I do hope you write, even if it’s only a quick missive to tell me to bug off. It’s just that now, this thing that has been woken, I can’t seem to lull it back to sleep.
Warm regards,
Sybil Stone Van Antwerp
17 Farney Road
Arnold, Maryland
21012
USA
Ms. Diana Gabaldon
8930 North Muir Circle
Scottsdale, AZ 85262
February 2, 2017
Dear Ms. Gabaldon,
I am writing to tell you I have just had the surprise of a lifetime and that is, namely, reading your book,Outlander. Here is what happened: I have two good friends, Trudy and Millie, whom I have known for more than three decades and with whom I share an ongoing discourse on literature. Our tastes do not always coincide; my preference is for modern literary fiction and nonfiction, and occasionally the classics of the 1800s to 1900s. Trudy reads Christian fiction and historical fiction (specifically pertaining to the Revolutionary War, Civil War, and great World War eras). Millie likes the classics best, but also some mainstream fiction and that is more whatever Oprah or Reese Witherspoon recommends, or what is on the table at Costco when she goes on Thursday mornings. I’m getting too deep in the weeds. My point is that I mentioned to the birds (those friends) that I was wanting to read something regarding Scotland, particularly set up in the Highlands, and Millie asked if I’d read your first book,Outlander. I had not, and Trudy chimed in, rather blushing and echoing back, yes, had I read it? They both had, though they didn’t know they both had and, in fact, they had both read all eight of the novels in your series, and I asked why neither of them had ever mentioned the series to me. Trudy was turning about as red as fresh sunburn, but Millie (you’d love her, absolutely no shame whatsoever, she is from Long Island) looked me dead in the eyes and said, THERE’S LOTS OF SEX. It wasn’t the next day Trudy was dropping her paperback copy at my front porch and I was finishing another book (Stonerby John Williams, a third read for me), so it was perfect timing and I tucked right in.
Well. I read all day, skipped garden club, read into the night, woke in the morning, and read all the next morning, finished the book the weight of a doorstop that night and stepped onto my back porch like an opossum blinking blearily. “Lots of sex,” as it turns out, was understated, and I’ll not pretend I didn’t enjoy it, though there were some of the violent bits I admit I skipped over, my word. But it was the PLACE. From the comfort of my reading chair, my feet on the ottoman, the light on at my head, my tea, I’ve been positively delivered into the interior of Scotland. How can I thank you? And the history, too, and the wonderful characters, and the storytelling I loved. I loved the book, AND, as it turns out, I have a special connection to Fort William discovered rather recently, which made the history the more interesting to me. The character of Claire was very relatable to me (I am rather an unfiltered person). It was such a pleasant surprise, and still seven books to go!
Will you continue to add to the series? Are you a historian? You seem to know such a great deal about the history of Scotland and the dynamics with England. It makes you rather hate the British does it not? And did you begin as a writer or a historian? I’d love to hear from you, if you are the letter-writing sort. Most are not, but every once in a while I strike oil.
Warm regards,
Sybil Van Antwerp
Mr. George Lucas
?LucasFilm Ltd.
Letterman Digital Arts Center
1 Letterman Dr.
Presidio of San Francisco, CA 94129
February 24, 2017
Dear Mr. Lucas,
I hope this letter finds you in good health. Typically when writing a letter to a celebrity I have a great deal to say, but in this case I find myself at a bit of a disadvantage because I have never seen the Star Wars movies. I feel foolish here, knowing they are an American institution, it’s just that I rarely watch television and I don’t enjoy science fiction, but I’m sure your work is very, very good to have rendered you so extremely successful.
I am crossing my fingers that your staff has passed along this message in a bottle I am rather chucking into the Pacific. I am an old woman and I find myself in a strange situation of hosting a high school-aged boy at my house for a few months. This child is extremely intelligent, but he is deeply sad. He is not my grandson, but you might assume he was if you saw us together. He has come to stay with me in order to convalesce from a suicide attempt (I hope you will keep this sensitive information in confidence), but he is VERY clever. He’s been accepted to Stanford, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard, and maybe someplace else, and these acceptances are to do with his comprehension in mathematics, I believe.
Getting to my reason for writing: Over the past few years Harry has been working on a book. As a matter of fact, I think it’s more like he’s been working on creating a world—there are notebooks upon notebooks of information. He has begun to weave it all together into a story and just this week the boy passed me about 140 pages of material. I was astounded. I knew he wrotestories, but I didn’t have any idea the scope of the endeavor. It’svery good, remarkably creative, and with a powerful quality of intrigue really from the first page. Tremendous. Not being a creative myself, I have nothing to contribute, but I thought of you. I read an interview you gave several years ago and you seemed lovely, just a regular man talking about raising your children. I’ve always remembered that, and so I thought I would reach out and see if you might simply write to Harry. He idolizes your work. Give him a bit of encouragement to keep on with it, you know. It would be wonderful if you would do that for him (without, of course, it goes without saying, mentioning that I told you he tried to kill himself).
Harry (Landy is his surname) will be here with me until summer, or you can write to him at his home:
98 Dumbarton St. NW
