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What’s your Outlander story?

By I. A. Melton

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I have spoken to many Outlander fans, and one thing we all have in common is a story of our introduction to Outlander. It could be from a friend loaning us the book or a great review we read.

As dull as that may sound for some people, for an Outlander fan, it is like talking about a first love. I do have a confession to make to all of our Claire and Jamie readers.

I did not become an Outlander fan like many of the traditional fans. I did not have to wait three, or four years for a new book. I cheated. I saw the first few episodes of the Starz TV show. I was hooked.

I have a slight addiction to TV shows. I have been a fan of primetime TV shows since the days of Punky Brewster, Doogie Howser, M.D. and Gimme A Break. I spend an exorbitant amount of time and effort creating Excel spreadsheets to deconflict my DVR.

Yes, the struggle is real. When I am not watching TV, I love to read books. I am not choosey when it comes to the type of books I read. I like to read just for the love of reading a good story. I tend to steer away from a book series with too many books. I’m sure I have missed out on some exceptional book series but I know after the third book I lose interest in the storyline, or it has become predictable.

I had been told by my friend and fellow book reader friends to read Outlander. The book had already a huge following and in 2009, Diana Gabaldon had published the seventh book in the series. The thought of reading seven books was overwhelming. I was not ready to make that type of commitment.

In 2013, Starz announced they would be producing aTV show based on the Outlander books. I did not get as excited about the news as some super fans who have been speculating for years which actors they would cast as our hero couple, Claire and Jamie.

Starz premiered the first trailer for the TV show Outlander in the summer of 2014, and it almost broke the Starz website and sent fans into shock. I must have watched the trailer fifty times; purely for scientific reasons. It didn’t look like anything I had ever watched on TV.

I knew this show would be a monster hit. The first episode of Outlander premiered August 9th, and I knew I had to read Outlander. The very next night I bought the first Outlander and never looked back.

For the next two and a half months, the Outlander books consumed every free moment of my life. I never had a book speak to me in such a profound and personal level. Thankfully, the producers have invested a lot of time and effort in making season one a near perfect book to TV show translation.

We want to hear from Outlander fans. Share with us your Outlander story in the comment section below. Follow Claire and Jamie.com on twitter or sign up for email updates.

Next: Ten Reasons To Love Outlander

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