but not necessarily just a straightforward adaptation of Outlander. So that’s what they (and you) are getting: a story that sort of cuts at an angle through Outlander. This story is told from Murtagh’s point of view, and begins somewhat before the events described in Outlander (the non-graphic novel). [excerpt]

[I know people are Just Dying to see ’what Jamie looks like’-and I will post one of the pages showing him before too long, I promise. His face is still flexing as the (very talented) artist works on the story, though; from page to page, he appears as elf-lord, thug, GQ model, or Alfred E. Newman’s older brother, but we’re definitely getting closer. [g]]

Warriors anthology - The Custom of the Army. Warriors is a cool, multi-genre, multi-author anthology with stories on the theme of…well, warriors. I haven’t yet really started work on Lord John and the Scottish Prisoner (the third Lord John novel), but I am using Lord John for my contribution to this anthology, which I’m titling The Custom of the Army:

“On balance, it was probably the fault of the electric eel. John Grey could--and for a time, did--blame the Honorable Caroline Woodford as well. In all justice to the lady, though, she certainly hadn’t meant him to fight a duel, and had been appalled at the outcome. The fact remained that if it had not been for the Honorable Caroline, he wouldn’t be in Canada, hip-deep in Indians and Highlanders, and facing one of the most disagreeable prospects he had encountered in a long career of soldiering. Still...no, it was the eel’s fault.” [excerpt]

Phoenix Noir - Dirty Scottsdale. And for Something Completely Different…I know I’ve been talking about this contemporary crime novel I have in progress for a long time-and I really do have it in progress, too [g]-but the opportunity offered to do a short story (no, really) for a new anthology titled Phoenix Noir. This is part of a large series of “noir” crime anthologies, each centered on a different city. (See a listing of all the anthologies in the series.) The story, Dirty Scottsdale, will be the print debut of Thomas Kolodzi, who’s the protagonist for the (eventual [cough]) contemporary novel. Here’s a brief glimpse of him in action:

“The time/temperature display outside the McDonald’s where I got coffee in the mornings said it was 100 degrees at 8 AM. Now it was high noon, and the half-cup of coffee I’d left in the car would sear the panties off any granny unwary enough to drive down the street with it tucked between her legs. The cops were in shirt-sleeves, the home-owner was wearing plaid bermuda shorts and a wtf? expression. The body floating face-down in the swimming-pool was wearing a navy blue wool suit, which was even more remarkable than the veil of blood hanging like shark-bait in the water.” [excerpt]

Dragons. This is a fantasy anthology about…well…you know. I’m co-authoring a piece for this one with my son, Sam (meaning he’s doing the writing; I’m brainstorming and editing). It’s just begun, but here’s a brief snip: [excerpt]

9 June 2008

A Gaelic Treat
Every so often-well, actually, all the time-people come up to me at signings and ask respectfully how long it took me to “learn Gaelic.” Well, the truth is, of course, that I didn’t. Not that I wouldn’t like to, but as of the moment, I know three bits of Gaelic to write in people’s books:

“Le meas,” (“with respect,” or-roughly-“best wishes”)

“Slainte!” (“To your good health”-often used when drinking whisky)

and

“Alba gu brath!” (“Scotland forever!”)

(I can also say (or at least write) “Merry Christmas!” (“Nollaig Chridheil”), but can only put that in people’s books when it’s December, and even then, I always have to ask whether they’re Christians, as there really is no way—that I know of—to say “Happy Hannukah!” or “Have a Terrific Kwanzaa!” in Gaelic.)

Anyway, as for the Gaelic used here and there in my books, I get by with a little (or a lot of) help from my friends. [g] For some time, the kindly Iain MacKinnon Taylor (and his brother Hamish)* assisted me with the Gaelic. More recently, I’ve had the good fortune to become acquainted with Catherine-Ann McPhee, one of the world’s best-known Gaelic singers, and a great teacher and

Catherine-Ann McPhee and Diana.

proponent of the language, who’s provided not only translations of Gaelic bits, but also explained the nuances of social relationship involved in said translation (“You want to say, ’cousin’? Well, now, is the person speaking to an older person whom he respects, or to someone his own age, or to someone older, but who…” or, “Now, if you really want to say “Son of a pig,” that’s mac an muice, but it’s more usual just to call him a son of a bitch, though it’s more meaning monster than bitch, really…”), as well as making sure the Gaelic is historically correct—something I couldn’t do myself on a bet.

This is of course wonderful—and my profound thanks not only to Cathy-Ann, but to Catherine MacGregor, who introduced me to Cathy-Ann and helpfully facilitates our conversations.

Cathy MacGregor and Diana.

Well, a couple of months ago, I got an email from the person who records my books for the Canadian National Institute for the Blind, Betty Tyrrell. Betty told me that she was about to record Drums of Autumn, and wishing to do the best job possible, asked whether I might be able to provide her with correct pronunciation for the Gaelic bits of that book.

“Not me,” I said. “But I might just be able to get you some expert help with the Gaelic.” Whereupon I wrote hastily to Cathy MacGregor, who rushed off to recruit Cathy-Ann—and the upshot of all this helpfulness is that Cathy-Ann not only made Gaelic recordings for Betty, but kindly agreed to let me post the sound recording of her reading of one of the longer Gaelic bits from that book—Duncan Innes’s notable caithris, the formal Gaelic lament for his friend Gavin Hayes (who, as you may recall, was hanged around page 3).

So, in case you have found yourself wondering what spoken Gaelic really sounds like…

[NB Rosana: This file has an m4a extension, so I believe that Windows Media Player 10 is required. Alternatively, I can listen to the file using QuickTime and iTunes.]

And if you’d like a real treat, here’s a link to Cathy-Ann’s music, as well.

*Iain very kindly drove to New York from his home in New Hampshire, in order to provide on-the-spot Gaelic pronunciations for Davina Porter, for her reading of Drums of Autumn. So if you have the Recorded Books unabridged audio edition of that book-you have the Right Stuff there, too.

NB: Cathy-Ann’s introductory remark regarding champagne glasses [g] is a reference to our first meeting, where she and Catherine hosted me at a delightful tea (featuring chocolate-dipped strawberries and champagne glasses without stems—you rested the glass in a little spiral holder when not sipping out of it) in Ottawa (I think it was Ottawa. Things blur when you’re traveling a lot). We had a great time, anyway. Photos attached: I am the one in blue/green, Cathy-Ann is the one in black and white, and Cathy Mac is the one with the red hair and the other champagne glass. (Photos courtesy of the nice waiter at the hotel who figured out how to use the camera when none of us could.)

27 May 2008

Rob’s Website
When I was telling you about my brother-in-law’s new book last week, I forgot to include his website address. My sister says she’s been getting lots of requests for the enchilada recipe [g]-hope you enjoy that, btw!—but that several people have been asking how they can get in touch with Rob himself, presumably to tell him how much they liked the book, or ask when the next will be available.

Anyway!—should you want to talk to Rob or ask about his other books or whatever, his website is www.robpalmerbooks.com. I think he has a German section on the site, too, as his books are also published in Germany.

19 May 2008

New Excerpt from An Echo in the Bone

CLARIFICATION of May 23rd appearance at Burton Barr Library
When I first posted this, I wasn’t sure whether it was a “Friends of the Library” only event, or open to the public, but intended to ask and post the information. When, then all hell broke loose (a not unusual occurrence), and while I did receive a clarification from Janet Sanford of the FoL, I’d completely forgotten to post it until someone reminded me by asking this week. So, this is what Janet says:

“It is a members only event (there is no charge for members). However, if someone wants to attend, they can become a member two ways: Go to our web site: www.plfriends.org and sign up there, or pay at the door. However, both ways, they must make a reservation so we know how many people are attending. Lowest membership fees are $20 a year for seniors and students, $25 for others, or a family membership for a couple with children, $35. Reservations: 602-534-5208.”

Homonyms That Drive Me Crazy
Palate
Palette

I saw this one misused in an Anne Perry novel just last week, and it drove me particularly crazy, because I know Anne Perry, and there’s no conceivable way she’d do that. Ergo, we lay the crime at the feet of either BWOYC (Bad Word of Your Choice) Microsoft Word and its intrusive, error-ridden, nannying, BWOYC grammar-and-spelling checker, or some hapless and doubtless overworked copyeditor.

Righto. A “palette” is that bit of board or lucite that an artist uses to hold blobs of color while working with pigments—oils or acrylics—that come in tubes. The word can also be used to describe a specific assortment of colors—“The window designer had used an autumn palette: legless mannequins clad in browns and rusty reds hung against a background colored like ripe wheat. Blown by a wind-machine, artifical leaves in golds and reds and yellows swirled below the floating hems, stirred as though by the mannequins’ invisible feet.”

Your “palate,” on the other hand, is the roof of your mouth. You have a “bony palate,” and a “soft palate,” both of which you can easily feel and/or see in a mirror. The word is also used metaphorically, to mean an ability to distinguish or appreciate specific tastes. “He had a well-developed palate for fine wines and the sorts of cheeses that would make a normal person’s eyes water.”

Rein
Reign
(Rain)

In all justice, I don’t usually see people using “rain” when they mean one of the others, but I see “reign” and “rein” confused all the time. This one is particularly annoying, because “reign” and “rein” can both be used as either nouns or verbs, and do share one particular meaning, even though they’re separate words.

“Reign” means to have dominion over, to rule over—or used as a noun, means the span of time during which a particular ruler was in power (“the reign of Charles II was referred to as the Restoration”).

“Rein” is either a noun meaning the leather strap attached to an animal’s bridle, by which said animal is directed, or a verb meaning to control an animal’s (usually a horse’s) movements by means of its reins.

Where the confusion usually comes in is in the common expression, “to give free reign/rein”. Even though the words don’t mean the same thing at all, this expression does mean pretty much the same thing, used with either word. “To give free rein” means to give a horse its head—to allow it to go where it pleases. And thus, as a metaphor, to give someone free rein is to let them do what they like. OK. “To give free reign” essentially means the same thing—to allow a person to govern his or her own actions.

And worst of all…

Peek
Peak
Pique

I can’t tell you how many times nice people have written to thank me for giving them a “sneak peak” at work in progress. Argh!

“Peek” means a brief glimpse.

“Peak” is the top of a mountain (or the height of some experience, like the “peak of ecstasy,” though I sincerely trust we do not read books that use that sort of language).

“Pique” is a word derived from the French, and used as a verb, it means to stimulate something (“His interest was piqued by the glimpse of the snake tattoo that writhed down her spine and disappeared head-first into her low-slung jeans.”). Used as a noun, it means a state of indignation. (“In a pique, she threw the flowers on the floor at his feet and stamped on them.”)

2 May 2008

New and Recommended!
For all of you who read and enjoyed my nice brother-in-law’s excellent first book (No Time to Hide), I’m thrilled to announce that his even better second book came out today!

Rob (Rob Palmer is his name) writes marvelous, twisty thrillers, with 3-D characters and breath-holding suspense. And very appropriately to this election season--

Eyes of the World is a story of lies and betrayal, the tragedies that bind us together, and the blinding trust of love. America has its first woman president, Lynnie Connor, whom Mike Stanbridge has known since childhood. Their friendship is common knowledge; their love affair is the most carefully guarded secret of their lives. It’s campaign season, and as Lynnie runs hard for reelection, Mike is framed for murder. His only way out is to dig into Lynnie’s past, learning something that seemingly turns her whole life into a lie. Pursued by the FBI and a squad of assassins, Mike runs for Lynnie’s political life-and his own survival.

Praise for Eyes of the World:

“Suspenseful and affecting. A top-notch thriller with a tender heart.”
Diana Gabaldon, bestselling author [cough] of the Outlander and Lord John series

“5 Stars! A perfect read for the election year! . . . Rob Palmer’s book [is] superlative. . . . I was kept on the edge of my seat the entire time. I cannot recommend this one highly enough. Magnificent!”
Huntress Reviews

“You’re gonna want to read this one! Hold on for an intricately plotted, wickedly smart trip through presidential politics. Just when you think you’ve got it figured out, you’ll realize the games have just begun. An excellent book.”
Fresh Fiction

I’m sure you’ll enjoy this terrific book as much as I did-though should you need any extra inducement [g], my sister, Theresa Gabaldon, is offering the famous family enchilada recipe to anyone who buys the book before the 4th of July.

Here’s the link to the book’s page on amazon.com:

And here’s my sister’s email address, if you’d like the enchilada recipe: tgabaldon@gmail.com

6 Mar 2008

Tour Update

March 8 - Fountain Hills, Arizona - 12:00PM

The Fountain Hills Book Festival
sponsored by the Fountain Hills Library Association.

I’ll be doing a presentation, speaking (perhaps reading) at the Fountain Hills main library, at noon, and will be signing books between 11 AM and 2 PM (when not speaking, of course).

A map and directions to the Book Festival is available at website. See you there!

21 Feb 2008

Graphic Novel Progress - Layout Pages

The script is the beginning of a graphic novel—but only the beginning. The artist—the estimable Hoang Nguyen, in this case—then sets about the difficult task of translating the script into artwork.

It works like this: I (the writer) lay out a script page in panels—anywhere from one to six of them on a page—and at the top of each panel, describe what the scene is, which characters are present, what they’re doing, how they look (in terms both of clothing and expression), and add any specific details that need to be present (for instance, a full moon, or brooding cliffs, or a white owl), as well as indicating the position of characters and objects (by specifying, for instance, that So-and-so is in the foreground of a panel, while Mr. X and Ms. Y are having a conversation in the background). Down below is a sample script page, so you can see what one looks like (the number in the upper left corner of the panel identifies each panel individually, for ease of reference among the editor, the artist, and the writer). A script includes standard abbreviations like FG = foreground, BG=background, CAP = caption, and so on.

The artist looks at all this, and then produces layout pages—quick pencil sketches, done without any great reference to character details, but laying out the composition of the scene, catching the major angles, perspectives, and elements. I can then look at these, to be sure we’re on the same page (literally [g]), before the artist invests a lot of time and energy in the actual painting of a panel, and let the artist know if I see anything that ought to be changed (see “Pictish cross” below).

Below is one of the layout pages from an early point in the story (the editor suggested that I not tell you what’s happening here [g], so this layout page does NOT match the sample script page, as you can see). This is great stuff-Hoang’s done a terrific job of translating the script, and catching the sense of movement and excitement going on here. Only one small correction to be made: the script says that Dougal and Jamie are riding downhill, past “a weathered Pictish cross.” But I hadn’t sent Hoang either a picture or a description of what a Pictish cross is, so he’s very reasonably rendered it here as a weathered wooden cross, rather than a stone one. Frankly, I think it looks good as is—but I have to consider whether leaving it as a wooden cross might raise questions—i.e., it looks like a grave marker, but there’s nothing about a grave in the story—and confuse people. So I’ll send photocopies from my reference library of several Pictish crosses, and Hoang can choose and adapt from those.

(Now, please don’t get all excited and start peppering my blog with complaints about Jamie looking too young, not slant-eyed enough, having elf-ears, or whatever. This is a S-K-E-T-C-H, not a finished panel. Ergo, the characters shown are just rough approximations and will look quite different when painted in the final version. Oh—and speaking of rough, the gent in the fourth panel is not Dougal MacKenzie, it’s one of his clansmen (and not one you know, either, so don’t start panicking about it not looking like you think Rupert looks).)

If you’d like to see more of Hoang’s artwork, there are lots of beautiful examples of his previous work on his website.

And thanks to Hoang, and to Betsy Mitchell, the Ballantine editor, for permission to post these!

Appearance Updates

Phoenix Highland Games

I’m sorry I won’t be able to attend the Phoenix Highland Games this year-I have a family thing in New Mexico that weekend-but I will be at the Arizona Highland Festival in Flagstaff in July.

March 3 - CAMEX convention, San Antonio, TX

OK, I forget (if I ever knew) what exactly CAMEX stands for, but it’s the trade association of college and university bookstores, and they’re having their annual convention in San Antonio (which is a lovely city), and for reasons best known to themselves, have invited me (and several other authors) to come and speak to them and sign books. I don’t know whether I will be doing an outside signing in San Antonio while I’m there, but if so, I’ll add those details later.

March 15 - Renaissance Faire, Apache Junction, AZ

I'm figuring most of you know what a Renaissance Faire is-for those who don't…the website will have details.

I’ll be doing two things at this year’s Festival: judging the Bonny Knees competition (it’s their special Celtic Weekend), and signing books at Ann Chamberlin’s bookshop (it’s the only one on the grounds, I think), both in the afternoon. And yes, I will go in costume. See you there!

May 23 - Friends of the Public Library, 11:30 AM

I think this is at the Burton Barr main library, but I'll check to be sure. I’ll be speaking and signing books, and I’d be kind of surprised if it wasn't open to the public, but I’ll check that, too.

July 19 - Arizona Highland Festival
Foxglenn Park, 4200 East Butler Avenue, Flagstaff, AZ 86004

I imagine I’ll be doing a talk and readings, and will certainly be signing books. No specific times as yet, but I’m usually there between about 10 AM and 4 PM.

July 25-27 - CONestoga

I’ll be Guest of Honor at this sf con in Tulsa, OK, and very honored indeed to be asked! No times or details of offsite signings yet, but I’ll add those as available. For details, see the website.

28 Jan 2008

Violent Wee Buggers

I don’t know what it is about Celtic writers, but they seem to have the simultaneous gifts of poetry and majorly gruesome imagination—which is, of course, a combination I personally find irresistible. [g] Here are some of my favorite crime writers—mostly Scots, with an Irishman thrown in, and one American who, whatever his ethnic heritage, has the gift of poetic grue, in spades.

Ian Rankin
Ian’s gotten to be very well-known in Scottish literary circles (and is a cover-boy for the National Trust of Scotland’s publications—yay, Ian!) for his series of crime novels starring Inspector John Rebus. These are police procedurals, set in Edinburgh (and invariably described as “gritty”). Like any good crime book, they deal not only with the solution of the crime, but with the detective’s personal life and how it’s affected by his/her pursuit of evil. Rebus is a fascinatingly flawed character, whose personal life outside his career is largely nonexistent—lonely, cranky, obsessed, alcoholic—but redeemed by his obstinacy, and by the friends who stick by him despite his flaws.

For best effect, the novels should be read in (rough) order, so you can follow the evolution (and convolutions) of Rebus’s private life. They can be read as stand-alones, though, since each novel is a well-structured and self-contained investigation.

Here’s the link to Ian Rankin’s novels on Amazon.com; you can get the reading order from the dates of publication—so far as I know, all the Rebus titles are in print and available.

Adrian McKinty
McKinty is the Irishman, with a stunning trilogy (the “Dead” trilogy—very accurate): Dead I Well May Be, The Dead Yard, and The Bloomsday Dead. All three books deal with the (grisly, hyperviolent, blood-soaked) adventures of a young Irish gangster who comes to New York, promptly runs into trouble—and stays in it. Not for the weak of stomach, but both characters and language are exquisite.

Val McDermid
Val does books which could best be described as thrillers (though they do have the structure of murder mysteries, for the most part), because they move a mile a minute. Most are standalones, though two or three have recurrent main characters. The outstanding feature of all of them is the absolutely horrible psychopathic villains she writes, and the ghastly things they do. She’s also written a series of much milder mysteries (the Kate Brannigan series), though I prefer (naturally) the grisly ones.

Stuart MacBride
A new find! Stuart MacBride’s Logan McRae series is set in Aberdeen, and besides having a wonderful sense of place, is grossly violent, blood-soaked-—and hilarious. He has the best characters, from the massive, candy-munching DI Inch to the cadaverous, chain-smoking lesbian DI who is the bane of McRae’s professional life. To say nothing of criminals given to snipping off people’s fingers joint by joint and forcing them to swallow the pieces… I really wasn’t kidding about the heading of this list. You Have Been Warned. Great stuff, though!

Don Winslow (honorary wee bugger)
Don Winslow is, I think, an American, and I strongly recommend all his books, from earlier titles like The Death and Life of Bobby Z, and the Neal Carey series (A Cool Breeze on the Underground, etc.) which are great but not unduly violent, up to the amazing California Fire and Life and The Power of the Dog—which are. Wonderful characters, plots, and writing—but not, repeat not, for the weak of stomach.

11 Jan 2008

Now, I’m trying Very Hard not to go anywhere this year, so that I can work on all the interesting things I have going on. Top of the list, as I said, is An Echo in the Bone. I do, though, usually work on more than one thing at a time, and among all the interesting projects on my desk is Something Completely Different—a graphic novel. (I told one of my friends about this; her reply was, “I thought your novels were already pretty graphic!” [cough]). For those of you who haven’t yet encountered graphic novels—they’re essentially sophisticated (and often beautiful) comic books for adults (well, they do do graphic novels for younger people too, but that’s not what I’m doing here).

Del Rey To Publish an original “outlander” Graphic Novel by diana gabaldon
NEW YORK, NY - December 10, 2007
Del Rey, an imprint of Ballantine Books at the Random House Publishing Group, announced today that it will publish an original story set in the world of Diana Gabaldon’s bestselling Outlander series, written by Gabaldon herself and illustrated in full color by award-winning artist Hoang Nguyen. The project was acquired by Betsy Mitchell, editor in chief of Del Rey, in negotiations with Gabaldon’s literary agent Russell Galen.

The new story, starring Gabaldon’s beloved characters Claire Randall and Jamie Fraser, opens with Murtagh, Jamie’s godfather, awaiting the return of his godson to Scotland, and the fulfillment of a vow made years before. The graphic novel will be approximately 192 pages and will publish sometime in 2009. Gabaldon’s upcoming new Outlander novel, An Echo in the Bone, is expected to publish that year as well.

The #1 New York Times bestselling series—Outlander, Dragonfly in Amber, Voyager, Drums of Autumn, The Fiery Cross, and A Breath of Snow and Ashes—tells the story of Jamie Fraser, a Scottish Highlander from the 18th century, and his time-traveling wife, Claire. The series has 15 million copies in print, has been published in 19 languages, and has spawned huge worldwide online fan communities, as well as numerous online discussion groups. A major motion picture is in development.

The Outlander graphic novel will not be the first project Gabaldon has scripted. Early in her career she wrote numerous comic-book scripts for Walt Disney, among them the Scrooge McDuck series, and the award-winning “Nutrition Adventures with Orange Bird.”

“I’m thrilled to see the launch of such an exciting new project,” Gabaldon says. “I’ve been wanting to do a graphic novel story for years, and couldn’t ask for a better opportunity or more wonderful people to work with. I’m especially delighted to be working with such a magical artist as Hoang Nguyen. My agent and my husband have both fallen in love with his version of Claire—and I’m looking forward with great anticipation to seeing Jamie in ink.”

About the Creators
Diana Gabaldon is also the author of the nonfiction title The Outlandish Companion and two novels starring a character first introduced in Outlander: Lord John and the Private Matter and Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade. She holds a bachelor’s degree in zoology, a master’s degree in marine biology, and a Ph.D. in ecology and was a university professor before turning to writing full-time. Gabaldon lives with her family in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Hoang Nguyen’s previous work includes the Robocop movie adaptation for Dark Horse, Alien Legion graphic novels for Marvel Epic, Punisher: War Zone for Marvel and Warstrike for Malibu Comics. His original project Metal Militia was optioned by Dino De Laurentiis for feature film development. More recently he has worked in the video game industry, having contributed to such well-known titles as the Elder Scrolls series for Bethesda Softworks and Xena for Universal Studios. He was the lead artist and character designer on Dead to Rights for Namco and is currently a consultant for Namco Bandai Games. Nguyen lives in Santa Clara, California.

About Del Rey
Del Rey Books was founded in 1977 as an imprint of Ballantine Books, a division of the Random House Publishing Group, under the guidance of the renowned Judy-Lynn del Rey and her husband, Lester del Rey. Del Rey publishes the best of modern fantasy, science fiction, and alternate history. In 2004 it expanded by launching Del Rey Manga, which has grown to be a major force in the U.S. graphic-novel field.

_____________________

David Moench
Publicity Manager, Del Rey
Random House Publishing Group
1745 Broadway
New York, NY 10019
phone: (212) 782-8282

So this is Very Cool Beans, as my younger daughter is inclined to say. And yes, I can hear you all saying, “So what do Jamie and Claire look like!?!” Well, we’re in the early stages of the artwork (I’ve delivered approximately a third of the script so far), and still fiddling a bit with Jamie--but Hoang’s take on Claire (mind, this is an early, preliminary portrait, but it’s great) is close enough for me to show you.

Neat, huh? I’m very excited about the project--more and more, as I see Hoang’s emerging artwork. As we get further into the project, and refine the characters (Hoang paints them, and I say, “Too much jaw, and could the nose be a little longer?” and he very patiently repaints them), I’ll look forward to showing you more (I love his take on Murtagh!).

Comments?
I’d be very interested to hear what y’all think--about the graphic novel, the artwork, etc., but also about anything else. Click here to leave comments, ask questions, etc. I’ll try to keep up!

7 Jan 2008

Happy New Year!
I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season, featuring lots of excellent food and good company, plus the presence of your loved ones. All our kids came home for Christmas, Elder Daughter with Boyfriend in tow, Son with The Little Bad Dogs (they actually are quite nice dogs, Otis the Pug and Charlie the Corgi, but are young and rambunctious—to the disgruntlement of Gus the Fat Dachshund, whom you’ve met—and given to surreptitious peeing in corners, if not escorted firmly outside at regular intervals). Boyfriend is an estimable fellow, and does not pee in corners, I’m happy to report, even if left alone unsupervised for long periods. Younger Daughter arrived without an entourage, but is sufficiently vivacious as to give the impression that there are more of her than there really are. 

But now they’ve all gone home again (well, Sam and the LBD’s haven’t yet. See Otis the Christmas Pug, sporting a hoodie given to him by my sister), and it’s time to settle back to work (with occasional excursions round the block or on the treadmill, to counteract the effects of enchiladas, tamales, and the Family Christmas Fudge, which you’ve also heard about before (btw, my brother-in-law’s second thriller, Eyes of the World, is due out this spring, for those of you who’ve asked. A cover blurb by A Well-Known Author [cough] says: “A terrific read! The cold steel of high-stakes politics meets the fiery secret of a president’s past, in a blast of searing steam.” Excellent book, and I’m sure that my sister would be happy to oblige with the family recipe for enchiladas this time—or perhaps chocolate chocolate-chip cookies, if you prefer).

Book Seven — aka An Echo in the Bone
First thing up on the stack of waiting projects this year is, of course, An Echo in the Bone—the seventh (but NOT the last!) book in the story of Jamie and Claire. This book will, as I said, be done around the end of this year—and published reasonably soon thereafter (i.e., sometime in 2009), at the pleasure of Random House and assorted foreign publishers.

I’m getting all kinds of questions about what will be in this book:

Will we see Roger and Bree and Jemmy and Amanda again? (Yes.) 

Will they go back to the past? (I don’t know yet, but if I did, I probably wouldn’t tell you.) 

Will Jamie and Claire go back to Scotland? (Yes.) 

Why do they go back to Scotland? (Wait and see. It’s complicated.) 

Will Young Ian find love? (Well, he found it once before, and little good it did him.  He’s still got Issues with the ex-wife, you know.  Still, he’s a young man and he’s not dead (well we assume he’s not going to be dead....), so who knows?)  

Speaking of ex-wives, what about Laoghaire? (Oh, you’ll see her again.  But it’s probably not going to be what you expect. [g]) 

Will Roger get his voice back?  (Mm...don’t know, but I kind of don’t think that will be his main concern. He has much bigger things to worry about.)  

Will there be more sex? (Ahh...more sex than what?)

Will Ronnie Sinclair finally get a woman? (I hadn’t thought about it, but I don’t see why he shouldn’t.)

Will Jamie and Willie meet? (Oh, come on.  How can you think they won’t?)

What happens if/when they do meet? (Oh, well, now, that’s another matter entirely...i.e., I’m not about to tell you. Bet it’ll be interesting, though.)

Is Lord John in this book? (Sure. He’s Jamie’s friend and Willie’s father--where else would he be?)

Will we find out what happens with Phaedre, Jocasta, and Duncan? (Mm, don’t know that one. We’ll find out about a lot of other people you haven’t mentioned, though!)

Will either Jamie or Claire....[gulp]... die?   (Well, can’t say for sure, of course, but given that this is, in fact, NOT the last book, I kind of doubt it.  On the other hand, I’m invariably shocked and surprised when people do die.  You don’t think I plan this sort of thing, do you?  And I believe I did once say—in an interview—that a son who suddenly discovers the truth of his paternity might do anything to deny it...including murder.  But I guess you’ll have to wait and see.)

Will we find out what happened to Alex and Mary Randall’s child? (Oh, good; at last, something I know. Yes.)

Will we find out more about Hamish and the other MacKenzies of Leoch? (Oh, good, another one I can answer; yes. Possibly not in this book, but yes.)

Will we hear more about Adso, Clarence the mule, Rollo, and the White Sow? (Well, some of ’em, sure.)

Does Jem get to go to Disneyland and say hello to the giant mouse named Michael? (Don’t know. I’d like him to, but I haven’t seen that, yet.)

Will Lord John stay a Loyalist? (I can’t think he wouldn’t. Why on earth would he become a rebel?)

You aren’t going to kill Lord John, are you?!? (Well, I wouldn’t, no. I imagine there are a few other people who feel differently about him, though. Cf  “...including murder,” above. You think Willie’s going to be thrilled to find out his stepfather’s been lying to him all these years? If he does find that out, of course. Lord John hopes he doesn’t.)

Are you going to explain where that box full of letters came from? (Probably.  Assuming I figure that out...)

(I’m tempted to pull a JK Rowling here and tell you that two important characters will die in this book—except that I’m only sure about one of them, so far. I can, however—and before you even read the book!--assure you with complete certainty that Lord John is gay.)

Anyway, here are a couple of brief excerpts from An Echo in the Bone, to celebrate the New Year with—hope you enjoy them

New Year Excerpt A
New Year Excerpt B