{"id":425629,"date":"2024-11-30T08:00:21","date_gmt":"2024-11-30T08:00:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/?p=425629"},"modified":"-0001-11-30T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"-0001-11-29T14:00:00","slug":"Outlander-Author-Diana-Gabaldon-on-Blood-of-My-Blood-Book-Plans-the-Final-Season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/Outlander-Author-Diana-Gabaldon-on-Blood-of-My-Blood-Book-Plans-the-Final-Season\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Outlander\u2019 Author Diana Gabaldon on \u2018Blood of My Blood\u2019 Book Plans & the Final Season"},"content":{"rendered":"

The clock may be ticking for Outlander<\/em><\/a> on TV, but the story is everlasting for bestselling author Diana Gabaldon<\/a>, who writes the historical fantasy books (nine and counting!) upon which the show is based. Debuting in 1991, the first Outlander novel has spawned several sequels, spinoff novellas, and ultimately the intense Starz drama that viewers have come to love. With the final episodes on the horizon and new prequel series Blood of My Blood<\/em><\/a> forthcoming, Gabaldon reflects on the show\u2019s end and offers a peek inside her notebook.<\/p>\n

What have you been happy to see so far in Season 7?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Diana Gabaldon:<\/strong> One of the things the Outlander<\/em> production as a whole does really well is battle scenes. We\u2019ve had a certain amount of the [American Revolution\u2019s] Battle of Ticonderoga, the first Battle of Saratoga, and a lot of the second Battle of Saratoga. And I absolutely loved the actor playing Benedict Arnold, Rod Hallett<\/a>. The casting this season has been spectacular. Every character is just right.<\/p>\n

Would you say that Benedict Arnold was the character you were most excited for fans to meet this season?<\/strong><\/p>\n

He is historically fascinating, and I did a lot of research work on him because he plays a large part in more than one of the books. And we\u2019ll see him again in Book 10. His story is very interesting. Everybody knows how his story ends, or at least they think they do. But yes, I was just impressed that, between the script and the actor, they pretty much nailed him and captured his sense of reckless adventure and his charm. Luckily, they used a lot of the book dialogue for it, some of which was taken from things that Benedict Arnold himself said.<\/p>\n

\"'Outlander's<\/p>\n

@MattDoylePhoto<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

With the show set to conclude with Season 8, do you have an ending in mind for Claire and Jamie\u2019s story on the page?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yes, I have shared the ending scenes with [the creative team]. But as to the actual way the story comes to a conclusion? No, they don\u2019t know that. [Laughs<\/em>] But we\u2019ll get there. I don\u2019t write in a straight line, and I don\u2019t work with an outline. This is why it takes me several years to write one book \u2014 not only the way that I write, which I describe as like playing Tetris in my head, but also just the sheer size and the fact that they are books of a continuing nature.<\/p>\n

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You\u2019ve shared a few excerpts from your 10th novel in the series. Is there anything else you can tease about it?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Well, I\u2019m still writing it. And I have a title, but I\u2019m not revealing that until we\u2019re a bit closer to publication. I don\u2019t want to rub all the \u201cnew\u201d off it. I can tell you that it\u2019s got whales.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ve also written Season 2\u2019s \u201cVengeance Is Mine,\u201d \u201cJourneycake\u201d in Season 5, and the upcoming 14th installment in Season 7. Can we anticipate more scripts from you?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yeah, it\u2019s so much easier than writing novels. [Laughs<\/em>] It takes me three weeks tops to write a scene. I will be writing a script for the prequel [Blood of My Blood<\/em>] and one for Season 8 [of Outlander<\/em>].<\/p>\n

\"Diana<\/p>\n

Todd Williamson \/ Getty Images for Starz<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Though only one season has been given the green light, how long do you envision the prequel\u2019s story to be onscreen?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Well, the television version isn\u2019t up to me, but for what it\u2019s worth, I have material for three \u2014\u00a0 relatively short, as compared to the main Outlander<\/em> novels \u2014 prequel books concerning Jamie\u2019s parents. Blood of My Blood<\/em> is based on the synopsis of the first of those books.<\/p>\n

Apart from the ones you\u2019ve written, are there any episodes you love so much that you wish you had?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Oh, yeah. There\u2019s always at least one per season where I\u2019m thinking, \u201cOh, this is fabulous.\u201d It would be [Episode 8, \u201cTurning Points\u201d] for Season 7.<\/p>\n

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Do you have a favorite memory from your times visiting the set?<\/strong><\/p>\n

It would probably be the first season where they invited me to do a cameo [as Iona MacTavish] in Episode 4. It was fascinating being part of the set rather than visiting it. I was a cast member for three days. It was just interesting to see how it all worked.<\/p>\n

Were you able to make it to set for Season 8?<\/strong><\/p>\n

God willing, I will be on set for a week or so next month [September 2024]. They\u2019ll be filming the final block, for which I wrote one of the scripts, so I\u2019d like to see a bit of it live. The last time I was on set for a prolonged period \u2014 as opposed to drop-in visits \u2014 was for Season 2\u2019s \u201cVengeance Is Mine.\u201d The food from craft services was always excellent, so I\u2019m hoping to have a toastie, and I\u2019m looking forward to seeing good friends.<\/p>\n

How have the main cast\u2019s performances surpassed what you envisioned on the page?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sam Heughan<\/a> does a fantastic job with Jamie, and Caitri\u0301ona<\/a> [Balfe<\/a>], while she doesn\u2019t look like the Claire of the books, certainly acts like her and is totally immersive in her character. I\u2019ve [never] seen a bad performance by anyone at any level.<\/p>\n

What will you miss most about the show?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019ll miss the entertainment value of seeing dailies five nights a week, but otherwise, I\u2019m not troubled. The end of a great adventure is always a bit traumatic and nostalgic \u2014 but it does leave you with a feeling of specialness, accomplishment, of having been part of a great endeavor. And they do live in my head, you know\u2026<\/p>\n

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\"'Outlander'<\/a><\/p>\n
Related<\/div>\n

‘Outlander’ Stars Celebrate Series Wrap in Our New York Comic Con Portrait Studio<\/a><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Are there more stories in this universe that you still wish to explore?<\/strong><\/p>\n

There\u2019s always more I could write. Making the optimistic assumption that I\u2019m going to live long enough, I have notes for [time traveler] Master Ray-Mond\u2019s book (no title on that one yet) and for another [about Claire\u2019s first husband, Frank], titled What Frank Knew<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Will you feel sad saying goodbye to Jamie and Claire?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I really don\u2019t think I will \u2014 the main books are written with a lot of lacunae \u2014 spaces where we move from one block of story to another, leaving a hiatus of months (or sometimes years) in someone\u2019s life. I can, should I want to, always go back to one of those places and write what happened while everyone was looking somewhere else.<\/p>\n

Outlander<\/strong><\/em>, Season 7B, Fridays, 8\/7c, Starz (Midnight on the Starz App and On Demand)<\/strong><\/p>\n

This is an excerpt from TV Guide Magazine\u2019s Outlander: Claire & Jamie\u2019s Love Story For The Ages<\/em>\u00a0<\/strong>issue. For a deep-dive into the historical romance, scoop on the second half of Season 7, and details on the upcoming prequel, pick up a copy of the issue available on newsstands and for order online at\u00a0Outlander2024.com<\/a>.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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