Fun #Outlander Facts - Historical #Romance

It's here!  The Outlander television series, based on my favorite novel of all time.  Jamie Fraser and Claire Randall made the number 1 spot on my 2013 list of favorite fictional couples.  Here's what I wrote about them, for anyone unfamiliar with the characters:

Jamie Fraser and Claire Randall in Outlander...this time travel story takes Claire from 1945 to the Scottish Highlands of 1743.  Jamie is a young, fierce warrior with a sweet and innocent side...who doesn't love a hot Highlander?  And when fate throws him together with Claire, a strong and competent combat nurse from the future, he nicknames her "Sassenach", which is Gaelic for "Outlander", i.e., someone not from Scotland.  I love everything about Jamie - his speech, his insight, his courage, and his protectiveness.  Claire is already married...but in another time and place.  There were times, while reading this, that I found myself sobbing.  That's a compelling couple and amazing writing.


To celebrate the airing of the series on Starz, I put together a post of some lesser-known facts about the Outlander series and the amazing author, Diana Gabaldon.

Diana is not Scottish--in fact, she took her first trip to Scotland after the Outlander manuscript had been sold to a UK publisher.  Her last name, pronounced GAA-bull-dohn (last syllable rhymes with "stone"), is Spanish in origin.

The idea for both the historical setting in Scotland and the character of Jamie Fraser came from an old British rerun of a Dr. Who episode, "War Games".  On the show, a Scotsman in a kilt named Jamie MacCrimmon made an impression on Diana; the actor's name was Frazer Hines.  Crazy update (August 23) - it's been announced that Frazer Hines, now 70, will be joining the cast of Outlander as Sir Fletcher Gordon, the governor of Wentworth Prison!  Talk about full circle.

Another new update: Diana has a cameo appearance in the fourth episode, "The Gathering".  She'll play the role of Iona MacTavish...the scene takes place in one of the galleries over the Great Hall, and includes a few lines of dialog. 

The mesmerizing theme song for the Starz shows gives me chills every time I watch - I refuse to miss even one second.  The haunting melody that plays during the opening credits was created by Bear McCreary and features his wife Raya Yarbrough singing.  You can download "Skye Boat Song" on iTunes here! 

Diana actually wrote Outlander "for practice", to learn how to write a novel.  It was never intended to be read by an audience.  She began writing it on March 6, 1988.

She holds three degrees in science, including a Ph.D. in Quantitative Behavioral Ecology; she also wrote comic books for Disney (Scrooge McDuck) before beginning her novels.

Outlander won the Romance Writers of America's prestigious RITA Award for Best Romance in 1991, the year it was published.

Diana inserted a nod to her first name in the third book in the series, Voyager.  Jamie and Claire sail on a ship called Artemis--the Greek counterpart of the Roman Goddess Diana.

The U.K. version
of Outlander

The UK version of Outlander is titled Cross Stitch (a reference to time travel); this was the working title.

Diana does not work from an outline, and she gets most of her writing done between the hours of midnight and 4:00 a.m.

There will be at least one more book--the 9th--in the series.  Diana already knows what the last scene in the entire series is: she wrote it ten years ago, after the idea came to her in the middle of the night.  However, the story can still evolve in unexpected ways, as that last scene is really more of an epilogue.  Certain hints during interviews point to this epilogue having something to do with one of the first scenes in Outlander, during which a mysterious ghostly figure of Jamie appears to Claire in 1940s Scotland.

Anytime I'm asked, during one of my own author presentations, who my favorite author is, Diana Gabaldon is my immediate answer.  I gather so much inspiration from her writing, although I don't write within the Historical Romance genre.  However, I do write Romance with paranormal elements, and while certain paranormal themes--time travel and witchcraft, for example--play a significant part in the Outlander series, it's the sexual tension she creates between the characters that I study.  Plus, there are certain scenes I just happen to enjoy reading over--and over--again!  Fans of the series will know what I'm talking about...those moments in the book where words make our hearts physically ache or joyfully soar.

In terms of similar books, the closest I've found to evoking the same type of feelings as Outlander within the Historical Romance genre is The Bronze Horseman, by Paullina Simons.  This series is set in WWII Russia, not 18th century Scotland, but it's truly amazing.

If you like a bit of paranormal with your romance, try one of my books!  Both Silver Lake and Gull Harbor are reunion romances mixed with ghost stories.  My new Young Adult novel, Divine Fall, involves a fallen angel, or Nephilim, who gets tangled up with a human girl as he follows his quest for revenge. 

Happy reading, and enjoy the Outlander premier!  For some pictures of the actors cast to play Jamie and Claire, visit my Outlander Pinterest board.  Jamie is portrayed by Sam Heughan, and Claire is played by Caitriona Balfe.  For Game of Thrones enthusiasts like myself, one last fun fact: the actor playing both Frank and Black Jack Randall is Tobias Menzies, who also portrays Edmure Tully in GoT (see "E" in my A-Z GoT list).  Fantastic casting all around!

Favorite Fictional Couples - Kathryn Knight

In honor of Valentine's Day, I created a personal list of my favorite fictional couples.  These are couples from books, although some have made the transition to the big screen and now have actors who embody the characters.  Here are my top 5 - the notable exception being Rain and Jason, the characters from Silver Lake - since it's possible I may be biased when it comes to them!  Please share your favorites too.

5.  Edward Cullen and Bella Swan in Twilight, by Stephenie Meyer.  Yes, I admit it, I enjoyed the romance between these two young characters.  Paranormal romance is (obviously) my favorite genre, and Edward is mysterious, witty, intelligent, and a dangerous predator.  Already striving to be a "good" vampire, his love for Bella allows him to overcome his primal instincts.  Protective, polite, and ridiculously handsome, it's obvious why Bella falls for Edward.  But Midnight Sun, Twilight written from Edward's viewpoint, helps reveal the qualities in Bella that Edward treasures: selflessness, kindness, and loyalty.

4.  India Selwyn-Jones and Sid Malone in The Winter Rose, by Jennifer Donnelley.  India, a naive but fearless young female doctor in 1900 England, encounters East London's crime lord Sid Malone as she tries to improve the lives of her poorest patients.  The obvious clash in their social stations is just one of many conflicts that work against these two damaged souls.  This historical romance takes the reader on an incredible journey as the characters fight to find their way back to each other.

3.  Rhett Butler and Scarlett O'Hara in Gone With The Wind, by Margaret Mitchell.  Between the novel and the movie, almost everyone is aware of the powerful but doomed relationship between Scarlett and Rhett.  I love Scarlett for being the anti-"Mary Sue": she's not very sympathetic, and she's certainly no saint.  She's feisty, selfish, and ruthless, but also strong, driven, and fearless.  Rhett can't help but love her.  Rhett can easily admit that he's no gentleman according to Southern society standards, but it soon becomes clear that he is a hero when it counts.  And although Scarlett fails to realize how much she loves him back until Melanie's demise, their story continues in Scarlett, by Alexandra Ripley.  While not nearly in the same league as GWTW, the two star-crossed lovers get some closure in this novel.

2.  Whitney Stone and Clayton Westmoreland in Whitney, My Love, by Judith McNaught.  The arrogant and dashing Duke of Claymore wants Whitney for himself...yet she wants Paul, her childhood love.  For me, this story paralleled some of the relationship conflicts in GWTW, but this novel is set in 1800s England.  Certain scenes in the story are controversial, but that is part of what made these characters feel so real - they are flawed.  They make terrible mistakes.  And the emotions I felt throughout the story - my heart actually hurt at some points.  The sexual tension had me turning pages well into the night, desperately hoping Whitney and Clayton would get their happy ending.

1.  Jamie Fraser and Claire Randall in Outlander, by Diane Gabaldon.  Another paranormal romance, this time travel story takes Claire from 1945 to the Scottish Highlands of 1743.  Jamie is a young, fierce warrior with a sweet and innocent side...who doesn't love a hot Highlander?  And when fate throws him together with Claire, a strong and competent combat nurse from the future, he nicknames her "Sassenach" - Outlander in his Celtic tongue.  I love everything about Jamie - his speech, his insight, his courage, and his protectiveness.  Claire is already married...but in another time and place.  This series continues on through 7 very large novels, so I had a pretty good idea the couple would be reunited when Claire is forced to return to her former life...and yet I was sobbing.  That's a compelling couple and amazing writing.

Those are my favorite literary couples...yours?