"A young woman at the intersection of modern Iran and ancient Persia, family obligations and self-discovery, guilt and freedom..."

Hi. My name is Dara Naraghi, and I'm an Iranian-American writer, currently living in Columbus, Ohio. I’d like to tell you a bit about my latest project, a graphic novel trilogy called Persia Blues. The first volume is scheduled to be published in the summer of 2013 by acclaimed indie publisher, NBM.

At its very core, Persia Blues is the story of a smart, independent young Iranian woman trying to define herself and her place in the world, in the face of family obligations and societal pressures. It draws heavily from Iranian history and culture, including the Shahnameh and Zoroastrianism.

Here’s a slightly expanded description, and how I pitched the book to my publisher:

Minoo Shirazi is a rebellious young Iranian woman, struggling to define herself amidst the strict social conventions of an oppressive regime, and the differing wishes of an overbearing father. Minoo Shirazi is also a free-spirited adventurer in a fantasy world, a place where aspects of modern America and ancient Persia meld into a unique landscape.

And yet, neither of these women are the true Minoo Shirazi.

On her journey(s) of self-discovery, she will encounter diverse elements from Iran's rich culture and history, both real and mythological, and eventually solve the mystery of her world(s).

My artistic partner on this endeavor is Brent Bowman, a good friend and a hell of a talent. Brent’s been putting a lot of time, research, and effort into this book, and I couldn’t be happier with the results. I’ve included several samples of his work here for your enjoyment.

Which brings me to a humble request...

In order to help compensate Brent for all his hard work illustrating this book, I've launched a Kickstarter campaign:

Click here to view the Kickstarter for Persia Blues

If you're not familiar with Kickstarter, it's a "crowd funding" site which allows the public to financially support a creative project in return for unique incentives. We are offering signed copies of the book, artwork, Persian cuisine recipes, handwritten short stories, and even a chance for you to appear as a character in the book, plus other cool items.

We only have until Thursday, December 20 to reach our goal (and Kickstarter operates on an “all-or-nothing” model).

Anyway, I would love it if you took a few minutes to check it out. I don't want anyone to feel obligated in any way to support the project, but if you like what you see, I could use your help to help spread the news about it. By posting the link to Facebook, Tweeting it, or emailing it to friends, family, and colleagues, you can help us get the word out about our project.

I'm especially interested in getting the word out to the Iranian community, both in the US and abroad, to let them know there's a book like this in the works, and they can be a part of it. The more eyes we get on the project from a diverse group of readers, the better our chance to reach our goal.

I hope you’ll check it out, and I’d love to get your feedback on it, good, bad, or otherwise.

Best,
Dara