Links, Gratitude and Interviews  

Outlander Addict, the site of Aurélie, alias Nighean Donn, is a particularly complete site which offers, among other precious treasures, analyzes of some themes or episodes of the series in video format, translations of English articles or sub- video titles of all kinds.

When I launched into the creation of this site, I had in mind two objectives:

The first was to make sure that it is the most full possible so that the fans are never disappointed. In some way, I wanted to offer the site which I would have liked to find at the time when I searched information on the net.

The second objective was that I can allow a correlation with the readers. I wanted to be able to generate a bilateral distribution, an exchange, a brewing of our feeling and of our cogitation.

And it is for this that it is very important that I take time to thank the persons who helped me, each in their way, to make sure that Dinna Fash Sassenach fills these two objectives with the best possible.

First of all a huge thanks to Sophie Malac and Mary Modica for this job of ant which consists in correcting my errors of orthography and all shells which resist to my numerous rereadings.

One and other one generously offered for this particularly important task that they fulfil very two with an equal kindness. I am immensely thankful to them there.

Thanks also to  Gratianne Garcia  , Françoise Rochet and Claudine Leroy for their titanic work on the history  of heroes and religions in the saga.

Then, one thank you very much to Julia Arlette for the prodigious job which it provided for the constitution of the 3 lexicons which I took back and adapted for the site: the figures, places and the Scottish expressions of literary saga. A small jewel! And one thank you very much also to Mary Goeman who, with a generosity without the similar sends me regularly of photographs, of links and of suggestions of articles which were very often very much useful to me!

And finally, a warm thank you to all the people who agreed to publish an analysis, a testimony, a montage, a dedicated work or the sharing of their private collections in the fan lounge. 

  Marie Modica, Gratianne Garcia, Françoise Rochet, Annec Céline, Lucie Bidouille, Fany Alice,Claudine Leroy, Eloïse Piquet, Martine Thimond, Claire Nedelçu, Céline Liaudet,  Pas-cale, Delphine Robillard, Tim Larribeau, Sonia Rauch, Agnès Blazy, Capsi Lium, Mayté Touvet, Floflette Pellegrin, Stéphane Hersant, Audrey Ollagnier, Michèle Clairebaux, Pitch Mani, Françoise Kozwloski, Sonia Alcaraz, Mélanie Pruvost, Elodie Marni, Charlène Boutiller, Aude Benvenutti, Nadège L.C et Élodi Marni, Julia LeBlanc et Cécilia Benson . 

A newcomer on the web.

Crissy offers us a very complete site, embellished with access to a forum that is waiting for you to come to life! It also offers news in the form of a blog as they arrive on the Net. In short, a new place of sharing that I invite you to visit as soon as possible. 

Outlander Hypnoweb is a community driven site and I think it's a really wonderful idea!
It is an encyclopedic site, a bit like mine which offers various chapters, various files, various information.

Interview by Dominique Constantin for the Facebook group: Sassenachs from Switzerland and elsewhere   

Today, I invite you to meet a woman who has many facets and who puts her talents at the service of others a bit like Claire...

Let's start with the Outlander enthusiast:

1) Tell us in a few lines how your meeting with Outlander went? And why this name?  

Hello Dominique, and hello fans.

My encounter with the saga began with the series a little less than two years ago. I was not doing very well, a little tiredness, a little fever, and especially a lot of time in front of me. I clicked on the title that the Netflix channel had been offering me for a few days and off I went! Suffice to say that I was glued immediately. At the time the channel was in the middle of broadcasting season 4.

Having watched everything and unable to wait until the following week, I resumed the series at its beginning in V.O. Then, again arrived at the end, more feverish than ever, I registered on groups of fans to share my enthusiasm. That's when I learned that the series was based on a literary saga. That evening, I had all the books in my library. I felt like a little girl on Christmas Eve!

I read the 8 volumes without stopping, sometimes until 5 am, it was compulsive! I found the books even more exciting than the series.

At the same time I was in dialogue with other fans and I was looking for everything I could find on the Net. I was very frustrated to see that the dedicated sites were only interested in the first seasons, only the leading roles and above all, talked very little about the work of Diana Gabaldon.

So I decided to create the site I would have liked to find. A site that would be an encyclopedic reference, which would justify the incredible talent of the author, the breathtaking diversity of the subjects covered, the extraordinary team that had allowed the adaptation to the screen.

When it came to naming this site, I hesitated a lot. I wanted there to be a reference to Outlander, but a reference that could only be understood by fans, as a wink, or better, as a rallying sign.

Dinna Fash Sassenach - which is one of the Gaelic phrases Jamie repeated to Claire, and which translates as: "Don't worry foreign" - is the title of my site, not my nickname. I also try to erase myself as much as possible on the site, and my name

appears only on the overview page and as a signature of certain articles. It was very important for me to propose a site on the saga, and not Valérie Gay-Corajoud's site on the Saga.

2) How much time do you spend on your site per week?  

It depends on the periods. It can be 8 or 10 hours a day for a week, especially when creating a new topic. Or 1 hour here and there to consolidate an article or repair a page that an update has damaged. And of course, when the new seasons are released, it doesn't stop for a second!

That's how I work, in immersion. I have a great capacity for work and concentration, so I can work 8 or 10 hours in a row for several days. Then I take breaks, or immerse myself in another project.

What is important is not to be satisfied with a copy and paste of what already exists on the Net, but to bring a little personal touch that will allow the reader to approach the saga with a new look. This is what takes time: reading articles, thinking, synthesizing, exploring, and then writing.

In short, it is certain that I spend a lot of time there and that there is only passion that can justify such a time. Until then, it was nothing but fun. The day this is no longer the case, I think the site will then remain on stand-by.

3) Do you have help writing the topics?  

No, apart from rare exceptions, I write my sections alone, I compose them, put them on the page, I choose the images... It's something I like to do alone. (ps: This has changed for some time. The site now welcomes many texts from the faithful of the site.)

On the other hand, and this is very important for me, I have opened a section entirely dedicated to fans so that they can deposit what they want to share.

The fan lounge offers articles, fan art, videos, testimonials, analyses, personal collections etc. that fans send me privately and that I install on the site according to their requests.

And there is also the page of corrections of the French translations which is an absolutely phenomenal work produced by a handful of fans, but I will tell you about it a little below.

What is certain is that I am very attentive to the fans. A few weeks ago, for example, I opened a "knitting and sewing" section because several subscribers of the site had asked me to do so. Soon I will open a section "Scottish recipes", because, again, many fans are very interested.

4) By going to your site and looking closer you live at 100 per hour. Where do you find all this energy? Did you invent the day at 28h?  

I dream of a 28-hour day!!

No, more seriously, as said above, I have a great capacity for work, so I start very early in the day and finish very late.

Then, working from home most of the time, I am not kidnapped by restrictive schedules. I can organize my days pretty much as I see fit, which allows me these great moments of immersion. For example, I work while taking my meals. This allows me not to make any cuts and stay focused. When I travel for my conferences, I take the train, so I can continue working and the first thing I do when I arrive at the hotel is ask for an internet connection.

5) When we arrive on your site we are a bit like a child who is in front of a Christmas tree full of gifts and does not know which one to open first, what is your advice for us to take full advantage of it?  

This remark makes me particularly happy, because you see, when I explained to friends what I wanted to build as a site, I told them: "I would like that when fans open my site, they have stars in their eyes".

One of the big difficulties when designing a site is navigation. How to direct readers, how to classify, group. When to open a new window, a new tab, stay on the page. Where to locate links, internal or external, and above all, how to ensure that the reader does not get lost. How to make sure he finds his way around.

So I spent a lot of time thinking about this navigation, especially since it has to work on the PC version but also on the tablet and phone versions that really work differently, as well as in French and English.

But it is also important that the reader can go on an adventure and that those who wish, can get lost. Hence the treasure chest, for example.

But for those who like to know where they are going, I advise them to observe the home page. It alone clearly indicates the different options.

- The literary saga – So, a biography of Diana Gabaldon, a summary of books, lexicons, translations, analyses, newspaper articles, interviews etc...

- The TV series – The seasons, actors, sets, costumes, music, and again articles and analysis, etc...

- Different articles – Here, difficult to sort, so a little bit of everything. Focus on episodes, themes, such as magic, the ghost of Inverness, clan history

Scottish or English colonies, and then the poems, songs, and oaths evoked in the saga, etc.

- The Fan Lounge – As mentioned above, it allows fans to share their contributions. Poems, analyses, testimonies, art etc...

- The site – To introduce myself a little, to propose external links, to thank contributors and of course, a contact page.

- And finally, what I didn't want (or couldn't) classify A page of games: Puzzles, quizzes and memos A playlist of the beautiful music of Bear McCreary

- And the fameux treasure chest (which is, I admit, my favorite part).

 - ps: Post-interview addition. The site has been offering for some time, a private room for fans subscribed to my newsletters. Thus, I can get him a password to access this particular channel which allows me to share "articles" that are impossible to share in public. This is a show available only in French. 

6) There is the possibility to view the site in French and English. Do you take care of the translation?  

I'm collaborating with Google translate and Translator on this one, except for a few articles that have been translated by English-speaking fans. Unfortunately, I do not have the language skills to offer a personal translation. But it turns out that Google translate is particularly sharp when it comes to navigating between French and English languages.

There was a time when I proposed a Spanish version, but apart from the fact that it was an overload of work that was not justified according to statistics, Google's Spanish translation was much less efficient. I therefore preferred to withdraw it.

For the record, the English translation allowed me to propose the visit of the site to Diana Gabaldon herself, who congratulated me warmly. I am particularly honoured by this.

7) On your site there are also valuable translations of the saga that have been deleted in the French version. Do you know why, it wasn't done properly?  

This is a scandal that bilingual fans have uncovered and shared on the various facebook groups.

Indeed, during the first volumes of the saga, in the 90s, French publishers felt that the novels were too long and especially that they did not allow a separate classification. Science fiction? Historical? Adventure? Romance?

They decided for romance and would make sure that the French translation reflected this category. They took the opportunity to trim it to reduce the number of pages to print. Without any respect for the author's work, they cut whole sections that they deemed useless, and even allowed themselves to add a few sentences of their own in order to connect the remaining parts. A homemade DIY of which, of course, French readers have never been informed. Nor did the author, who only got wind of this massacre from the fifth volume. She changed publishers, but for the first 4 opuses, the damage was done.

What is terrible is that when the new publisher bought the right to distribute the first 4 volumes, he bought only the truncated version. The uncut French version simply does not exist.

This is what some French fans are repairing who are doing an absolutely incredible job! First of all, reading both versions, identifying missing passages, then respectful translation.

Recently, a fan got in touch with the new publisher to inform him of this situation. The editor told him that she will try to fix this in a future edition. Fingers crossed!

(Edit: This section has been removed from my site so as not to put the translators at fault with copyright. However, you can find them by subscribing to the facebook group: Outlander, let's talk about Diana Gabaldon's books.  

Now let's give way to the author: 

8) In your professional life, you are an author and speaker. From your work you have made it a cause. Can you tell us a bit more about it? 

In truth, it is quite the opposite. I have made my cause my profession.

First and foremost, I was a musician: pianist and violinist. But my fifth child was diagnosed with autism and family life was turned upside down.

As he was a very tormented boy who could not stand the outside world, I made the decision to stop working to take care of him full time.

As I have always written a lot, I have become accustomed to writing about my life with him as well. I shared these writings on social networks, and one thing led to another, I was in contact with doctors, academics, researchers who invited me to conferences, or symposia in France and abroad to discuss the subject.

So I wrote 2 books about autism and I participated in several academic books and a lot of articles in specialized journals. I also co-directed 2 films. Little by little, I became a speaker and trainer for professionals caring for autistic people.

9) Your 3rd book "A few meters from the ground" was released at the end of November. Can you tell us about it? Is it the sequel to "Our Intertwined Worlds"?  

Unlike my other books "Other-Thing in Theo's Life" and "Our Intertwined Worlds", both of which have autism as their main subject, "A Few Meters from the Ground" is my first published fiction (I have written two others, but they have been sleeping at the bottom of my hard drive for years).

I needed to get my head out of autism and I finally wanted to take the time to talk about a subject that has been dear to me for a long time: The place of the hero in society.

"A few meters above the ground" is the story of Kaleb-Adji, an inhabitant of another planet who lands on Earth and discovers supernatural powers. Searching for meaning in his survival, he decides to become a savior. But one day, he fails to save a young boy who smiles at him just before crashing to the ground. Traumatized, Kaleb decides to make amends with Sarah, the boy's mother. Then begins a slow reconstruction in the village in which Sarah lives.

But it is counting without the consumerist society, without the media, without judgments, jealousies, without fear too.

I wanted to mention the difficulty for everyone to find their rightful place in a normative society where the media are no longer the fourth estate for a long time, but conversely, generators of scandals and devourers of intimacy.

Does a hero have the right to live his life as a man? Can he claim happiness without being accused of being selfish? Can he love? Does he have the right to be considered for who he is and not for what he does? Does power include duty? Etc.

I wanted to talk about love too, the one that repairs, that structures, that imposes itself and that resists.

This is the first volume of an upcoming trilogy.

I am in the middle of writing the second volume: "L'entre-deux-mondes" and the third is already wandering in my head.

(Edit: The trilogy is now finished, you can get it through my online store TheBookEdition)  

10) How can you follow you? Get your books? 

As I have many strings to my bow: training, conferences, writing, filmmaking and some passions, like Outlander, but also macro-photography of insects and the creation of websites, I found it interesting to bring all this together on one site: http://valerie.gay.corajoud.free.fr/   

It is therefore the best way to come to meet me and, for those who wish, to get my books. But I am also very present on social networks, especially on fb.

And for those who wish, I make it my duty (and a joy) to answer all the emails that are sent to me. contact.sassenach@gmail.com 

We thank you all for your time with us. And the group of Sassenachs of Switzerland wishes you all the best for 2021

Interview with Aurélie for her website Outlander Addict, about the fifth season of Outlander   

Today, you discover the answers of Valérie Gay Corajoud. She administers and brings her passion to life through her website entirely dedicated to Outlander (novels and series).>> Dinna Fash Sassenach<< A real reference for fans!

I met Valerie virtually through the Outlander Fans France Facebook group. She regularly intervenes to discuss the themes dear to us fans! This is the 1st group of fans I subscribed to when I fell into the Outlander pot!

I admire the work she does for the fans and the depth of soul you feel going through her lines.

I'll let you discover his answers!

Let's start with a little presentation!  

I discovered Outlander by chance, about 1 year and a half ago. It was in the middle of the broadcast of season 4.

I had no idea what I was going to watch, I don't even remember reading the synopsis, that's to say! Still, I got hooked from the first few minutes and literally swallowed all the episodes available. When I finished, and before season 4 was fully broadcast, I learned via the FB groups to which I quickly subscribed that the story was taken from a saga. An avid reader, I went to Fnac within the hour and I bought all the volumes at once and I devoured them in turn in a few weeks.

Then I rewatched the series, then I reread the complete saga...

At the same time, I went online to look for as much information as possible, but I was perpetually disappointed by the poverty of what I found. Most of the sites only mentioned the first season and only stated what I had known for a long time.

So I decided to create my own site with the goal of creating THE reference site. I was going to make Dinna Fash Sassenach, the site I would have liked to find.

Best episode of season 5?  

Very difficult to choose between "The Ballad of Roger Mac" (episode 7) "Monsters and Heroes" (episode 9) and "Never My Love" (final episode) ... but if it is absolutely necessary to choose, it will then be Never My Love which is a little gem of realization, acting and emotion. I even think it is the most successful of the 5 seasons combined.

Worst episode of season 5? (worse... well, the one you liked the least)  

Strangely, it's simpler. The one that left me hungry is the second of the season, "Between Two Fires". I was a little bored and found the narrative disjointed and too slow.

I found the prison scene with the three regulators completely missed. The dialogues between Jamie and Knox are almost ridiculous. The argument between Bree and Roger also displeased me... In short, it is not null, but really below all the other episodes.

Best moment or scene of season 5? (I know, there, it's hard ... there are so many...) 

Hihi, this is sadism!! I have dozens... but the first one that came to mind was this beautiful scene between Jamie and Claire in the fourth episode: "Who looks alike comes together".

Jamie has just danced for the militiamen and he and Claire, drunk, isolate themselves from the group because Jamie wants to propose to Claire to adopt Fanny Beardsley's daughter. It is a moment of incredible grace.

There is so much emotion passing between them, as if their whole story reappears at once. Everything that brought them to where they are, at that moment.

Best character of season 5?  

I'm a big fan of Josiah Beardsley! That said, I find Lieutenant Knox particularly successful and Lionel Brown is quite breathtaking. But hey, if you have to choose just one, then it will be the mischievous twins.

Character you liked the least in this season?  

Even if we had already seen him during the meal at the governor's during season 4, we can still consider that Philip Wylie is part of the 5. So he's the really disturbing character. While he is extremely subtle in the novel, here he is just rude and repulsive. Too bad. I think they didn't choose the right actor.

Character whose development during this season marked you the most?  

Without any hesitation, it's Roger! (That's why I wanted to write a post about him) I am delighted with the place she is finally being given and the slow but beautiful evolution of her relationship with Jamie. In novels he is already a character that I appreciate a lot. But here, frankly, I think Richard Rankin is breathtaking!

How do you compare this season to other seasons?  

It comes just after the first season. I find it wonderful, very accomplished, very rhythmic. Almost perfect. It's a season I've enjoyed in every way I can.

Why do you think Outlander is a different series from other series? (Basically, what made you become a fan of it to the point that it occupies your daily life?)  

I mentioned it on my website on the page where I introduce myself. It's a bit long, but I couldn't say it better.

"Outlander is what plugs all the fears, all the lacks, all the fading dreams. This is what is opposed to reason, to conscience... It is what illuminates the shadows of a dull life, and soothes the pains of a complex life.

Because there is everything in Outlander that should make humans wonderful, fantastic, valid... Because in Outlander, everything has a purpose, even the worst in itself. Anger, anger, murder, lying, loneliness, extreme pain, separation... and even betrayal! Because this shadow is supplanted by one thing... love.

Because Outlander is what it's about. Of love. We can say, whatever the battles and rebellions! Whatever the facets of a two-way history, geographical, historical... Everything is just a pretext to talk to us about love.

Love of a man, a woman, a country, a region, a clan, a child, a way of life, a sacrament. Love.

And because it's so well written, and because afterwards, it's so wonderfully adapted and so magically interpreted! We can only feel included in this love. We are embarked, we are inflamed, we are intoxicated. And at the end of the day, you realize that you are worthy of that love. Capable of this love. We are, Love.

We become beautiful and proud like them !! We become free and combative, like them! We become lovable and in love.

We are alive.

Through stones, through history and time. Through the breathtaking landscapes. Through proud and courageous clan wars. Through an era as primitive as it is amazed. Through fear and faith. Through envy and sex.

Outlander. It's me."

What are your expectations for season 6? (Spoiler free)  

Difficult without plundering indeed, but I dream of a season where we understand, a bit like in season 5, how no one can escape the war when he wants to take a stand and participate in the construction of his dream.

It would be great if we finally found out about adult William and he confronts his father (after all, they are not in the same camp since William is English).

I would also like a little more from Fergus and Marsali, a couple that is definitely worth it.

And I'd like Bear McCreary to compose new music for us.

I warmly thank Valérie for taking part in my questions!