Fans of New York Times best selling author Diana Gabaldon will have the chance to meet one of the historical fiction genre’s most beloved writers when she returns to the Fergus Scottish Festival & Highland Games this year.
Gabaldon, whose wildly popular Outlander series tells the story of Jamie Fraser, a Scottish Highlander from the 18th century, and his time-traveling wife Claire, has been a regular visitor to the festival since 1997. The Outlander series, which also includes Dragonfly in Amber, Voyager, Drums of Autumn and The Fiery Cross, is considered a masterpiece of its kind – her last book, A Breath of Snow and Ashes, opened in the top spot on the bestseller lists of four countries, and won both a Quill Award and the Corine International literary prize for fiction.
Once again, Gabaldon is the key speaker in the Fergus Scottish Festival & Highland Games’ author series. Throughout the three-day festival, she’ll give a daily lecture and be available to sign copies of her books. Though her latest offering, An Echo in the Bone, won’t be released until September, her publisher is providing advance copies of excerpts from the books, with the original cover art and a letter from the author.
Gabaldon will make three appearances in the Genealogy and Education tent during the festival: Friday, 3:30 p.m. – 4:15 p.m.; Saturday, 1 p.m. – 2 p.m. and Sunday, noon to 1 p.m.
Other speakers in the genealogy tent include Heavy Events competitor Kevin Fast on “How to pull 63 tons, and other interesting things,” Sheena McKenna on Gaelic language, Waterloo Region Record journalist Robert Reid on Celtic spirituality and Dr. Kevin James, from the department of history and Scottish studies at the University of Guelph. For a full list of presenters, visit www.fergusscottishfestival.com.
