Monday 26 September 2011

Captain Jack? Really?

I have some strange idea's sometimes and I've been pondering this particular possible casting idea for a while now.  I mentioned it to my husband and was expecting his usual "you need to get a life" speech but instead he replied with "Hell Yeah!" so I thought I may be onto something.  My husband's initial reading of Outlander coincided with our mega Torchwood DVD feast so it came as no surprise when he insisted on referring to Black Jack Randall as Captain Jack. I know it was simply to annoy me but it fuelled my idea. 


So does anyone else think that John Barrowman would make a great Black Jack Randall / Frank actor?  He looks good in a WWII uniform (although that might not be needed if it follows the books), he would look really cute ... I mean evil,  as a redcoat and he is talented enough to do the duel role to perfection. One of the beauties of having John Barrowman play the parts would be that he's a pro at playing both nasty and nice. I have always seen Frank as one of the traditionally handsome hero that used to be on the silver screen during the 40's with dark hair and a chiseled face and this pretty much sums up John Barrowman's appearance to me.

On the downside the idea of having a Scot play an English role seems a little strange but I'm sure he can manage an English accent without much trouble.  We all know that John has no problem with nudity or delving into the cutting edge of what is and what isn't acceptable on the screen so I can't see him having issues over the Wentworth scenes. As long as he doesn't make either Frank or Jack Randall sing showtunes I'm all for it!

Are you going to savour them or devour them?

The next few months will soon be over and whilst I don't want to wish my life away both Scottish Prisoner and Lord John and the Plague of Zombies will be gracing my doormat before you can say "Dinna Fash, Sassenach!". Although I haven't even ordered them yet but that's another story.

I'm really curious where other people stand on this as my normal way of reading a Diana Gabaldon book is to ignore the rest of my family and devour the whole thing from start to finish but afterwards it leaves me feeling slightly depraved as I'm always left wanting more and my kids spend a few days wondering what happened to me. (They do have a Dad to look after them I'm not really neglecting them!).

My challenge this time to it .... wait for it ... read the new books slowly so that I can savour every last word! My theory is that if I read them slowly then I will get far more out of the story and that way the gap between the new Lord John books and Written will be shorter. 

Well that's what I'm going to do in theory but this is from the woman who had torn off the packaging of Snow and  Ashes and read the first page between picking it up at the post office and getting into the car which was parked approximately 10 yards away.

Patience is a virtue but apparently I have none!

Monday 5 September 2011

Written With My Heart's Own Blood

Pardon?  I hear you cry! Well it seems that Diana Gabaldon has finally come up with a title for the much awaited "book eight" and so it's officially going to be called "Written With My Heart's Own Blood".   Now it's the first book she has written whose title bears a first person perspective so at this stage we aren't quite sure whose blood we are talking about.

Over on compuserve she says "...  the Gaelic endearment "A chuisle" (pronounced--I'm told--"acushla")--which we've heard/seen in the books before--actually _means_ "my heart's blood."  Used of a child, usually."

Therefore I can only conclude that the story emphasis's the relationship between parents and their children and I can certainly see that this subject will be infused greatly in Written With My Heart's Own Blood, or WWMHOB as it's bound to get called sooner or later!  The end of An Echo in the Bone left us with William not knowing which way was up after finding out that his natural father was actually a rebel Scottish highlander rather than the genteel English gentleman he has always been lead to believe plus we also have Roger being forced to leave his wife and daughter behind in order to search for Jem who he thinks has been whisked away into the past by Rob Cameron.  In addition of course there are many other parent and child relationships thoughout the story which will link in with the new title.

I just have to say ..... SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

Edit: Just to add the name is now officially "Written in my own heart's blood" not much of a difference but a difference none the less!