The Distant Cousin Thread: Bizarre in the Bazaar

[BrassMan]

Next week is "Read an E-Book Week!" Kindle Boarders don't particularly need to know this, but others might. To help things along, I have posted links to ten books I found to be excellent. They're indie books and mostly budget priced! They're currently at the top of Ana Darcy Méndez's blog (in the signature line below).

Also, there are some examples of art by an extraordinary painter whose works affected Ana deeply. Maybe they'll strike you too, as they have many others. http://anadarcy.blogspot.com/2011/02/ana-attends-extraordinary-art-exhibit.html

There's also a discussion of Mexican soups, with some buying tips for the grocery store and a link to an outstanding, cook-friendly and authentic volume of Mexican recipes. http://anadarcy.blogspot.com/2011/03/ana-whips-up-some-tortilla-soup.html

There are also more examples of arpilleras, the unusual and heartwarming Ecuadorian textile art form. http://anadarcy.blogspot.com/2011/02/more-ecuadorean-arpilleras-from-anas.html

[BrassMan]

Big news for fans of Ana Darcy!

As you know, Ana Darcy (née Anneyn Darshiell) was such a rebellious teenager that she was willing, if a bit daunted, to leave her own planet forever on her people's greatest-ever voyage of discovery, to planet Earth. (The story of what happened to her after that is told in Distant Cousin, volume 1.)

Now, sixteen years after she has made a home on her new planet--her people's ancestral planet--it's her turn: she has her own teenagers to contend with. Like their mother before them, and teenagers everywhere, they are growing fast and becoming adventurous, though perhaps not quite as in control of themselves as their parents might hope. When each gets in trouble, how will Ana and Matt be able to care for them if Ana herself has disappeared halfway around the globe?

There's lots more information--maps, photos, etc.--about Distant Cousin: Recirculation on Ana's blog, in my signature line below.

[jpmorgan49]

I just purchased book five and just finished my current read last night. It looks like I don't have to look far for my next read.  :-) Looking forward to starting it.
jp

[BrassMan]

New on Ana Darcy's blog (http://anadarcy.blogspot.com/2011/03/anas-brain-is-filled-with-frisks-and.html):

A duet you can play with your duet buddy based on Bach's Little Fugue in g minor, BWV 578, arranged for two treble clef instruments by your humble servant, BrassMan. Yes, I know, it's a three-part fugue, but it makes a terrific and satisfying two part duet also. This is the first page of two. The second is on Ana's blog, large enough to print out and put on your music stand. A clever duet pal can play it with a bass clef instrument. I've played it with a trombonist and a cellist.

There's also a performance of the fugue on pipe organ by Ton Koopman. How one human can play all three parts with all four limbs is nearly unbelievable.

Also: a poem about gravity, along with some heavy thoughts on the subject, several by Ana herself.

And there's a close-up look at the lovely textile art from Ecuador and Peru that Ana loves so much (arpilleras) http://anadarcy.blogspot.com/2011/03/another-look-at-those-arpilleras-from.html, and more cat pictures: a caracal, a lynx, and two servals, all tame and lovely house and yard pets http://anadarcy.blogspot.com/2011/03/more-kitties-caracal-lynx-and-servals.html.

[BrassMan]

 

Readers of Distant Cousin (specifically DC2: Repatriation and DC3: Reincarnation) will probably remember that Matt and Ana spared no expense in educating their twins, especially with respect to languages.

Over the past week, Ana's blog has accumulated four posts on the topic of teaching toddlers to read, and especially teaching them to read two languages as a means of helping them become bilingual. This is NOT fiction. It works, and my wife and I, among others, have done it.

The posts are on Ana's blog in reverse order at the moment, or later, in sequence, here:


1. http://anadarcy.blogspot.com/2011/04/bilingualism-and-ana-and-matts-children.html

2. http://anadarcy.blogspot.com/2011/04/raising-bilingual-children.html

3. http://anadarcy.blogspot.com/2011/04/bilingual-and-biliterate-toddlers-some.html

4. http://anadarcy.blogspot.com/2011/04/early-reading-and-bilingualism-4.html

[BrassMan]

New at Ana Darcy's blog this week are some entertaining "while I'm reading" comments by Kindle Boarders (and others) http://anadarcy.blogspot.com/2011/04/readers-and-writers-weigh-in.html, and this lovely video trailer:

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxPf58Ry5uE" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxPf58Ry5uE</a>

[BrassMan]

This just in: it is announced that a certain leading terrorist has been killed in the wilds of Pakistan. This excellent news has been presaged by the publication of Distant Cousin: Recirculation only last month. We're not likely to know the precise details of this incident for a good while, but for now the fictional version, in which Ana Darcy has played an integral role, is given in the book. See
http://anadarcy.blogspot.com/2011/03/distant-cousin-recirculation-dc5-maps.html





For something completely different, on Ana's blog there is an account of a new recipe variation http://anadarcy.blogspot.com/2011/05/another-delicious-variation-on-mexican.html, and a very old poem about a very famous cat http://anadarcy.blogspot.com/2011/04/mysterious-cat-poem-about-jeoffry-from.html.

[BrassMan]

There's a wild variety of new items on  Ana Darcy's blog  right now:

Early comments from readers of Distant Cousin: Recirculation,*

Baby serval kittens and caracal kittens,*

And a sampling of Mexican-American dichos (proverbs).*

     

*In later days, these may be found at

http://anadarcy.blogspot.com/2011/05/early-feedback-from-readers-of-distant.html,

http://anadarcy.blogspot.com/2011/05/baby-kitties-serval-kitties.html

http://anadarcy.blogspot.com/2011/05/sampling-of-mexican-american-dichos.html

http://anadarcy.blogspot.com/2011/05/cats-time-for-some-caracals.html, and

http://anadarcy.blogspot.com/2011/05/bonus-baby-fox-baby-fennec-fox.html.

 

[BrassMan]

There are two items of interest on Ana Darcy's blog at the moment. First, a note about math education (and her prodigal son), and then a poem she loves about one's hopes for one's daughters.

 

Later on, these will be found here:

http://anadarcy.blogspot.com/2011/06/math-education-and-ana-darcys-children.html

and here:

http://anadarcy.blogspot.com/2011/06/poem-for-our-daughters-makes-ana-weep.html

[BrassMan]

Drawing for free Kindle edition of DC1-DC5 for the week ahead!

See http://anadarcy.blogspot.com/2011/06/free-book-drawing-thanks-to-readers.html



Also, a poem Ana cannot forget about a cat she cannot forget http://anadarcy.blogspot.com/2011/06/cat-poem-ana-cannot-forget.html,

and a yummy, bilingual poem about tomatoes. 'Tis the season! http://anadarcy.blogspot.com/2011/06/ana-discovers-poem-about-tomatoes-by.html

[BrassMan]

http://anadarcy.blogspot.com/2011/07/note-about-distant-cousin-theme-song.html

There are two new items of interest on Ana Darcy's blog at the moment:

     º A note about the Distant Cousin theme song, performed for Ana on a theorbo (see picture above), but which she is happy to share with Kindle Boarders, and



     º A poem about baking bread. Ana loves the science of baking, even though it's really magic.
http://anadarcy.blogspot.com/2011/07/science-delight-or-both-ana-loves.html

[BrassMan]

Nora, the fairly famous feline who really, really loves the piano, is featured in a serious and touching solo performance with a chamber orchestra and specially composed music--a catcerto, here:
http://anadarcy.blogspot.com/2011/07/ana-discovers-nora-piano-cat.html

The startling news that a spaceport is being constructed near Las Cruces, New Mexico, where you will soon be able to purchase a ticket for a flight to the edge of space, is doubly startling because Ana Darcy Mendez, the first extraterrestrial to come to Earth, lives within sight of it! The proof is here:
http://anadarcy.blogspot.com/2011/07/spaceport-city-las-cruces-new-mexico.html

[BrassMan]

Language has been the topic on Ana Darcy's blog lately, Spanish, specifically.



Mexican-American nursery rhymes (chapter 2): nonsense verse, poems, a game, a song,
at http://anadarcy.blogspot.com/2011/08/more-mexican-american-nursery-rhymes.html,

(The tune to the hen and chicks song:)


and another installment of dichos (proverbs), some similar to English and some not:
http://anadarcy.blogspot.com/2011/08/more-mexican-american-dichos-proverbs.html.

[BrassMan]

New on Ana Darcy's blog, a guest post by the vivacious Wheelchair Mommy!  http://anadarcy.blogspot.com/2011/08/guest-blog-wheelchair-mommy.html

(Missing from the photo: her two other boys and her handsome husband.)

[BrassMan]

Do you know what the Italians really use the frittata for?

Ana found out!

http://anadarcy.blogspot.com/2011/08/ana-discovers-italians-best-use-of.html

Also this week, for the language lovers, Ana has provided us some revealing proverbs in Luvit (her native language)!

http://anadarcy.blogspot.com/2011/08/ana-gives-us-some-luvit-proverbs-from.html

[BrassMan]

Food and astronomy recently, on Ana Darcy's blog. Is there anything better? baby fennec foxes growing up?

For a party, Ana puts together delicious, one-bite pizza appetizers. You can too!


http://anadarcy.blogspot.com/2011/09/anas-italian-appetizer-inspiration.html


In astronomy, while Ana's home planet has two moons, Earth astronomers have discovered a planet with two suns. Weird!


http://anadarcy.blogspot.com/2011/09/two-suns-beats-two-moons.html

[BrassMan]

The crucial importance of public education has been on Ana's mind lately.

Currently in Ana Darcy's blog there are ideas on...

...the vital importance of teachers. Have you thanked a teacher lately?


http://anadarcy.blogspot.com/2011/09/ana-says-thanks-to-teachers.html

...and the alarming, continuing drop in SAT verbal scores. What can parents do about this? Ana has some ideas.


http://anadarcy.blogspot.com/2011/09/anas-response-to-drop-in-sat-verbal.html

[BrassMan]

http://anadarcy.blogspot.com/2011/10/language-games-in-mexican-american.html


¿Qué pasa, calabaza?

Every family surely has its own words, its own games with language. The extraterrestrial Ana Darcy's family, all fluent in English and Spanish (besides a few other odd languages) is no exception. What would you buy if you found "Shed and Holders" on your grocery shopping list? Sample the Méndez family's fun with words.



http://anadarcy.blogspot.com/2011/10/refreshingly-different-and-reader.html

"Refreshingly different," says one reader new to the series. Also, a reader from South America comments in Spanish!

[BrassMan]

There are many new photos on Ana's blog, thanks to a recent research trip to west Texas and southern New Mexico. At the moment, all may be found at Ana Darcy's blog, but after a week or more, the links under the photos will lead directly to each set of photographs.

A special thanks to the reader who wrote: ""I finished DC 5! I thought it all came together really well at the end. One of the interesting things about the series and the Mendez clan is that the action scenes aren't necessarily the main event. With a plotline like DC 5, most authors would spend the whole time concentrating on the terrorist and how Ana escapes. But in your case, it's only one ingredient. Clio's adventures...are equally important, etc. I think that's one of the things that makes your series distinctive, but probably also one of the things that would have a literary agent lecturing you about changing things. And yet why should stories always follow a particular formula? Obviously I'm not the only one that feels this way, since you've acquired a cult Kindle following!"


First, the Davis Mountains, where Ana landed. Also included: photos of locations where her experiences as a prisoner at Fort Bliss Army base occurred.


http://anadarcy.blogspot.com/2011/10/more-of-anas-first-sights-on-earth.html

Then, some photos of Ana's neighborhood: nearby villages and historic Mesilla.


http://anadarcy.blogspot.com/2011/10/look-at-some-mesilla-valley.html

Next, her favorite restaurant in Mesilla, La Posta, a former stagecoach stop around 1850.


http://anadarcy.blogspot.com/2011/10/anas-favorite-restaurant-la-posta-in.html

New Mexican food is not overlooked. Also included: the famous Hatch green chiles!


http://anadarcy.blogspot.com/2011/10/new-mexican-food.html

And finally, since Halloween looms, a note on the humor in the Dia de Muertos celebration;


http://anadarcy.blogspot.com/2011/10/humor-in-el-dia-de-los-muertos.html

[BrassMan]

New on Ana's blog:

Meet Ana Darcy!

"Ana Darcy is one of my favorite characters."


http://anadarcy.blogspot.com/2011/04/distant-cousin-watch-trailer.html

"Thanks, Al, for some wonderful books. It's always a pleasure to read a book where the character is so "fleshed out" that I feel I would know him/her if I met them on the street. Not only would I know them, I'd have to invited them to lunch so we could chat!"

"I just finished book 3 and can hardly wait for the next to see what happens next. I have thoroughly enjoyed {them}....I loved Ana Darcy. She is a very believable heroine."

"Ana Darcy (Anneyn Darshiell) – the initial human envoy from a distant world populated by “cousins” to our species – is both the most famous person on Earth and also a private individual who wants what most women want: a family, a home, and a meaningful life. The Distant Cousin series explores Darcy’s arrival on Earth, her meteoric rise to fame, her impact on world politics and technology...it seems that no one who meets this woman remains untouched by her...."

"What a fascinating concept you have developed."

"These are excellent books and are at a very good price. The first volume made my Top 10 list for 2009."

"...there are only a few books that I tend to think about or miss the characters after reading so that says a lot about your book!"

"I just finished reading Distant Cousin. Although science fiction usually is not my favorite genre, I enjoyed the novel very much. It was not overly technical, and mixed romance in nicely with the story of the extra-terrestrial. Also the book was driven more by character than by plot, which is something that I like. I am looking forward to reading more about Darcy and Matt. Thank you for writing their story."



Learn of Ana's discovery of the Spanish tortilla!


http://anadarcy.blogspot.com/2011/11/spanish-food-tortilla.html

See a frequent venue from her stories: El Paso from Scenic Drive:


http://anadarcy.blogspot.com/2011/11/el-paso-from-scenic-drive.html

[BrassMan]

For the first time ever, Distant Cousin is on sale for the holidays!



It's like a Kindle Daily Deal, only it's for all the holiday season, and only $2.99!
To get there, click the black & white Distant Cousin cover below, or (for other formats) the link under the photo.
Happy holidays, everyone!


http://anadarcy.blogspot.com/2011/11/tis-season-great-inexpensive-gift-idea.html

[BrassMan]

So you think you don't like science fiction?

Readers, mostly Kindle Boarders, opine on the matter:


http://anadarcy.blogspot.com/2011/12/so-you-dont-like-science-fiction.html

ALSO:

Readers of the books, and especially of Ana Darcy's blog, may be pardoned if they think Ana never suffers a disaster in the kitchen. That's fiction! She does!

The account of one such sore trial may be found at http://anadarcy.blogspot.com/2011/12/ana-improvises-frantically-in-kitchen.html.

[BrassMan]

http://anadarcy.blogspot.com/2012/01/recipe-poem-about-salad-ana-does-not.html

Ana Darcy's editor didn't post as often to Ana's blog over the holiday break, but two recipes and cute animals running wild are new.

One recipe is for one of Ana's first baking efforts. As a newcomer to Earth and not familiar with our cuisines and recipes, she was delighted to find a recipe used to teach children to cook: a "unit cake," or yogurt cake, where the measurements are all in just two units. In Ana's case these were a cup and a tablespoon. The cake was easy and delicious, and the recipe is included in the post:

http://www.anadarcy.blogspot.com/2012/01/ana-bakes-cake-from-french-childrens.html

The second recipe is actually a poem that Ana liked. She doesn't have the ear of a native speaker for English poetry, but she liked this poem because it rhymed. On the downside, it sounds like an awful salad. It is from the 1700s after all. Anyone is welcome to try it and get back to us on the result. The link is above, under the photo of the grazing cat.

Finally, while Ana's family has several dogs and cats, including one large cat that astonishes visitors, they still love animals. One of two videos shows the home of Julie, of Julie's Jungle.com, socializing an amazing variety of animals. We have to assume that this chaos was tolerated only for a brief period. No one, human or animal, could stand this for long. The other is this one, showing a fennec fox playing with a cat...or perhaps a cat playing with a fennec fox. Cute!

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyhnFzLUtPA" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyhnFzLUtPA</a>
http://anadarcy.blogspot.com/2011/12/fennec-fox-kits-playing-at-home.html

Finally, if you haven't already, why not meet Ana Darcy?

[Jeff]

Hello, Al. Hope you don't mind if a long-time fan of yours drops in to shoot the breeze. Anna and I share the same favorite restaurant in Mesilla, by the way. I wonder if they still have the parrot that greeted everyone with an ear-splitting "hello."

Your photo of the scenic view in El Paso reminds me of an often repeated family story:

When my children were very young, my wife and I took them with us to search for landscaping rocks. The road through the Franklin Mountains was very steep and narrow back then, so I parked our pickup truck off the shoulder near a big sign. To keep them safe, I told the kids to stay in the bed of the truck while I humped the biggest rocks I could carry. Finally, when I was exhausted, and the rear of the pickup was squatting low, my five-year-old pointed to the sign. "Howcum you're taking these rocks, Daddy - when that sign says not to?"

[BrassMan]

Happy New Year, Jeff! Great to hear from you!

Parrots live a long time, but I couldn't say if the loud one was there the day I was. The whole place was pretty quiet--it had just opened for lunch, so I got lots of good pictures of their various rooms without disturbing many customers. I guess you'll have seen those pics on Ana's blog, and maybe also some of the dishes they serve. They say you can't have your cake and eat it too, but if you have a camera you can have it and eat it too, sort of.

Here's the toucan, which I didn't post to Ana's blog. He or she didn't say anything either. Neither did the piranhas, though they looked about as happy as piranhas can.



Your story about the rocks is great. Folks should know, the entire mountain is made of rocks, and at least half the buildings, walls, and fences in El Paso. It's against a city ordinance to build a structure out of wood. I went to Basset Junior High, a new school then, up against the mountain. There was a rock quarry further up the slope (it may still be there) and every week or two they would blast loose a new pile of rocks with dynamite. The booms would echo off our school, and vast clouds of dust would rise into the air. It was like a bombardment, but after several months of school, even junior high boys stopped paying attention.