Written in My Own Hearts Blood

        A few years ago I was introduced to the Outlander series written by Diana Gabaldon. I was told to read the books already written in order and found, to my relief, that there were four books already in print and a fifth was soon to be published. I began with Outlander, raced to the library for the next, Dragonfly in Amber, and went to Barnes and Noble for the third and fourth, Voyager and Drums of Autumn. It took me about six weeks to read these wonderfully long novels that defy genre. I read at every opportunity and remember distinctly feeling out of time as I looked up from the written page at my surroundings on Kiawah with the sounds of surf and the girls playing nearby.
        I made a point of purchasing the fifth book, The Fiery Cross, on the day of publication and re-entered the world of Jamie and Claire for a couple of weeks. I had to wait a couple of years for the 6th book, A Breath of Snow and Ashes, and even longer for the seventh book, An Echo in the Bone. I was so disappointed when Diana left me with a cliffhanger at the end of Echo as I knew it would be a while before the next book was published.
        I've reread the series once, I listened to Outlander, Dragonfly in Amber and Voyager on CD, I've even walked and biked the paths of Ocracoke looking for Bree, Roger, and the children's steps through time. I've checked out Compuserve, and become a fan of the STARZ production of Outlander - soon to give me a reason to watch TV again.
        Four long years later, the eighth book, Written in My Own Hearts Blood, was published. MOBY, as it is known, debuted at the top of the NY Times bestsellers list. I was not the only reader eager for more in the saga of some of my favorite fictional characters. I decided to read this book slowly as I know it will be a long time before the 9th book (yes, Diana says the story is not finished) is written and published. I savored every word and took about 4 weeks to read this book. I normally read two to three books a week (I don't care much for TV) so I really took my time, rereading some of the historical passages as they added such a nuanced feeling to the times, and find that this is probably the best so far of the series.
         I do have to wait for the next installment, but the ending of MOBY was so satisfactory that the story, if it has to end, could do so at this point. I do not have to wait long for an Outlander fix as the STARZ series, a production of Ron Moore, begins airing on August 9th. You can bet I will be home watching TV that Saturday night!