‘Outlander’ Author Diana Gabaldon Based A Character On Sam Heughan

“Outlander” author Diana Gabaldon and TV star Sam Heughan both had Twitter Q&A sessions Monday that confirmed what many readers already suspected: Heughan inspired a character in the eighth book.

A fan asked Gabaldon, who has been writing the “Outlander” series since 1991, if she ever based any characters on people she knows or herself. The author confirmed (via Sony’s official Twitter account) that she had done it for a laugh several times and the actor who plays Jamie Fraser was inspiration for a man from “Written In My Own Heart’s Blood.”

“Sure. There are quite a few real historical people in there, like Washington,” Gabaldon wrote. “But I also write in occasional friends of mine, as jokes (vide the foul-mouthed smith named Heughan in the last book). As for me...hey, they’re ALL me. Who else would they be.”

Another fan tweeted the exchange to Heughan while he was doing a question and answer session to celebrate passing 400,000 followers on Twitter. “I’m afraid it’s true. God bless Gans and her love of ‘language,’” the Scottish actor tweeted.

Heughan isn’t the only one to get a shout out in the books. Caitriona Balfe, who plays Claire, inspired one of Jamie’s mother’s names. Her full name is Ellen Caitriona Sileas MacKenzie Fraser.

Gabaldon spends plenty of time with the people bringing her fictional characters to the small screen. Though she chose not to make a cameo or write an episode in Season 3, the author is still a consultant on the Starz drama. She made a set visit while the crew was filming in South Africa earlier this year.

The writer also revealed that she won’t write an episode in Season 4, either. Gabaldon said she just doesn’t have the time. She’s too busy working on the ninth “Outlander” novel.

“I’d love to—but there’s no way I could possible do it until Season Five (assuming we were to get a Season Five, which naturally we hope we do),” she tweeted. “I HAVE to finish this book, and scriptwriting and overseeing takes an immense amount of time.”

“Outlander” Season 5 seems pretty likely. According to TV Series Finale, Season 3 has been averaging over 1.5 million viewers each week. That’s nearly half a million more than the second season.

“Outlander” Season 3 airs Sundays at 8 p.m. EST on Starz. Season 4 is currently filming.