Outlander production has finally begun!!!! They’re running around Cumbernauld and Falkland looking all 40s (and 1740’s) and MAKING ART BASED ON THE BEST BOOKS EVER. YAY.

We have an official Instagram, you guys, and the occasional cryptic tweet.

One day soon we will get photos of red-headed Sam and curly-haired Cat instead of just Scottish countryside. Keep hoping for Sam in full Highlander costume.

So last night I was out on the boardwalk by the beach with my husband, and I struck up a conversation with a bookstore employee about books and TV (shocking that I don’t just write to you all about this, I know). He was something of a comic con, fantasy-reading type, so the conversation naturally turned to Game of Thrones, which books we’ve read, and where the show will veer from the original material. I found myself with a lump in my chest, feeling obligated to tell this guy about Outlander, and wanting to make sure it sounded like something he needed to watch. Considering I was a lot … okay a little … okay, totally intoxicated and was being really drunk-girl-nice to this poor, nerdy bookseller and slightly effusive in my praise of not only Outlander, but also his taste in books, I’m pretty sure I created a nerd-boy Outlander fan in one 15 minute conversation. But how to sell it to everyone else?

We all know it’s kind of hard to describe the books: they’re historical fiction, adventure, romance, horror, science fiction. The official production blurbs seem to focus on Claire’s occupation as a combat nurse, and how forces beyond her control lead her back to the past and to Jamie. SO … what are we supposed to tell people?

I feel like I have personally indoctrinated at least 40 people into the cult of the Outlander books, so it’s now my job to send you all out to convert the rest of the world over to the TV show.

Now’s the time to strike while the iron is hot. Put the bug in your buddies’ ears about this great new show coming out in the Spring. Let them know you have the inside scoop on the next must-watch premium television show. Club naysayers over the head with a hardback copy of Echo. BUT approach each one with a different set of persuasion skills.

 

That’s Normal’s Guide to Pimping Outlander to Your Mom, Your Boss and Your Guy Friends

 

 

 1. Mom-types.

 

This one is easy. It’s a no-brainer. Show her this.

 

Most likely, your mom or your aunt or whatever is the one who got you into this in the first place. If she’s never heard of it, just show her this post and you’ve basically got her hooked. I mean, Jamie Fraser speaks for himself. But just in case you have one of those moms who’s a hard sell (she doesn’t watch anything but daytime or reality tv; she doesn’t like things that are potentially gory; she’s a bit of a prude and thinks all that stuff on tv these days is trash) just gently remind her that she loved Dr. Quinn back in the day. Then give her the “he was a virgin on his wedding night” speech that will sell her on Jamie. The sex is post-marital, Mom. Mostly.

 

 

2. Your Girlfriends’ Husbands

Husbands love war and shouting and horses and swords and all that epic shizz. But they’ve heard you at book club; they know you are trying to sell them historical romance under the guise of gory Scottish battles. You and your girlfriends are focused on Jamie (and Sam) and his perpetual awesomeness, but don’t let this tidbit slip by the guys: the star of the show is Claire. And it’s not as if Caitriona isn’t easy on the eyes. So, when it comes to converting the husbands, be sure to remind them of A) how many times they have stopped everything because Braveheart was playing on TNT  – again –  and B) that there is one feature of Claire’s that features heavily in every episode.

 

3. Your hipster barista

Man or woman, doesn’t matter. If you have a hipster barista who knows you like a grande Pike Place with room for cream, you can be sure that they are interested in one thing when it comes to new premium television shows. No, not triangle gifs, native headdresses, hideous sweatshirts or beat poet paperbacks. They just want to be FIRST. Considering how many hipsters I know who scrambled to pretend that they read Game of Thrones before HBO started production on it, all you have to do is mention the words “obscure” “unknown” “epic” and “revolutionary” while they are making your Grande White Mocha. Maybe mention there’s a sort of dwarf character with a lot of power. DONE.

 

4. Authority Figures

This requires a specific script and practicing your plausible deniability face in the mirror. “I read recently in the New York Times that production has begun in Scotland on a new television show based on a series of books revolving around the Jacobite uprising of the mid 18th century. Apparently, the books are bestsellers, and a faithful adaptation has been long sought after. The show-runner is critically acclaimed for the Battlestar Galactica reboot, and by all accounts, the show will be quite the sweeping historical drama. Outlander, I think it’s called.” Add one of these.

 

 

 

 5. Your girlfriends

Much like your mom, your girlfriends should be an easy sell. A few Jamie Fraser quotations and pictures of Sam and his ass should do the trick. Read them the Chapter 56 of Voyager, or the slippery as a waterweed scene. But just in case they need a bigger push, tell them every shield on the production comes with a Kate Spade bag.

I mean, that’s a set you want to visit, amirite?

 

So, how do you persuade others to get excited about Outlander on their TV??? Is there anybody you know that would totally balk at a show like this? How will you get them to watch it? AND WHEN WILL SEE SAM IN COSTUME??????

 

In case you’ve been living under a rock the past couple of weeks, let us tell you that Starz, Outlander, Ron Moore and DIANA G will all be at New York Comic Con this weekend … AND SO WILL WE. Lots of special stuff will be coming your way, so be sure to follow us on twitter and instagram.