AOL, January 1997

The following is an abridged transcript of an America Online chat that was conducted in AOL’s The Coliseum in January 1997. Be forewarned that there may be Spoilers for upcoming books in the text of the interview. You may find that some of the information is outdated. Updates on the publication of books, tours, etc. are more current on the pages of this site that are devoted to those topics.

Question: Do you plan to continue the series of novels about Claire and Jamie Fraser? (I have yet to read The Drums of Autumn).
DGabaldon: Oh, yes! I told the publisher, halfway through Voyager, that I was never..going to be able to cram the American Revolution into one more book. {g} As it is, I think I got up to about 1770 by the end of Drums. There are actually two more books in Jamie and Claire’s story...plus a small prequel volume, dealing with Jamie Fraser’s parents.

Question: Diana, by now you know I’m in love with Jamie Fraser...is there any part of Jamie’s character that you don’t like?
DGabaldon: Er...{thinking}....no, I don’t think so (and my husband’s not even looking over my shoulder!).

Question: Hi! I’m such a fan! I was an English major in college and very much view your writings as more of a historical fiction/romance genre. Does it bother you that you’re categorized as only a romance writer?
DGabaldon: Yes, indeed. I like romances, but I don’t write them--luckily, my agreement with the publisher was that they would market the books initially as romance (for lack of any real category for them {g}), and if the books became “visible” (publisherese for “hit the NYT list”)..then they would reposition and remarket the books as Fiction..making them safe for men to read. {g} Luckily, Voyager did hit the NYT list in hardcover, they did recover and reissue the first three books, and Drums is being marketed simply as Fiction. I’d be stuck to know what else to call ‘em, myself. {g}

Question: I have always wanted to write a book. But the big problem is that first line. How do you get started?
DGabaldon: Well, you don’t necessarily have to start with the first line, you know. I not only don’t write with an outline, I don’t write in a straight line. I write wherever I can “see” something. I just make sure to keep on writing--every day if possible.

Question: With the Kids etc. how do you do it?
DGabaldon: Well, the stock answer is that I don’t sleep, and I don’t do housework. {g} This is actually more or less true. I do most of the “real” writing--putting words on screen--late at night. My best working hours are 11 PM - 3 AM. But I do have a nice person who comes round and keeps us from being condemned by the County Health Inspector, too. {g}

Question: We see so much of Frank and Jamie in Brianna, why don’t we see any of Claire?
DGabaldon: Who doesn’t? I suppose that’s a matter of personal interpretation-- for myself, I’d think she’s very much her mother’s daughter; determined and more than a little blunt. {g}

Question: As your books make the move from the romance department of most bookstores to the fiction dept. do you find that you are gaining more male readers? See you in Atlanta!
DGabaldon: Yeah, I do. In fact, when I do book tours in Canada, I find that the people who come to signings are about evenly divided, male and female. This is partly because there are a lot of Scottish men in Canada {g}, but also because Canadian bookstores don’t have separate “romance” sections, so there’s no...er...stigma (so to speak) attached to the books there. I do now find many more male readers here in the US, too.

Question: Which book is your favorite and why?
DGabaldon: The one I’m working on--or have most recently finished--is always my favorite; I’d like to hope I’m getting slightly better with practice. {g}

Question: Will you be appearing on any television talk shows? How about radio?
DGabaldon: Kind of depends how well the book does. It’s much harder to get that sort of coverage for fiction writers, as opposed to nonfiction, because there isn’t all that much to talk about, if neither the host nor the audience has read the book yet! Still, Delacorte has a wonderful publicist, and she has arranged quite a few radio and print interviews for the upcoming tour--and we do small cable-TV appearances here and there, too. Not up to the Oprah level yet, though, {g} I’m afraid!

Question: After you wrote Outlander did you know where the story was going?
DGabaldon: Sort of. As I said, I don’t write with an outline. I didn’t know when I began Outlander where the story was going. {g} Still, once you’ve begun with a set of characters, and the historical times in which they live, you can begin to see certain patterns or directions. But I sort of write books by Braille--feeling my way along.

Question: The prologue to Drums is inspiring a lot of talk. Which two lines did your daughter allow you to borrow??
DGabaldon: Durn, and I don’t have the book to hand, so I can’t quote exactly. It was the bit about, “Your conscious mind says, ‘No, it isn’t,’ but the older, darker part whispers, ‘Yes, but it could be!’” That bit.

Question: Claire is a smart cookie, Did she get her personality from you?
DGabaldon: {cough} Well...no. Having been raised in a strict Catholic household, I’m unable to curse at all--I say “Damn!” only under strong provocation. Claire’s a good deal more uninhibited than I am. {g}

Question: Will you consider speaking to groups upon request?
DGabaldon: Yes, I love to speak to groups. I’m limited a bit by other commitments--I’m booked solid from now ‘til late April--and reluctance to leave home more than necessary--but yes, I do certainly take requests. {g}

Question: I love your books. What do we have to look forward to in the upcoming novels???
DGabaldon: Geez, you think I know? Well, let’s see....we will eventually get to the American Revolution, I can promise that much. {g} And we haven’t seen the last of Ian or his dog, Rollo. Let alone John Gray and Willie. But I don’t know as I should tell you any more details--some people like to be surprised. {g}

Question: What are your real life models for your characters of Claire, Fergus, Mother H, and Master Raymond?
DGabaldon: Uh...there aren’t any. I was going to say that I don’t use real life models, but that’s not strictly true; I did--with Voyager--begin writing in friends of mine as interesting cameos. I use their real names--and do it with their permission, I hasten to add! In Voyager, (Father) Barry Fogden, Margaret Campbell, and the dog Ludo are all real friends of mine. {g} As for Drums, the mountain man, John Q. Myers, is a dear friend and fellow writer. His physique, by the way, is rendered faithfully (hernia aside). {g}

Question: Are there still plans for a companion to the Outlander series?
DGabaldon: Oh, yes. I haven’t suggested it formally to the publisher yet (thought we’d better wait and see how this book does first!), but I’ve begun work on it.

Question: Do you think with the passing of time Claire has softened her feelings toward Lord John Grey?
DGabaldon: Yes, she’s realized a) that he doesn’t pose either a physical or emotional threat to Jamie, and b) that his feelings are both sincere and deeply honorable. She doesn’t like it, exactly, but she’s compelled to respect him. And while she does feel some jealousy of Willie (on Brianna’s behalf), she realizes what a valuable thing John has done for Jamie by raising the boy so well.

Question: What is Drums of Autumn about and what is the setting? Is it anything like the Outlander trilogy?
DGabaldon: Drums of Autumn is the fourth book in the Outlander ...er..trilogy. {g} Actually, {deep breath} it’s sort of a double trilogy--Outlander, Dragonfly and Voyager are the first, or “Old World” trilogy, dealing with the Jacobite rebellion, the breakdown of the clans, etc. Drums and its two successors are the “New World” trilogy, in which we explore not only the continuing lives of our characters, but also the social upheavals and remarkable adventures of the American Revolution and the second half of the 18th century.

Question: Why is one of your future books named The Firey Cross?
DGabaldon: Well, it’s named The Fiery Cross, actually. {g} The title comes from an ancient Scots custom; when the chief of a clan meant to go to war, he would make a wooden cross, set the arms on fire (they didn’t stay on fire, but were charred), and then have this carried through the glens, as a signal to the clansmen to gather at the castle or the rock or wherever, weapons ready to go to battle.

Question: I love to write books, but I’m a kid. Do you have any tips?
DGabaldon: Yes. The same I’d have for anyone who wants to write. 1. Read. and 2. Write. You read, because that’s how you gain the critical judgment you need to evaluate your own work, and how you learn techniques of writing. You write, because that’s the only way anyone ever really learns how. Good luck!

Question: Is there a connection between Fergus’ son’s name and his unknown father?
DGabaldon: I did wonder whether anyone might spot that. {g} There might be. I don’t know whether we’ll find that out officially or not--but there might be.

Question: Have you visited Culloden and if so is there a clan stone for Fraser?
DGabaldon: Yes, and yes. I hadn’t been to Scotland when I wrote Outlander, but went while writing Dragonfly. So all the scenes of Culloden are “eyewitness”, so to speak--all accurate.

Question: Is Fraser Ridge near Fayetteville, NC?
DGabaldon: Well, some distance (quite a bit of distance--maybe 150 miles) up into the mountains beyond. But Fayetteville is what used to be called Cross Creek, yes.

Question: Ms Gabaldon, can you tell us how you researched the Scottish culture for your books? Did you live in Scotland?
DGabaldon: No, as I said, I’d never been there when I wrote Outlander. On the other hand, I was a research professor. {g} And I did have a university library to hand. I used books--lots of books--and also collected tapes of Scottish folk music. In addition, I used my online contacts to pick up miscellaneous bits of information. Mostly books, though.

Question: Will you be adding more excerpts from The Fiery Cross and King, Farewell to your web page?
DGabaldon: Yes, I likely will. I write slowly, though--and book tours are very distracting!--so it may be awhile before I put up anything new. I also want to be careful not to put up so much that it might be a spoiler for readers of the books later.

Question: Will we enjoy Brianna and Roger’s romance as much as Jamie and Claire’s?
DGabaldon: That’s kind of up to you, I reckon.

Question: Can we go back? Did you intend Jamie to be Claire’s love in Outlander? Perhaps the handsome uncle?
DGabaldon: Well, when I first wrote Claire, I had no idea what was going to happen. It could have been Dougal. It could have (at one point, before I found out what he was really like!) been Black Jack. Turned out to be Jamie, though, which I approved of. I’m partial to red hair. {g}

Question: Diana, has the success of the series surprised you and what do you think of so many people’s almost fanatic quest to find the latest book?
DGabaldon: Yes, I’m a trifle surprised--but very gratified! {g} In fact, earlier this afternoon, the publisher had called me to tell me that--thanks to all present for your efforts!-- Drums is #1 on the Ingram’s hardcover list, #1 on the Waldenbooks Hardcover Releases list, #2 on the B&N list--and will definitely be on the Wall Street Journal list tomorrow and on the USA Today list Thursday--though they didn’t yet know the placement on those lists. So--to all of you {g}--a huge THANK YOU!!!

Question: In one of your dedications you thank your husband for the “raw material?” Want to explain???
DGabaldon: Well...my husband is six-foot four with red hair. {g} Oh...you want to know more? {g} Well, he asked, when he finally read Outlander. “Yes,” I said. “It’s true-- you’re Jamie Fraser’s model--from the neck down.” {VBG}