Saturday, October 30, 2010

Sugar

We interrupt our regularly scheduled Outlander babbling...

Just wanted to pass along a link to a new blog I'm working on for a project that is really near-and-dear to my heart. It's about an upcoming film called "Sugar"...which will be shot in LA and is about homeless kids and the struggles they go through to survive.

The film will star Shenae Grimes (90210), Marshall Allman (True Blood), Alex Meraz (The Twilight Saga films) and a few others who will be announced soon.

The blog will show the ins and outs of making the film...which I hope will spread awareness about homeless kids who literally don't know where they'll sleep tonight...or where they'll find their next meal.

Thanks y'all. I now return you to our previously scheduled Jamie Fraser obsessing. :)

Friday, October 29, 2010

CUZ I'M SCOTTISH!!!

Amusing video of a kid blowing the Scottish stereotype wide open. Enjoy!

Monday, October 25, 2010

Outlander Chat Tonight

TONIGHT! Outlander Chat - 9PM Eastern - Be there or be square!

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Go Visit Blue MOON Magnolia and Get BEHIND Jamie!!!

Get your ass over (PUN INTENDED!) to Blue Moon Magnolia and see the AMAZING pumpkin carving she made of Jamie's...um...ASSets from Page 5 of The Exile!!!!!

(And I thought the Edward Cullen carving stencils were cool!)

Dragonfly in Amber - AUDIBLE STYLE!

Lads and Lassies - I am currently downloading Dragonfly in Amber on Audible.com - for free! Go check out their free download deal (if you've never ordered before, that is.) I am so thrilled because a) so many of you have told me it's better on audio during round 2... and b) listening is way easier when you're me. Have dishes to do? Grab the iPod!  Have to fold clothes? Grab the iPod! Have to check homework? Ok well maybe not then. But still... I hope to have a thorough and decent DinA post for you soon. Until then...

DAVINA, HERE I COME!!! 

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Happy Birthday Claire Beauchamp Randall Fraser!!!

Happy Birthday to you...
Happy Birthday to you...
Happy Birthday dear Claire...
Happy Birthday to you.

Skype video from Twitter Tracey and I coming later. Be afraid. ;)

Monday, October 18, 2010

Diane and Charles in their Full Scottish Regalia!

Here is a very cool photo from another Diane who is a friend of My Outlander Purgatory - this one is from PA and is seen here with her husband, Charles:

"Diane and Charles at a wee Scottish wedding this weekend in PA.  We provided music on fiddle and clarsach (Gaelic for "Celtic harp"!)  It was a beautiful wedding and the whisky flowed!"


Awesome North Carolina Photos from Diane in GA

OK y'all - I have a special treat for you. Our bud Diane in Georgia has graciously shared some vacation photos with us... and I'll let her tell you in her own words what they are about. Trust me when I tell you; they are squee-rific!!!

They start with an old house in Salisbury, NC that was built in 1766. Kinda makes me think of J & C's house on the Ridge. Then come the pictures of Alamance. (The Fiery Cross) The sign for Tryon's camp is located 5 miles away. Next is Tryon Palace in New Bern. (DOA and Echo) Lastly, is Moore's Creek Battlefield. (ABOSAA)

My extra special thanks to Diane for taking the time to upload all of these to a separate Flickr page for me (and no worries that some are sideways, etc. It's all good!)  As someone who does a ton of uploading and photo editing, I TOTALLY appreciate it!!

Outlander Chat Tonight

Outlander Chat tonight - 9PM Eastern, y'all.

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Diana Gabaldon in West Virginia: JE SUIS PREST, YA'LL!!!!!!!

OMG. GREATEST. PHOTO. EVAH!!!!!

















Nikki is still gallivanting around West Virginia with Diana (where she was appearing at the West Virginia Book Festival) and WE ARE NOT WORTHY because she sent us this FABU shot of Diana wearing one of THE MOST AWESOME shirts I have EVER seen!!!

Here is a great shot of Diana yawning (and looking younger than my niece who just graduated from college, might I say) after a long day at the festival: 

















And here is a shot of people waiting in line for Diana's autograph:

















All in all, it looks like a tremendous time was had by all! But let me tell ya - I hope Diana can get some DOWN TIME soon! All this traveling would make me batty!

I want to throw a HUMONGOUS "Thank you!!!" out there to Nikki for being SO INCREDIBLY KIND and sending us these photos. You ROCK, HOOKA!!!

Saturday, October 16, 2010

Diana Gabaldon - Hangin' with Nikki in West Virginia

Listen up, Hookas! "Herself" is visiting the lovely city of Charleston, West Virgina this weekend and is enjoying a little girl time with our tremendous bud, Nikki from the Official Diana Gabaldon Homepage on Youtube.

Nikki has been cool enough to take some photos for us... and Diana has been gracious enough to let her!

Do I feel slightly stalkerific posting these photos? Nah. Since I'm home on a Saturday night, I'm just living vicariously through them. Ahhhh how I love a good glass of vino.... it does not get any better than that! (Especially when my hub is out getting us frozen yogurt!)

And Post Scriptum - might I say this woman defies all laws of nature? LOOK. AT. HER. Jesus she's like a friggin LANCOME ad. It's maddening! Now - not only do I want her to write me "Claire's Book of Natural Remedies" but I ALSO want her to write me "Claire's Tips on How to Appear 30-Something When You're RUMORED to be 58"!!!

Friday, October 15, 2010

Traveling with 'Outlander' author Diana Gabaldon

Great article from the Charleston Gazette. I am so conflicted. On the one hand, I'm like "Yes, Diana, go home and WRITE!!!" and on the other, I'm thinking "I can listen as long as you can talk!"

Talk about a great college professor. She must have been so much fun in class.

Monday, October 11, 2010

"RT Book Reviews" Interview with Diana Gabaldon at ComicCon NYC

"The Birth of the Kilt"

Just got this from Joy (DeltaTN) and it's a wee bit HILARIOUS!! Enjoy!

Outlander Chat Tonight

Outlander CHAT tonight at 9PM Eastern. Hmmm.... wonder what we'll talk about?

Our Trip to ComicCon to meet Diana Gabaldon - in Text-Only

For those of you not inclined to watch the videos... (I can't imagine why! wink)

Tracey and I went to ComicCon in NYC on Friday with Jenn M and Shannon, our partners in Outlander crime. We dressed in shirts from the My Outlander Purgatory Shirt Shop - and I have to send a special Thank You to Shannon for not only finding us the $11 "kilts" at Target, but also designing AND bedazzling her own shirt. She's got a future in design (H&M, perhaps? LOL)

We flew through the drop off line  at school - hightailed it into the city - and felt a little strange in our "costumes" while walking to the convention. COMMA HOWEVER - we felt MUCH better when we got around the corner from the Jacob Javitz center and saw Captain Marvel and his wife Wonder Woman pushing their baby, Superman in a stroller. Our "costumes" paled in comparison.

The Javitz center is huge and after some maneuvering, we found ourselves at the door to the room where Diana Gabaldon was going to give her presentation. As people started flooding in, we were able to meet a TON of friends from the internet who participate in daily antics and hijinks with us at My Outlander Purgatory. Deb, Susan, Lady Jane, the ladies from Outlander Book club, PCost, Sally, Aida, Marlene, Erin, Brandy... the list is endless. As we were all getting to know each other in person, "Herself" walked in with the Editor of The Exile, Betsy Mitchell. I'll be honest; we were all a little starstruck.

At this point, Betsy Mitchell comes over to Tracey and me... and proceeds to tell us she saw our Exile video and thought it was really funny. My first question "Gulp - WHICH Exile video?" Lord knows WHAT I might have said in any given video. And it's always an odd feeling when someone tells you they saw your video in the first place. You make the things in the kitchen half the time...with no one else around to watch...and you can't really wrap your brain around people actually viewing them.  At any rate, we had a great conversation; Betsy is an absolute hoot and a pleasure to talk to. Then people started heading into the room. As Diana is walking in the doorway, I notice she's talking to Tracey... and I (quite foolishly) say "Hi. I'm Carol. I go with her" and point to Tracey. Really? REALLY Carol? "I go with her"???  I know, I know... quite underwhelming. (You should have seen me when I met John Taylor from Duran Duran in my 20s after loving his band for so many years. All I could spit out after 20 years of fandom was "Great show!" Not too cool... but I digress.)  I'm a better typist than talker, I suppose. Believe it or not, I'm actually a little shy. (Snicker. Stop laughing. It's true!)

OK - let's move on - Diana and Betsy gave a fantastic presentation about The Exile. How it was made - what it was like to work with Hoang Nguyen - what kind of changes were made to the original sketches, etc etc. I was like a little kid at the movies for the first time. I just sat and stared and took it all in. When you're as interested in a book series as I an in Outlander, it's an indescribable feeling to listen to its author discuss its making... and the making of its visual form. I was in heaven.

At the end of their presentation, they had a little treat. The played a fan video that showed two fans' reactions to some early excerpts of The Exile. It was a lot of fun to watch... and probably would have been even more fun if I wasn't CRAWLING UNDER MY SEAT IN HORROR because the big noggin on the screen was MINE!! No seriously - it was an unbelievable honor to watch Diana Gabaldon enjoying one of our videos. That's the ultimate honor, really... and it was thankfully bestowed on us.

AFTER the presentation, we all went upstairs to get our books signed by Diana. Her signing line was the largest in the Javitz center (poor Richard Hatch) - which wasn't odd as The Exile is the best selling graphic novel in the country, let alone the convention center. While in line, Tracey and I were asked to give an interview to Random House - and enjoyed every second of our 15 minutes of fame (make that 12.) Diana signed my book "To Carol (filmstar!)" and I cannot tell you how great that made me feel. Even though I wasn't capable of forming many words,  she still made me feel special.

OK - SO - after this we all went to dinner at St. Andrews in NYC - and a special THANK YOU goes out to Sheila from Compuserve for arranging this. We were sitting there enjoying libations with other fans when "Herself" - Diana - walked in - and we were all shocked/thrilled/humbled that she'd actually choose to have dinner with the fans. At this, antics and hijinks ensued at our table (see my pitiful attempt at jokes from the videos for reference) and a great time was had by all.

Later in the evening, when it was appropriate (and the poor woman wasn't trying to actually eat her dinner) we approached Diana and gave her a shirt I had made for her. It said, simply, "Herself" on the front... with myoutlanderpurgatory.com on the back. She stood there and listened to a group of us tell her our stories for a good long while... and I cannot tell you how that made me feel. To have someone whose books are so important in your life actually care about what you have to say is a breath of fresh air in a world where almost everyone is too busy or too important to bother with the likes of us.

Sooooo - that is my (very long) story about meeting Diana Gabaldon - and I wouldn't change a thing. She's truly an amazing woman and I look forward to her future works with an eagerness I canna even describe, lassies.  If she writes it - I'll read it.

And that's all I've got to say about that.

Friday, October 8, 2010

We're Not Worthy!

We have met Herself. Seriously guys... Diana Gabaldon is ridiculously friendly to her fans. And as Tracey so eloquently put, "patient". She came to dinner..even though there were 45 people there (which would have scared the pantalones off me if I were her) and talked to everyone. She let a million people take photos...and graciously listened to all of our stories about why we love Outlander. Oh and by the way... She is stunning. Literally...stunning. More later...with pictures. :)

Diana at Dinner

Just had to let you know we are at dinner at St. Andrews in NYC and "Herself" - Diane Gabaldon - is here. More later!!!

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Scottish Halloween Costume

Got this from Diane in GA. Holy crap I laughed right out loud!

Do you think your husbands or boyfriends will be interested in wearing this? Something tells me.. um...NO! LOL!  Can you even imagine walking into a Halloween party with someone dressed like this? I'll tell you one thing... he'd better have the pects to go with it! ;) 

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Danny Bhoy - Visitor's Guide to Scotland

Heard about this today from my friend Hugh from Scotland.  It's really funny. Careful at work or around kiddies; it's a little colorful in spots.

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Outlander for Kindle FREE on Amazon!

SPECIAL BULLETIN: Outlander for KINDLE is now FREE on Amazon!  And apparently there is BONUS CONTENT - I'm told it's A Reader's Guide to Outlander" by Catherine MacGregor!

Thanks to Amanda for sending this in!

Druidry recognised as religion in Britain for first time

What does THIS remind you of?!?

Katherine Heigl Can Definitely Look the Part of Claire in Outlander

I have always said that Emma Samms - young and older - would be my ultimate Claire.

She was so attractive and had that spunky attitude and wasn't about to take any shite from anyone (at least not on General Hos-pi-TAL!)

Well this morning, Jenn M - who will be with Tracey, Shannon and me at ComicCon, YES! - sent me this photo of Katherine Heigl with dark hair. So you can imagine the double-take I did when I looked at the photo.

Let me ask you this: If Gwyneth Paltrow can win an Oscar for her stellar performance as an English woman in Shakespeare in Love... why can't Katherine Heigl do a bang-up job in Outlander? Only time will tell... I realize. But she's no fool. If these rumors are true, I bet she's brushing up on her British accent right now.

Monday, October 4, 2010

Outlander Fans Outside the US

I know we have some friends overseas who were frustrated about not being able to purchase The Exile. You all helped me out when I was down and out... so when I found out Diana Gabaldon has some info on her latest blog post about this - I wanted to post it.

Thanks to Karen from Outlandish Observations for pointing this out!

Outlander Chat Tonight

Outlander chat tonight at 9PM Eastern. Tracey is on vacation and will most likely not attend (unless she sends her unsuspecting hubby to the hotel bar for a beer and the game?!)

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Outlander Scarf Kits!

Thanks to DIANE for this awesome info about Clan Tartan Scarf kits from Knitters Brewing Company. SO cool. I might have to learn how to knit!!! Scarves are SO in right now - and I'm so thrilled because I wear them all winter - in or out. They just make me happy and you can change your look in a microsecond with one! I actually bought a Fraser hunting tartan scarf at the Scottish festival I went to this summer with Jenn M and Shannon... but this is a WARM scarf, whereas that one was just for show. So GIDDYAP and buy a kit!!

Saturday, October 2, 2010

So I Married an Axe Murderer

"So I Married an Axe Murderer" - So funny I canna contain myself!

Scotch Naturals

Check out this WAY COOL nail polish line sent in by Estee - it's called Scotch Naturals and it's an all natural line of nail polish that has a Scottish theme. It started by a woman who started a natural nail polish line for kids - Hopscotch. WAIT till you see how positively Scottish it is... and we all know that...


...IF IT'S  NOT SCOTTISH, IT'S CRAP!!!

Friday, October 1, 2010

Judge Not...Lest Ye Be Judged

Emmy win. That's all I'm saying. 

Katherine Heigl as Claire in Diana Gabaldon's OUTLANDER?!?

So apparently Katherine Heigl is interested in going from cutting LVAD wires to cutting sutures and herbs. I dinna know what to make of this, my friends.

My first reaction? WHAT THE %$#@???   Are you INSANE?!? Katherine Heigl is not ENGLISH!!!

My second reaction?  Um. Hmmm. Ya know... as much as every fiber of my being is telling me to hate this... I don't.

One thing I want to remind you before I go any further: Actors are not the parts they play. Just because she did an amusing little movie called "Knocked Up", it does not mean she can't do a perfectly good job in a drama. 

Case in point: if you've ever seen Love Comes Softly, you know Katie Heigl can handle a period piece. (I had to call her "Katie" as I once saw Jeffrey Dean Morgan - aka Denny Duquette - do that in an interview and it was totes cute.) And if you've seen the film, you also know she can play a strong-willed woman on her own in the middle of a terrifying situation that is completely foreign to anything she's every been though before.

Having said that.. Can she do an English accent??? THAT, friends, is the question.

Bottom line -  I am not hating this. Am I loving it? No. But it's the unknown....and only time will tell. Especially when Diana, herself, does not seem to know a thing about it:

@ Nope. Hadn't seen that!

And - there doesn't seem to be a (decent) screenplay even written at this time. Either Katherine Heigl knows something even the author does not know... or she's got one hell of a PR sense...and knows how to get her name out there for wanted projects. And is a monstrous Outlander fan.

I prefer to go with scenario numero dos.

PS - HOW 'BOUT SOME PROPS FOR KATHERINE HEIGL FOR MENTIONING A LITTLE BOOK SERIES CALLED OUTLANDER, MMMMKAYYYYYYYYY???? WHOOO HOOO!!!

Deep (Jack Randall) Thoughts

SPOILER ALERT: Dinna read unless you have read Dragonfly in Amber.

Ya know, I don't think I've ever truly pondered what went down between Jamie and Black Jack Randall when they dueled. Or maybe it's just been a damn long time and my memory is not what it used to be. I have to go back through the blog archives.

Here's what's on my mind: Jamie didn't kill Black Jack. Now... did he do that on purpose, to appease Claire? So he could say "But I didna kill him - I only maimed him!"

But... he maimed him in such a way he'd never be able to father a child, right? Meaning Frank would never have been born - at least that's what Jamie and Claire thought at the time. (Yes I know Jack's brother was the real great great great whatever grandfather).

So what's the diff? Why not just go all the way with that sword and toast him for good?? He's still alive and can now continue to hurt others - winky or no winky.

What say y'all? Am I forgetting something? I must be. Why have I never pondered this before??