• “The smartest historical sci-fi adventure-romance story ever written by a science Ph.D. with a background in scripting 'Scrooge McDuck' comics.”—Salon.com
  • A time-hopping, continent-spanning salmagundi of genres.”
    —ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY
  • “These books have to be word-of-mouth books because they're too weird to describe to anybody.”
    —Jackie Cantor, Diana's first editor

Season Two & “Nobility Problems”

S2-at-table-banner2Season Two of the Starz Outlander TV series premieres on the Starz network in the U.S.A. on April 9! For trailers and lots of other information, check out the Starz Outlander webpage at:

http://www.starz.com/originals/outlander/

If you live outside the U.S.A., click here for information on some viewing regions and countries around the globe.


And here is a short excerpt (aka "Daily Lines") from Book Nine:

"Nobility Problems"

Facebook Hashtags: #DailyLines, #BookNine, #HalAndWilliam, #WhenYouCantQuitYourJob, #NobilityProblems

"Miss England?" Hal asked abruptly.

"Sometimes," William answered honestly. "But I don’t think about it much," he added, with less honesty.

"I do." His uncle’s face looked relaxed, almost wistful in the fading light. "But you haven’t a wife there, or children. No establishment of your own, yet."

"No."

The sounds of the camp were still audible, but muted by the rhythm of the surf at their feet, the passage of the silent clouds above their heads.

The trouble with silence was that it allowed the thoughts in his head to take on a tiresome insistence, like the ticking of a clock in an empty room. Cinnamon’s company, disturbing as it occasionally was, had allowed him to escape them when he needed to.
"How does one go about renouncing a title?"

He hadn’t actually been intending to ask that just yet, and was surprised to hear the words emerge from his mouth. Uncle Hal, by contrast, didn’t seem surprised at all.

"You can’t."

William glared down at his uncle, who was still looking imperturbably out to sea, the wind pulling strands of his dark hair from his queue.

"What do you mean, I can’t? Whose business is it whether I renounce my title or not?"

Uncle Hal looked at him with an affectionate impatience.

"I’m not speaking rhetorically, blockhead. I mean it literally. You can’t renounce a peerage. There’s no means set down in law or custom for doing it, ergo, it can’t be done."

"But you—" William stopped, baffled.

"No, I didn’t," his uncle said dryly. "If I could have at the time, I would have, but I couldn’t, so I didn’t. The most I could do is stop using the title of "Duke," and threaten to physically maim anyone who used it in reference or address to me. It took me several years to make it clear that I meant that," he added off-handedly.

"Really?" William asked cynically. "Who did you maim?"

He actually had supposed his uncle to be speaking rhetorically, and was taken aback when the once and present Duke furrowed his brow in the effort of recall.

"Oh… several scribblers—they’re like roaches, you know; crush one and the others all rush off into the shadows, but by the time you turn round, there are throngs of them back again, happily feasting on your carcass and spreading filth over your life."

"Anyone ever tell you that you have a way with words, uncle?"

"Yes," his uncle said briefly. "But beyond punching a few journalists, I called out George Washcourt—he’s the Marquess of Clermont now, but he wasn’t then—Herbert Villiers, Viscount Brunton, and a gentleman named Radcliffe. Oh, and a Colonel Phillips, of the 34th—cousin to Earl Wallenberg."

"Duels, do you mean? And did you fight them all?"

"Certainly. Well—not Villiers, because he caught a chill on the liver and died before I could, but otherwise… but that’s beside the point." Hal caught himself and shook his head to clear it. Evening was coming on, and the offshore breeze was brisk. He wrapped his cloak about his body and nodded toward the town.

"Let’s go. The tide’s coming in and I’m dining with Sir Henry in half an hour."


Click to go to my Book Nine webpage for more excerpts…


Excerpt originally posted on my official Facebook page on February 19, 2016.

Your brief comments are welcome about this post! But please note that they are subject to my approval; I read them all. So it may take a while for your comment to appear, depending on my schedule.

4 Responses »

  1. Dear DIANA,
    I am such a fan. Very anxiously awaiting this next one . When???? I have introduced so many to Jamie and Claire, including my children, friends, husband, etc!!! Thank you so much for the pleasure of reading (and rereading) these books!! I think you are amazing!!

    • No need to publish this – just wanted to say to Loretta that your response to Carole’s question was so complete and full of resources. While it may look like advertising for Starz and publishers, for Obsessenachs like me (who already knew all of the info, because I am -healthily- obsessed), it’s nice to see all of our options on one page while we wait. You’re doing your job well.

  2. Note: Not related to the newest book. I’m still happily waiting for the book to be written about Black Brian Fraser, Ellen MacKenzie, and Murtaugh. Please don’t hate me; I’m not trying to add pressure to your writing schedule. Since I first read about that forthcoming book, I’ve looked forward to it.

    Related to the upcoming book. It’s going to be interesting to see the contact between Jenny Murray and Roger MacKenzie, since they had some contact last book, Jenny being so young, and of course in her eyes Roger will not have aged much since their contact at Lallybroch.

    Diana, thanks so much for all the hours and hours of enjoyment.

  3. They generally do not come out off thir places in the morning.

    But we do have some geckos roaming outside our house and I am
    happy they arre there. In modern Amerucan parlance, the two words are used almost interchangeably.

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