New Pub Date for Outlander Book #8: June 10, 2014

On November 12, Diana Gabaldon announced that publishing would be delayed for book number eight in the Outlander series, Written in My Own Heart's Blood (AKA MOBY). This caused Mass Confusion and Uproar all over Facebook and Twitter. I was astounded at the outrage of some people. Apparently it had escaped their attention that Herself has been quite busy lately. But I absolutely loved Gabaldon's response to one upset fan. She definitely got the final word, as she should:

Disgruntled fan: "Clear the calendar you chose to clutter, and finish your book when you promised. you're behaving like an Irishman."

Diana Gabaldon: "All I _ever_ promise is the best book I can write. And that's what you'll get, whether you like it or not. <g>"

I heart her!

She didn't have to do this, but when Gabaldon announced the necessary decision to push back release of MOBY, she posted a list of reasons why. Bless her! Read what she said about that on her blog.

Then on November 15, a new pub date was announced. MOBY will be released in the U.S. on June 10, 2014. I have no problem with this. It's a big book, I'm sure. The pub date was only pushed back by, what, three months or so? Big deal. I honestly expected it to be longer than that. And anyway, she's super busy right now, with all the hubbub of the show's filming. Right? And all that other big-time author-y stuff she has to do. Rumor has it that the TV show will premiere sometime in the summer, so why not have the publication of MOBY coincide with that? Makes sense to me. But the bottom line is, I want her best work. And I'm glad she's determined to give us just that.

Read Gabaldon's own words on her blog post about the delay and the new publish date. She also answers questions about pub dates in other countries.