Outlander in the city, Dinner with Diana Gabaldon in Scottsdale

Outlander Homepage Originals by Dorianne Panich


Outlander in the city charity events..

Its been a long time since I was a fangirl. Maybe at 13 years old during the Andy Gibb heart throb era of the late 70's.

In fact, when I was about 18 years old, I went with a friend Lorraine, to see Rod Stewart in concert at the Amphitheater on Long Island beach and that was the only time I had ever seen a fangirl upclose as an adult. She lost her breath and cried at the stages edge, when Rod came over to her singing, 'Tonights the night! I thought someone kicked her... She said something came over her, she couldnt control herself!  She said she had never expected that to happen! (Neither did I) She was a fangirl!

I have also watched in recent years, the ladies lose their composure (I overheard one say "Lost her refinement") at our other Outlander in the city dinner events! The Outlander show cast would enter, which was anticipated for as long as the fan had her hands on a ticket and depending on their favorite actor walking in the door, the "fangirling" in the fan would take over! Its when you cannot formulate coherently, put together sentences and have sweaty palms or worse and much more obvious, are hyperventilating.... even tears!

It was curious to me because I wasn't sure why these beautiful upscale ladies couldn't control their exuberance.

Fast forward to the Scottsdale dinner that our events page organized last weekend for Diana Gabaldon (with just a few fans attending) and I can tell you I experienced all the things I've described from other fangirls, the very second she walked in to the restaurant. Yes I fangirled! It was unexpected, I had no idea what to say, I stared, I giggle, I got sweaty, and made every "oh my God" face I could possibly, all while trying to keep this behind her back! I felt what I was doing. I could see myself from above! I could not stop! Now I know all these years later, what my friend Lorraine meant, she couldnt control herself...

I will say, I have been speaking to Diana (social media) over the years, dating back to her Compuserve forum. I have also "seen" her at the panels, conventions and book forums.. I set up this and the other dinner events for personal access to the cast, in an atmosphere where we ladies are dressed, happy, and in a cocktail setting, not to have to stand in a line for hours hoping to get an autograph.  That is not the way I wanted to meet the artists on our favorite show nor be seen by them.  So this event for me was one of the highlights of being in the Outlander fandom, after all, Diana is... Herself! She is every character and they are her! She is my Outlander experience!

So to fangirl and lose moments of time because when your nerves are peaked everything becomes surreal, the memories are blurred and I found myself the next day saying, "oh I missed that, or, "what did she say? Well, maybe next time I'll find my "refinement"!

All in all Diana was everything I knew she would be, gracious, sweet, soft spoken, informative, and brilliant! I think the ladies who attended got a -long- few moments of personal time with her too, lots of photos and we all had a great time in Scottsdale for a great charity!


The arrival...  Poison Pen book store in Old town..






Meeting old friends and a few new ones, cocktail arrival dinner





Texans Tina and Tamela made a video



Dinner at The Old Tortilla factory













The fans, the food, the company....












































with Diana Gabaldon


























































Our group shot




And yes, my fangirl moment



Our last dinner, bye bye Arizona



Collectively we donated $2500.00 to Diana's chosen charity, NPH USA


Honorable mentions



Thank you Roma Sars for working with me for the gifts...  We love our scarves.


https://www.etsy.com/shop/OutlanderScarvesArt



Our giveaway won by Toni Blide





GiddyUp!



Pro photos by Laura Acuto and Lori Sterns



And our resident writer Nancy McGhee Fontenot

A Gathering with Herself


Outlander Homepage originals, written by Nancy McGehee Fontenot



Every avid reader has a favorite author. Yet while reading, re-reading or languidly perusing the dogeared pages of those beloved books, one rarely thinks about meeting the person who wrote the words that mean so much. At least, I never did... until two weeks ago.

I love to write, and have imagined myself to one day be a famous best selling novelist, but more than anything, I just enjoy creating stories, characters, and putting it all down on paper. I've never really had much confidence in my writing. I never gave it the merit it deserves, always treating the talent I've been told I have, as a hobby or whimsy. Until I discovered the Outlander novel series, I had mostly thought of my writing as a waste of time, equivalent to spending hours scrolling social media.
As I devoured each of Diana's epic tomes, I became more and more inspired by her and what she'd accomplished with a story line, that basically began with her admiring a kilted actor in a Dr. Who episode.  So, when I was offered the opportunity to meet my literary hero in person, only death itself was going to keep me from it! Lucky for me, my husband and biggest fan, decided to turn the planned event in Diana's hometown of Scottsdale Arizona, into the vacation of a lifetime.

Before I go any further, I have to say thank you to Dorianne Panich, who brought me into the Outlander Homepage family, and through her brilliance, chutzpah and dedication, I've been able to be a part of something so special and amazing, it's almost surreal. Not only have I enjoyed bucket list experiences because of Dorianne, I've also made a true friend, who has connected me to others I call friend as well.  While it seems the majority of the Outlander fandom is focused on the television series, let's not forget it all started with Diana's novel series. Every Outlander fan owes gratitude to those eight books, and the woman who penned them.



The weekend began with a meet and greet dinner at the hotel on the Friday night, prior to the event, and the camaraderie was instant. It was so great to see friendly faces from previous events again, and put faces with names of those only known through social media. It felt like a family reunion as folks caught up with old friends, discovered new ones, and of course dished about everyone's favorite topic... Outlander! The husbands all hit it off, and it was really nice to just kick back after a long day of traveling and relax with such a diverse, interesting group of people. It was the perfect ending to a stressful day and the perfect start of a most amazing weekend.

Now, if you've ever organized or planned a major event of any size, you must know that something can and will go wrong. It's just how life works. But, I can honestly say that in spite of a few glitches, the evening went beautifully. The event Gods were smiling down on us. The weather was perfect, the restaurant staff was very accommodating, everyone was happy and excited. The anticipation was palpable, and when Diana Gabaldon walked in I think everyone there pinched themselves to make sure it was really happening. I know I did! I think Diana Gabaldon is the first person I've ever seen light up a room...outside! She just glows with a radiant, welcoming spirit that instantly puts you at ease. I didn't exactly fangirl, but I did have an inner squee moment that thankfully passed quickly.

Dorianne and I worked out logistics with the help of Roma Sars, and made sure each person at both tables got to spend time talking to Diana.  When I got my chance, I had to mentally collect myself, gather my wits, because I had so many questions about random topics. How to not be overly sensitive and possessive over my work, screen writing compared to novel writing, character building, the book posts I have planned for droughtlander on the homepage, what kind of plant is this, how do you figure out what character to kill off, and how they die, methods for remembering plot twists that come into play later into the story, her favorite character, books...my mind was a mad ramble! I just wanted to pick her brain for every morsel of literary advice, and knowledge. I prayed I wouldn't simply sit, stare, and drool like a brainless idiot. Through some divine intervention I was coherent, although, considering the noise level in the place coherent is a questionable term. Diana, if you are reading this and I screeched in your ear, I sincerely apologize. Anyway, we had a nice chat, and she answered my rapid fire questions, as I babbled them off out of fear of taking more than my share of her time.

Diana and I both agree, that screen writing is not to our liking.  I have taken a screenwriting class, and she of course has written an episode for the show.  It's all dialogue, and action, and removes the pleasure in painting a picture through words that is novel writing. I also asked her if she had a favorite character, which in afterthought is probably a tough question considering all the complex people that populate all eight novels. She graciously replied her favorite character is whoever's head she is in at the moment, and earlier in the day, she and Claire had spent some time together. Her favorite novel is whichever one she is currently working on, which makes sense to me, as I understand the excitement in crafting something new, so "Bees" is it.

I also told her about the articles I was planning for the current droughtlander, focusing on her books. I explained that it's the Homepage's goal to lure more fans to read the books.  Diana smiled knowingly as I recounted the first piece posted about Frank, and how he is still very relevant, albeit posthumously.  She heartily agreed, which just tickle me to death. As I began to wrap up my visit with her, I told her how much her books have meant to me, and to others, particularly during hard times. I thanked her for her amazing legacy appreciated by millions worldwide.

On a final note, I confided when I have writers block, or doubt my literary ability, I pick up one of her novels, and immerse myself in the characters she has given such 3-D humanity, in hopes of perhaps mastering the same art. Diana Gabaldon then said the nicest, most sincerely encouraging thing I will never forget, "Of course you can do that."  Diana Gabaldon is one of the most gracious, attentive, intelligent, and interesting people I've ever met. Warm, funny, completely devoid of pretense, always poised, and very personable, she is the epitome of grace, and class. Meeting my literary hero was everything, and more, than I ever imagined in my wildest dreams.



Lastly, I have got to dedicate a few sentences to Diana's home state, which is a geological wonder. I was dumbfounded by the lushness of the desert, and immediately fell in love with the landscape, especially in Scottsdale/Phoenix. The towering Saguaro, silvery sage brush, bougainvillea, mesquite, prickly pear, plus numerous other cacti, all interspersed with pink and white flowering trees, was just incredible. Later in the trip, as we traveled north to Flagstaff, (Diana's home turf) the cacti turned into mountain forests of Ponderosa Pine, hemlocks, and fields of wildflowers, all blended into a backdrop of rocks that are just as colorful, and often prettier than all the plant life itself! My husband Pete, actually told Diana he loved the local landscape so much, he was going to gravel the backyard, and make his own desert oasis. He even offered to cook her his famous gumbo, should she ever visit Baton Rouge. Of course, that is fodder for a whole other story!








Page produced by Dorianne Panich 

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