The Distant Cousin Discussion Board (spoiler-free)

[BrassMan]

Welcome, all!



This Klub will get under way March 9, and both those who have read Distant Cousin and those who have not yet, are invited.

This will be the place where we can discuss the questions (to be posted later) and whatever else may come up, except for spoilers. There will be a separate board for those. Several members have already had questions for me (like "How did you come up with the idea for this story?) and that's where I will respond. Feel free to ask more questions there, or on this board, for that matter, if the answer isn't likely to give anything away.

This klub should be great fun! I'm looking forward to it! Tell your friends to join us!

[Suzanne]

I've had the book for quite some time now. I am really looking forward to the klub!

[mom133d (aka Liz)]

Harm and I are excited as well!

[Neekeebee]

Book and theme music all loaded up and ready to go on my Kindle!  Very much looking forward to reading with everyone!

N

[BrassMan]

Thanks for the reminder, Neekeebee!

Here's that theme song. Thanks, Jeff!

Distant Cousin Theme Song

While we're getting oriented, what better than some satellite photographs? I won't spoil anything at this point, but you'll find a lot of the places mentioned in the story on these maps:

[Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake']

I'm going to be pretty busy over the next several weeks, but I'm hoping to catch up with you guys later on. 

[jah]

I have been waiting and waiting for this. I have had Distant Cousin, on my kindle for a while, waiting for the book klub to start.

[BrassMan]

OK, here we go! Here are some discussion questions for chapters 1-22 (they're short). Thanks to Betsy for the first two or three.

No one is under any pressure to answer these. If you wish, you can just comment on the ones that interest you. There'll be no grade! The idea is merely to get the discussion started. As I post this, there's a week to go until we begin. You can start reading now if you like, or you may wait until the date and then begin. In the meantime, feel free to think all you want.

I might chime in as participants post, or I might let posts accumulate a bit and folks discuss back and forth before I say anything. Remember, the story is no longer mine--it is yours. In a real sense, it belongs to the world now, not me. My opinion is not necessarily any better than anyone else's. I just hope you enjoy it!



1. What was unique about the setting and how did it enhance or take away from the story?

2. Do the characters seem real and believable? Can you relate to their predicaments? To what extent do they remind you of someone you know?

3. What does it look like, at this point, the story will be about?

4. Would there be any difference if the first chapter had been left out? Why do you think it was included?

5. Did Ana Darcy's first impressions of food, plants, and so forth seem logical?

6. At what point did you realize that Ana Darcy was a little different from regular humans?

7. What was Ana Darcy's opinion of Dr. Sledd? Did that tell you anything?

8. Does Matt simply have a nose for a story, or was he simply lucky, or what? Was there anything about Matt that helped him find Ana Darcy?

9. One person who read the sample of Distant Cousin objected to "women FBI agents not wearing suits, but close to suits." What do you understand by this, and does it bother you?

10. From her actions, what would you say of Ana Darcy's maturity? What would you say of her morals?

11. Did you use your Kindle to look up any words? Which ones, if you don't mind saying?

[B-Kay 1325]

I am ready to start!  I have had the book for about a month and purposely did not start to read it until the klub was ready to start.  I look forward to reading this book and discussing it with everyone and Brassman.

[BrassMan]

Me too, folks, me too--I'm getting excited myself, and I'll tell you one reason.

I threw those questions out there, just above, but the truth is I may not be the best person to come up with questions. (Some day, maybe I'll fall out of a tree on my head and lose my memory, and then I can read Distant Cousin for the "first" time.) You all will likely have better questions. I hope you will ask or suggest some. I already know Xia and Vampyre have a couple....

For me, this klub will be a great opportunity to see what impressions and thoughts real readers have when they come to the story for the first time, or maybe better, the second. I'm still working on volume 4, so it's possible that some of what you all have to say may effect the new story. I expect to become a better writer because of your insights.

I hope you'll make notes on your Kindle as they occur to you, so you can post your insights and comments here.

Next Monday!

[MaureenH]

Like a box of great chocolates, I couldn't stop with just one so I've read the first two books already. I'll try not to let any spoilers slip!

[BrassMan]

Shouldn't be a problem--all's fair on the spoiler thread, y'know.

[bkworm8it]

I forgot this was starting so soon!  I'm excited to read the book.

theresam

[Annalog]

I am glad my Kindle arrived before this book club discussion started!

[Harmakhet]

Here's my answers to the questions...I like what I am reading so far...hopefully I don't fall too far behind everyone else.

1. What was unique about the setting and how did it enhance or take away from the story?
Having only spent a little time in the southwest US I enjoyed the descriptions of the setting.  I also like that Alpine is a college town not unlike the one around here so it had some familiar elements as well.

2. Do the characters seem real and believable? Can you relate to their predicaments? To what extent do they remind you of someone you know?
There is a very Hispanic orientation to most of the characters introduced so far, due to the setting of the story, so while I find them believable and real enough it’s hard to relate as much due to a difference in culture.  Ana/Darcy is almost more real due to her alien origins and how she is dealing with this new world that she only saw from afar before.

Having known a lot of varying types of people over the years I can see little bits of friends and acquaintances in each of the characters.

3. What does it look like, at this point, the story will be about?
To me, it feels like the story is progressing to a great reveal.  That being the plan to make herself famous to combat being hunted.  If she gets into the Olympics and gets widely recognized then it’s less likely that she could be taken into custody without a great uproar.

4. Would there be any difference if the first chapter had been left out? Why do you think it was included?

I liked the setup.  It would have started off more mysterious if it had opened with a strange girl walking down the road in the desert without the setup but I think some of the idea of the impending danger might have been lost…unless it had been told in a flashback but those have their own problems.

5. Did Ana Darcy's first impressions of food, plants, and so forth seem logical?
I think so.  I didn’t recall questioning the ideas that ran through her head when first being introduced to these things.

6. At what point did you realize that Ana Darcy was a little different from regular humans?
The fence jump was what really did it for me.  I hadn’t seen any overt signs of the differences before that point.

7. What was Ana Darcy's opinion of Dr. Sledd? Did that tell you anything?

She liked him, but for me, I have a hard time putting my trust in him just yet.  The way you wrote him (might be slight foreshadowing) but he seems to have an underlying slimey-ness that could easily take advantage of the situation or I could just be reading him wrong.

I think Darcy might be too trusting in the situation due to trusting Matt.

8. Does Matt simply have a nose for a story, or was he simply lucky, or what? Was there anything about Matt that helped him find Ana Darcy?
So far it seems to be mostly luck paired with a good eye.  He saw this girl reading very odd combos of books and tried to persue that “Story” which landed him in a bigger story…mostly luck.

9. One person who read the sample of Distant Cousin objected to "women FBI agents not wearing suits, but close to suits." What do you understand by this, and does it bother you?
I’m not sure.  The sentence did jump out at me as odd when I read it but I’m not sure.  I ultimately interpreted it as a way of saying that these two female agents were higher up or at least more elite than the other agents.

10. From her actions, what would you say of Ana Darcy's maturity? What would you say of her morals?
I put her, in my mind’s eye, as being a 20-something in regards to maturity level although in some ways she acts much more mature.  Morally it seems like she is generally good but not afraid to take a chance and defy authority when she fears for her safety.

11. Did you use your Kindle to look up any words? Which ones, if you don't mind saying?

Nothing so far.  The only words that give me pause are the Spanish ones and then it’s a matter of dredging my memory to try and translate them.

[MaureenH]

"women FBI agents wearing close to suits"

Maybe this is just too simplistic, but back in the day women in business did wear suits just like the men. Now there is more freedom in dress for businesswomen, while still being just as professional, so for me it placed the story in a more modern context.

[mom133d (aka Liz)]

My only "complaint" is that Ana seems to like all the foods she has tried. Maybe she's just been lucky, but there are tastes out there that I don't like. Has she eaten parsley?  Liver and onions? LOL

Otherwise, I am loving the book!

[BrassMan]

Funny you should mention this. Here's a line from volume 4 (not yet out):

"Green Jello," Ana said. "Brrr." For some reason she'd always hated Jello--something to do with cows, Matt thought. She couldn't even stand the sight of it.

[BrassMan]

I better hold off commenting until the actual start date, March 9. I don't want people who wait to arrive then to feel they've been left out. Seems like bad manners, somehow.

But in the mean time, it's cool if you all want to talk among yourselves. Go right ahead--that'll help us start fast!

[MaureenH]

My only "complaint" is that Ana seems to like all the foods she has tried. Maybe she's just been lucky, but there are tastes out there that I don't like. Has she eaten parsley?  Liver and onions? LOL

Otherwise, I am loving the book!

  OK, I don't like liver and onions either, but I was going yum, yum as I read her describing the foods! I really liked the taste and smell part of experiencing earth.

[BrassMan]

OK, OK, guys. I can't stand it any more. The official start is in two days, but who's counting? I'm so antsy I can't wait.

You two, MaureenH and Mom133d, have seized on one of my favorite things about the story, partly because it surprised me too. You can't write about someone coming to Earth for the first time (someone who's human, and has practically the same emotions and senses as any of us) without thinking hard about what it is about this place that would be striking to a stranger. Pizza, for instance--remember that?

Putting those scenes together changed the way I look at the everyday things around me. If it works for you too, then, well...that's cool. Isn't it?

[B-Kay 1325]

My response:

1.   What was unique about the setting and how did it enhance or take away from the story?

I like the fact that it is based in part of the country that is somewhat familiar.  I think that if Darcy had landed in a more populated area she wouldn’t have been able to land and blend in, (too many possibilities for witnesses).

2. Do the characters seem real and believable? Can you relate to their predicaments? To what extent do they remind you of someone you know?

I felt like the characters were very real and believable.  Darcy didn’t have any motive to come to Earth except to save what she believed were people that she was distantly related to and couldn’t stand by to see them destroyed.  I also think that she has an interest about Earth since she and Hleo had been studying the habits of Earthlings for several years.  It wasn’t hard for her to adapt since she already knew so much.  I don’t see any resemblance to anyone I know.

3. What does it look like, at this point, the story will be about?

I think this story is going down the path of the chase of Darcy and the powers that be trying to capture and study her.

4. Would there be any difference if the first chapter had been left out? Why do you think it was included?

I think it is always necessary to give basic background info regarding the characters and locations, although it is not always the most interesting part of the book.  I think that a lot of the story would have been lost without the first chapter.

5. Did Ana Darcy's first impressions of food, plants, and so forth seem logical?

I can’t imagine that the food she had been eating on the moon would have been very tasty or even interesting, after all there would be no way to grow fresh produce and no way to raise livestock.

6. At what point did you realize that Ana Darcy was a little different from regular humans?

I think that the first inkling came when she was able to move so quickly and escape from the military.

7. What was Ana Darcy's opinion of Dr. Sledd? Did that tell you anything?

I think that Darcy had already heard of Dr. Sledd from her studies on the moon  before Matt mentioned him,  I think she was willing to hear what he had to say since she was already familiar with him.

8. Does Matt simply have a nose for a story, or was he simply lucky, or what? Was there anything about Matt that helped him find Ana Darcy?

Matt does have a nose for a story but the fact that he got involved in this one was a bit of “in the right place at the right time”.  Once he had spoken to Darcy, I think he was intrigued personally and not necessarily professionally.

9. One person who read the sample of Distant Cousin objected to "women FBI agents not wearing suits, but close to suits." What do you understand by this, and does it bother you?

I didn’t notice the reference until I read this question, I guess that would mean that it didn’t bother me.


10. From her actions, what would you say of Ana Darcy's maturity? What would you say of her morals?

I don’t think her morals have come into play in the story so far, I think she has a rebellious streak and that was part of the reason she was sent on this mission.

11. Did you use your Kindle to look up any words? Which ones, if you don't mind saying?

No I haven’t looked up any words so far.

[PraiseGod13]

I'm SO looking forward to this klub!!  The time is finally here!!  I've had all three books for quite a while now but have been waiting for the klub to start reading.  Thanks so much Al for agreeing to lead this discussion while you're busy writing #4.... what an excellent thing to be able to enjoy this book and discuss it with the author too.  Never in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine I'd ever have such an opportunity.

[BrassMan]

OK; here's the deal with the first chapter. I've never been completely happy with it, mostly because it starts on the moon and involves space flight. That, plus the cover (which Kindlers unfortunately don't receive), are probably the reasons people automatically call Distant Cousin science fiction. If pressed, I will concede that it's sci-fi "lite."

I could have simply started with chapter 2, where Ana Darcy walks up to the observatory. But had I done that, the reader would have wondered whether she were actually from another planet or maybe just a crackpot earthling, which is what the astronomer thought. That would have been easy to play for suspense: is she, or isn't she? Roll it out a bit, make people wait, build suspense. Too easy, really, and the story is not about that. The story exists because she's from another planet. That's where I wanted the story, and the suspense, to build from.

B-Kay said that the story looks to be about the chase to capture Darcy and study her. Excellent! I agree! Let's remember to come back to that later on and see if you still think so.

As to the matter of male FBI agents wearing suits, and several women agents not wearing suits, but "close to suits," I was poking a little subtle fun at the FBI's well-known reputation for conformity. (Until some years ago, they all had to wear hats. I'm not sure if female agents wore hats. Maybe they didn't have female agents back then.) I could have described their clothing more elaborately, but why? The point was to note that they were formally, and officially, dressed. That's all.

[Anju No. 469]

ok - here we go    Got a lot out of reading this the second time, and enjoyed it just as much 

1. What was unique about the setting and how did it enhance or take away from the story?
I think the West Texas setting was more or less perfect, it was not overly populated or overwhelming with traffic, people, buildings, etc.

2. Do the characters seem real and believable? Can you relate to their predicaments? To what extent do they remind you of someone you know?
I was concerned by the first person picking up the hitch hiker, but then I guess on the lonely roads in West Texas it feels safer than in a populated area.
Possibly could relate to their predicaments, but have not had any personal experience in what has happened to the folks so far.
The characters do not remind me of anyone I know but I would like to know, they seem to be quite amable or simpatico

3. What does it look like, at this point, the story will be about?
the jackasses chasing their tails

4. Would there be any difference if the first chapter had been left out? Why do you think it was included?
The first chapter set the stage for the whole story, showed a bit of the history of the moon station, and why it was there and why it was even there

5. Did Ana Darcy's first impressions of food, plants, and so forth seem logical?
definitely, I got the impression that her planet was rather devoid of a lot of taste and vegetation, even color

6. At what point did you realize that Ana Darcy was a little different from regular humans?
when she was imprisoned and jumped the 12 ft. fence, and the running for hours with no apparent effort, but it still took a bit to comprehend

7. What was Ana Darcy's opinion of Dr. Sledd? Did that tell you anything?
she was totally taken with him from the beginning as he was her, hope to see more of him

8. Does Matt simply have a nose for a story, or was he simply lucky, or what? Was there anything about Matt that helped him find Ana Darcy?
First of all I think he was just lucky and his shyness with Lisa helped her trust him  His reporting skills and the camera also helped, although what damage that would have done to Ana would have been interesting, glad he didn't get more public with the pictures

9. One person who read the sample of Distant Cousin objected to "women FBI agents not wearing suits, but close to suits." What do you understand by this, and does it bother you?
FBI wear suits like uniforms, you can spot them a mile away, the females are probably still trying to find out what their "uniform" will be, suit with pants or skirts, ties or not, jackets most probably, what kind of shoes?, color, men tend to be rather strict on rules whereas the women would work fine without "suit" but close to suit

10. From her actions, what would you say of Ana Darcy's maturity? What would you say of her morals?
her maturity would be measured differently in her world, but being rather headstrong has nothing to do with maturity, it has to do with personality.  There is nothing to indicate morals or lack of morals at this point.

11. Did you use your Kindle to look up any words? Which ones, if you don't mind saying?
I did look up one just to see what the definition was and it was what I thought it was, but I don't remember the word, buffoon maybe? or something like that

ok - whats the next assignment?  where are the questions?  when do we get our grade? no pop quizzes I hope