A new book by the co-creator of "OUTLANDER: The Musical"

I got an email recently from Mike Gibb, co-creator of "OUTLANDER: The Musical" (more on that below!), who asked me to pass along this announcement about a new book he's just published:

SONGS OF NORTH EAST SCOTLAND -- and the stories that inspired them

A new book by author Mike Gibb, who co-wrote Outlander the Musical, has just been published to raise money for the Bianca Animal Shelter of which Diana Gabaldon is an Ambassador.

One of the chapters in the book focuses on the fascinating story of how the first ever dramatisation of the Outlander books came to pass and includes some interesting photographs including one of the original Jamie and Claire (Allan Scott-Douglas and Sue Robertson) and a never before seen photo of a tartan-bedecked Diana with Mike at the Tartan Day Parade in Aberdeen.

The book is now available in the USA as a Kindle ebook priced at $6.99 and at an equivalent price in Canada, Australia, Europe and elsewhere.

Currently the book is only available as a paperback in the UK. If anyone there wants to order a copy (£7.99 plus £2.00 postage per order) they can do so by contacting Mike at mikegibb32@outlook.com, and paying through PayPal to that address.

Proceeds from all sales will go to the Bianca charity. For further information about the work of the shelter, which rescued some 415 dogs and cats in 2023 and found new homes for the majority of them, check out their website at https://bianca.pt/english/. If anyone wants to learn more about Bianca and their work, please contact Mike at the email address above.

If you like Scottish folk songs, I think you'll enjoy SONGS OF NORTH EAST SCOTLAND. You'll learn the stories behind a number of traditional Scottish songs, including "MacPherson's Lament" (which Roger sang at the Celtic Festival in DRUMS OF AUTUMN chapter 4) and "The Braes of Killiecrankie" (which he sang for the crowd at Fraser's Ridge in THE FIERY CROSS chapter 24).

And yes, there's a chapter about OUTLANDER: The Musical!

What is "OUTLANDER: The Musical"?



For those of you who don't know, "OUTLANDER: The Musical" was a collection of 14 songs by Kevin Walsh and Mike Gibb that was released on CD in 2010, a few years before anyone knew there would be a TV series. This musical "song-cycle" tells the story of the first book in the OUTLANDER series, staying reasonably close to the spirit of Diana Gabaldon's books and characters. To my knowledge, the musical was performed live only once, in Scotland in 2010, and plans for a wider release were scrapped around the time that the TV series was announced. The official "OUTLANDER: The Musical" website shut down years ago, but it's archived on the Wayback Machine here if you're curious. (Mike Gibb gave me permission to share the link.)



The CD is hard to find these days (although there are a few copies available on Amazon, eBay, and other sites), but here's a sample of the songs that will give you a good overview. (The video was made by my friend Michelle Moore, a longtime OUTLANDER fan.) Some of these songs, like "Could I Surrender My Heart", hold up very well to repeated listening. And "Is tu fuil 'o mo chuislean", the Gaelic version of the blood vow at Jamie and Claire's wedding, is really lovely. Look here for the lyrics to all of the songs on the CD. My reaction to the songs is here if you're interested.

Some of you may recall Allan Scott-Douglas, who sang the part of Jamie Fraser in the musical, from his narration of the audiobook of Diana Gabaldon's novella, "Virgins". He has Jamie's height and build, and a beautiful singing voice!

Mike Gibb has always been very gracious and appreciative of OUTLANDER fans. If you're interested in Scottish folk music, please consider buying a copy of his new book!