Book Spotlight & Giveaway: Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

It is an exciting day here at Slice of Life ! I have the great pleasure of spotlighting one of my all-time favorite authors...Diana Gabaldon, author of Outlander. Anyone who knows me will tell you that Diana captured my attention several years ago when I first discovered the Outlander series, and it's been an amazing journey as I eagerly anticipate each new installment. (Fans are on pins and needles right now waiting for Book 8 to be written and published!!) If you are a fan of Diana Gabaldon's series, please let me know by leaving a comment below and telling me why you love Outlander. It's fun hearing from other readers who enjoy the series as much as I do. If you haven't read Outlander yet, now is a great time to begin the adventure! This year actually marks the twentieth year anniversary since Outlander was published, so join in the excitement of this milestone celebration. Here's a little background on Outlander to tempt you to get started:

Book Synopsis:
Claire Randall is leading a double life. She has a husband in one century, and a lover in another...

In 1945, Claire Randall, a former combat nurse, is back from the war and reunited with her husband on a second honeymoon--when she innocently touches a boulder in one of the ancient stone circles that dot the British Isles. Suddenly she is a Sassenach—an "outlander"—in a Scotland torn by war and raiding border clans in the year of our Lord...1743.

Hurled back in time by forces she cannot understand, Claire's destiny in soon inextricably intertwined with Clan MacKenzie and the forbidden Castle Leoch. She is catapulted without warning into the intrigues of lairds and spies that may threaten her life ...and shatter her heart. For here, James Fraser, a gallant young Scots warrior, shows her a passion so fierce and a love so absolute that Claire becomes a woman torn between fidelity and desire...and between two vastly different men in two irreconcilable lives.


About the Author:
Diana Gabaldon is the author of the award-winning, #1 NYT-bestselling OUTLANDER novels.
The adventure began in 1991 with the classic OUTLANDER (“historical fiction with a Moebius twist”), has continued through six more New York Times-bestselling novels–DRAGONFLY IN AMBER, VOYAGER, DRUMS OF AUTUMN, THE FIERY CROSS, A BREATH OF SNOW AND ASHES, and AN ECHO IN THE BONE, with nineteen million copies in print worldwide
The series is published in 26 countries and 23 languages, and includes a nonfiction companion volume, THE OUTLANDISH COMPANION, which provides details on the settings, background, characters, research, and writing of the novels. Gabaldon has also written several books in a sub-series featuring Lord John Grey: LORD JOHN AND THE PRIVATE MATTER, LORD JOHN AND THE BROTHERHOOD OF THE BLADE, and LORD JOHN AND THE HAND OF DEVILS. Another Lord John book, LORD JOHN AND THE SCOTTISH PRISONER, will probably be published in 2011).
She has also written a graphic novel titled THE EXILE (set within the OUTLANDER universe and featuring the main characters from OUTLANDER), but told from the viewpoint of Jamie Fraser and his godfather, Murtagh. The graphic novel is illustrated by Hoang Nguyen, published by Del-Rey.
Gabaldon is presently working on the third Lord John novel (LORD JOHN AND THE SCOTTISH PRISONER), and the eighth book in the OUTLANDER series.
She and her husband, Douglas Watkins, have three adult children and live mostly in Scottsdale, Arizona.

You can visit Diana online at www.DianaGabaldon.com

You can purchase Diana's books here.


*****Giveaway Details*****
If you would like an opportunity to win a copy of this book, simply leave a comment on this post indicating that you would like to be entered in the drawing (please include an e-mail address for contact), and Random House will provide one lucky winner with a copy of Diana Gabaldon's fabulous Outlander. Giveaway is open to U.S. and Canada residents only. Winner will be randomly selected and announced on March 10, 2011

***THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED - thank you****

Diana Gabaldon's Outlander Virtual Book Tour!!!

There's very exciting news for fans of Outlander and Diana Gabaldon! Pump Up Your Book is sponsoring Diana Gabaldon's Outlander Virtual Book Tour beginning February 14, 2011 through March 11, 2011, and Slice of Life is unbelievably honored to be a part of her tour on February 24th!!!!

As some of you may know, Outlander is one of my all-time favorite novels and meeting Diana Gabaldon in person last year was an incredible experience for me. So it is beyond thrilling to know that she will be making Slice of Life one of her stops on her virtual blog tour!

Stay tuned for more details, and hope you will visit Slice of Life on February 24th and be a part of celebrating Diana Gabaldon's Outlander!

Outlander's Circle of Stones

from Outlander , Chapter 2, "Standing Stones" by Diana Gabaldon

"Why, it's a henge!" I said, delighted. "A miniature henge!"...There were no signs of burial in the miniature henge atop the hill. By miniature, I mean only that the circle of standing stones was smaller than Stonehenge; each stone was twice my own height, and massive in proportion..."


"The tallest stone of the circle was cleft, with a vertical split dividing the two massive peices. Oddly, the pieces had been drawn apart by some means. Though you could see the facing surfaces matched, they were separated by a gap of two or three feet.

There was a deep humming noise coming from somewhere near at hand. I thought there might be a beehive lodged in some crevice of the rock, and placed a hand on the stone in order to lean into the cleft.

The stone screamed."

***********

One of the most intriguing aspects of the Outlander books is the Circle of Stones, or Craigh na Dun, as the Scottish highlanders call it. We learn early on that the stones are a passage through time and are responsible for Claire's disappearance in the twentieth century. As the plot unfolds, we gradually learn more and more about the secrets of the standing stones.

Why did the stone scream? Looks like you'll have to read Outlander to find out the answer to that question!

Outlander's Jamie and Claire

from Outlander, Chapter 14, A Marriage Takes Place, p. 190 by Diana Gabaldon

"A Highlander in full regalia is an impressive sight--any Highlander, no matter how old, ill-favored, or crabbed in appearance. A tall, straight-bodied, and by no means ill-favored young Highlander at close range is breath-taking.

The thick red-gold hair had been brushed to a smooth gleam that swept the collar of a fine lawn shirt with tucked front, belled sleeves, and lace-trimmed wrist frills that matched the cascade of the starched jabot at the throat, decorated with a ruby stickpin.

His tartan was a brilliant crimson and black that blazed among the more sedate MacKenzies in their green and white. The flaming wool, fastened by a circular silver brooch, fell from his right shoulder in a graceful drape, caught by a silver-studded sword belt before continuing its sweep past neat calves clothed in woolen hose and stopping just short of the silver-buckled black leather boots. Sword, dirk, and badger-skin sporran completed the ensemble.

Well over six feet tall, broad in proportion and striking of feature, he was a far cry from the grubby horse-handler I was accustomed to--and he knew it. Making a leg in courtly fashion, he swept me a bow of impeccable grace, murmuring, "Your servant, Ma'am," eyes glinting with mischief."
Diana Gabaldon

Ahhhh, Jamie...Jamie and the love he has for his Claire is such a beautiful love story, and the heart of the Outlander books, for me.

An Invitation for Outlander Fans...

Good day to everyone! As I look at my widget countdown for the release of Diana Gabaldon's latest book in the Outlander series, I can't believe it's only a few days away. Such anticipation for me, and I'm sure for you, too, if you're a fan of the series! I fully intend to fall off the face of the earth for a few days when I get my little hands on a copy and revel in the world that is Jamie and Claire.

I thought it would be fun to celebrate the upcoming release of Echo in the Bone by taking a few days and posting about my experiences with this terrific series. I invite you to join in and share your thoughts and experiences as well. We might even be able to encourage some who have not read the books to give them a try.

To start off the celebration and countdown, I thought I would answer one of the most frequently asked questions when I talk about the books with someone who is not familiar with the series:

"What are they about?" they ask curiously and innocently.

Hmmmm.....

To answer this question, I'm going to quote the author, Diana Gabaldon, because it pretty much sums it up as succinctly as possible:

In the pages of Outlander, you will find...
"history, warfare, medicine, sex, violence, spirituality, honor,
betrayal, vengeance, hope & despair, relationships, the building
and destruction of families and societies, time travel, moral
ambiguity, swords, herbs, horses, gambling (with cards, dice, and
lives), voyages of daring, journeys of both body and soul...
you know, the usual stuff of literature."
--Diana Gabaldon

I think one of the reasons I enjoy Diana's writing is because it doesn't fit neatly into any one category or genre. If you're a fan of history or historical fiction, you'll find well-researched books about the Scottish Highlands, the Jacobites and the Rebellion of 1745, the events leading up to the Revolutionary War in the colonies, as well as a fascinating look at daily life in the past; if you enjoy science/science fiction, the time travel element is an ever-evolving puzzle in each book, and Diana Gabaldon's scientific background is evident in the skills she gives Claire as a "healer"; the love story of Jamie and Claire is truly engaging and unique in that they are portrayed realistically as a couple who share joys, struggles, and sorrows together as they experience life and mature; the plots are intricate and unpredictable for the most part, and there is always something mysterious happening (even a few ghosts) for those who enjoy mysteries; you just never know what twisty turn the plot will take, and you're constantly guessing. So much fun!

So, for all of you who are Outlander fans, what aspects of the books do you enjoy the most?