Anyone who’s a serious fan of Outlander (as in people like me who have Outlander Obsessive Disorder a relatively new form of OCD) likely has her own story/stories of obsession. In fact, I’ve read a lot of them on Tumblr and Facebook. Mine has to do with an almost lifesized Jamie Fraser cardboard cutout. But let me start at the beginning…
On Dec. 26, 2014, I was just another middle-aged working woman. On Dec. 27, 2015, I started reading the Outlander book series, and for all intents and purposes, went through the stones. Because life as I knew it has never been the same.
I had had the book on my reading list for a while but for some reason had put it off. Then my friend — we’ll call her Anne to protect the guilty since she figures prominently in the kidnapping — called a few weeks after the Starz show began airing and left me this voice message: “Are you watching Outlander? You have to watch this show! It’s so YOU!! Call me.”
Now I’m a bit of a book purist — I would not let my daughter watch the iconic Gregory Peck To Kill a Mockingbird movie until she read the book, and I’m a serious fan of both. I called Anne, who raved for about two minutes about the show and, um, yes, the lead actors and, um, yes, the romance and sex (maybe not in that order). But I told her I was going to read the book first.
By page 30, I was gone. As in 100 percent waking-up-at-5:30 a.m-to-read obsessed. I took personal days from work to read. I stopped talking to my family. The dog looked at me with doleful eyes wondering why we no longer took walks more than five minutes.
But the book was just the beginning. After I finished Outlander, I watched the show and my obsession moved from to an 11. I joined Tumblr solely to follow the innumerable bloggers creating Outlander GIFs and screenshots and posts — and then checked the feed multiple times daily. I created an Outlander list on my Twitter feed. I joined Facebook groups, including one dedicated to Outlander knitwear. And, of course, I rewatched the show countless times, all while plowing through the books for the first time. (I finished Written in my Own Heart’s Blood in April, waited about 10 days, couldn’t stand life without Outlander, and started rereading. To date I’ve reread books one through three.)
Which brings us to the kidnapping.
Barnes & Noble ran a national Outlander event in early July. My local B&N had a sign-up table where you could register to win a copy of The Outlandish Companion, the first eight episodes on DVD and, the lifesized Jamie Fraser cutout standing at the display. My neighbor, one of my many Outlander converts, went with me. We had one mission: We were going to win. Failure was not an option.
So we did what any self-respecting Outlander fan would do. We stuffed the ballot box. We filled out dozens of registrations, after first making it clear to a couple of the sales people running the event that really there was no point looking at any of the other ballots. One of us was winning, end of story. I already owned The Outlandish Companion (you’re surprised to learn this, I know) so my neighbor and I agreed, she could have the book. I would get the DVD set and Jamie.
Forty-eight hours later I got the call. I’d won! I hightailed it to the store and picked up Jamie and made my fatal mistake. I posted this image on Facebook with this comment: “Look who’s visiting me Anne.”
Anne’s daughter commented within seconds. “Mom is going to plotz when she sees this!” “I know” I gleefully wrote back. And then I went upstairs to work.
Fast forward a couple of hours. I am writing and my phone suddenly buzzes. I’ve got a text from Anne. I open it and there is an image of Jamie in bed. Anne is lying next to him smirking. The text: “Now it’s just a question of ransom.”
What? How did she get Jamie? I walk downstairs to the hearth, where Jamie had been standing watch. Empty. I head to the porch where my sons sit. “Where’s Jamie?” “Anne came and took him.”Apparently they are more afraid of Anne than me.
But there was no time for dealing with them. I needed to save Jamie.
I hopped in my car and drove to Anne’s house. I parked my car behind some bushes near her home and snuck into her garage where I grabbed a few whiffle ball bats. You can’t go into a battle unarmed. Then I snuck up to her kitchen door, where I saw Jamie standing at the far end of the galley kitchen near her front door.
I knew her front door would be unlocked so I snuck under the kitchen windows along the front porch. I reached the front door. Jamie was within reach! All I had to do was quietly open the screen and grab him. I could be back in my car before Anne knew what had happened.
There was just one little glitch. Anne’s grandson stood a few feet away from Jamie. I motioned to him to be quiet and then opened the door. I had my hands on Jamie when Anne rounded the corner. “You can’t have him!” I yelled — at which point we began dueling with the bats, laughing hysterically.
And that, my fellow Outlanders, is part of the beauty of these books and this show. For one sweet summer afternoon, two middle-aged women who have plenty of issues in their “real” lives were transported back in time to when they were 10, the days of hide-and-seek and capture the flag and playing with friends. For one delicious moment, the stones were, indeed, real.
This is hysterical and one of my favorites posts yet! A classic. My friends and I have a similar running saga that involves Pocket Jamie. We adore him and take him everywhere. One of the husbands, however, has another idea of PJ's fate. He continually puts him in compromising positions and sends ransom photos – dangling over a pot of boiling water, crushed by heavy objects, in the dog food bowl, you name it. We're going to need a life-size Jamie now. I think life-size Jamie could take the husband.
Janet! This is fantastic!!! How many of us have this school girl crush thing on all of Outlander, and especially Jamie? What I wouldnt have done to have been a fly on the wall!
Janet! This is fantastic!!! How many of us have this school girl crush thing on all of Outlander, and especially Jamie? What I wouldnt have done to have been a fly on the wall!
Thank you so much! I love Pocket Jamie and follow someone on Instagram who posts him all over the place. So funny. Love the ransom photo idea. Better not let my husband hear that. 🙂
Thank you! It was a pretty funny running sage on my Facebook page too as it unfolded, complete with a friend in Albany saying she was going to get on her horse and ride down to save him. I just didn't have room for all the hijinks.
this. is. awesome 🙂
You totally made my friday! I laughed soo hard. Similar story;
I heard about the TV series first, then started with the books in October 2014. Finished with MOBY around May (including all the Lord John book and novellas. I have so far reread book 1- 5. It is difficult to keep up with Outlander fandom, a fulltime job, two teenagers and one husband, but I try my best???? I'm Swedish, so reading in English does take a little extra time. Not that I'm complaining, it's the perfect way to practice ones English!
I'm in book 5 for the first time. My doctor and I trade book reads and she said she loved them for 2-3 books but gave up because she could figure out what was coming. Whaaaa? I am still loving it and can't wait to finish the series and reread. Sadly I don't have a Jamie cutout. Only an Orlando Bloom, but my daughter might have that in her apartment. (It was hers, not mine.) This Deb, Jake. I don't know how to post as me.
oh, I guess I did. 🙂
"On Dec. 26, 2015"….maybe you meant 2014????
So glad you enjoyed this. I am so impressed by your reading speed! I thought I was fast! And as a second language!
Oh you're right. ???? unless I traveled to the future?
Maybe Jamie and Orlando can meet one day 🙂
What fun,loved & laughed at this story,I'm also obsessed with Outlander&Jamie of course,rereading the books up to Echo in the Bone again,so looking forward to season 2.,Thanks for the delightful story&good laugh,Janet!
What fun,loved & laughed at this story,I'm also obsessed with Outlander&Jamie of course,rereading the books up to Echo in the Bone again,so looking forward to season 2.,Thanks for the delightful story&good laugh,Janet!
Phew sorry about the double publishing!
Your Outlander friends are right obviously:)
Thank YOU so much for your kind words!
Funny post. I've got my pocket Jamie and Claire already for my next trip. Not sure I could live with a life-size Jamie. Friends and co-workers are waiting to do an intervention, but my Outlander friends insist they don't see a problem.
VERRA funny story!! …..have fun with him….my family has been sending the same ugly worn out scribbled out and resigned birthday card to each other for years…..its the fun moments like those that fill life.
Love that idea of resending a card. I just started something I'm calling Operation Troll. My roommate's son hid a troll in my closet that fell down on me one day. Now I'm hiding it on him…..lots of fun doing those things. I've got a plan for Jamie and my friend, Anne. Stay tuned
Love that idea of resending a card. I just started something I'm calling Operation Troll. My roommate's son hid a troll in my closet that fell down on me one day. Now I'm hiding it on him…..lots of fun doing those things. I've got a plan for Jamie and my friend, Anne. Stay tuned
OMG..So funny and I totally understand, my life has changed completely since finding Outlander 3 weeks ago. I watch it on my laptop, I'm reading the books, have joined every Twitter and FB page dealing with it. It is a true illness, with no relief in sight it seems. LOL…
Ok. I love your blog Janet. I always find something you've written that I identify with. I am sharing only bc of anonymity of course. Well, here goes. I too became obsessive in a matter of hours after stumbling upon the S1 show on stars. I bought the book and got through it in about 2 days. It took me that long only bc I had to use the bathroom, sleep at least three hours, and oh yah go to work. I bought the book with me as if it was my boyfriend. I talked about it to everyone and looked like I went off the deep end. (I had to tone that down). I also have the cardboard Jamie and you have but p ut it away where I can still hug it and pretend it's my boyfriend without the women who clean for me quitting.. Well, this was the turning point. I decided it was time for me to do something about these feelings I thought I was done with. Just very bad divorce, mid fifties, and devoting most time to my teenage daughter. I decided I was not dead inside and should give myself a chance at happiness for me not just those around me. I really think I was depressed and this book/series snapped me out of it. I am scheduled for my gastric sleeve surgery which I told my surgeon must be done by Sept. for obvious resons we all know. I plan to buy a new wardrobe and get my hair colored. The new me!! Never has a book had such an emotional effect on me. I find myself thinking about Jamie and Claire too much. I decided it was time to LIVE in the real world which will make all the insanity and Outlander Obsessive Disorder as you call it sooo worth it.
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I love this story and can easily imagine my.self doing the same, especially stuffing the ballot box.
Last year I got one of those services that allows you to change your VPN and in searching for a TV show I wound up in Canada. This past summer, was unbearable in Tuscany because of climate change. For at least 3 months I could only leave the house very early in the morning and late at night.
The rest of the day was spent with all the windows and shutters closed. In the dark. That’s when I found Outlander on Netflix Canada. When I clicked on the first episode It started about 20 minutes in. That’s when I realized I had started watching it 4 years ago when it was available on Netflix Italy. I stopped watching it because I thought it was stupid. Allow me to explain: I was suffering from a combination of overwhelming grief and PTSD so I wasn’t in my right mind. Obviously.
Well. I started watching it again from the beginning and binged all three seasons. And then I binged them again. I didn’t know about the books. So…..I started downloading on my Kindle. I read all 8 books in a month. Over 7ooo pages. I read until I couldn’t see anymore and then I added another pair of glasses over my Rx glasses and continued reading. My Kindle is old and it would heat up and shut down. Agony! I am now halfway through book 4 again. Diana Gabaldon inspired me to return to writing fiction, abandoned because of clinical depression for years.
To be honest, I find her prose to be soaring and lyrical,inspired, other worldly and inspiring. But there are times when it falls dramatically and becomes banal and in the end, that’s what inspired me to write again. Because I know that if I just SHOW UP and write a lot of it will be rubbish, but some of it will soar. And if I keep going there will be less rubbish.
As for the show….everything about it is superb. I used to work as a reader for film studios and for years worked also in development at Warner Bros and I know quite a bit about the work that goes into bringing a book to the screen. The Outlander writers and producers have done the best work since Lonesome Dove, which was probably the best adaptation I’ve ever seen on TV.
Granted, they are different from each other by a long shot, but the attention to detail, to casting, acting, writing, COSTUMES, sets–everything is of such a high quality that at times it’s breathtaking.
I don’t watch a lot of violence, gory battles and such, but I think my favorite episode is 301–Culloden. Sam Heughan was remarkable. He should have won an Emmy for that alone. He gives 500% to his art. My other favorite episode is the one at Helwater. Another stellar performance.
I think the Emmys give short shrift to Outlander as if they’re embarrassed to give attention to something so wildly popular with intensely devoted fans. It’s rotten and I wish there was something we could do to change that.
OK I’ve babbled on more than anyone else here, but you asked for our stories and this is mine.
This is a wonderful story of discovering Outlander and how it has enriched your life. Thank you so much for sharing! I, too, have read the books multiple times. It never ceases to amaze me each time I pick one up how I get details I had missed or not appreciated in previous readings. I’m also a writer and agree with your comment on DG’s writing….although let’s be honest–there are more wonderful soaring passages than there are duds. Thanks for reading out blog.