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On Science Fiction, Creative Control, and Cover Artists: an interview with the brothers Zargari

Q: Right then, first things first, please introduce yourselves to our readers.

Shahab: I’m Shahab Zargari. I’m a lover of the arts, I run GC Records with my lovely wife and take photos digitally and on film non-stop.

Shahram: Hi, I’m Shahram Zargari a copy writer and dance instructor from Southern California.

Q: What’s the basic premise of your novel, Prison Break 2438?

Shahram: In a bleak futuristic world, in which the United States of America has split into multiple countries, a small band of civil rights revolutionaries must save their leader from the clutches of an evil government.

Q: Many wouldn’t ordinarily pick up a political sci-fi novel. Why do you suppose that is? Do you think Prison Break 2438 offers something a wider audience than steadfast sci-fi fans can latch onto?

Shahab: I’m not sure that’s so true. To me 90% of all science fiction is political, even not-too-philosophical Hollywood dramas like Star Wars and Book of Eli. Science fiction is when any author chooses to write objectively about alternative possibilities and situations, usually with a moral to be learned from the tale that relates to our modern day lives. That’s all politics in my eyes. But to answer your second question I know that anyone who enjoys science fiction, from the die hard fans to the occasional onlooker, will enjoy this book. Whether or not people outside that demographic will enjoy it….well, only time will tell.

Shahram: I too think most sci fi novels have very mild political undertones and there are always those who might not consider themselves a science fiction lover but love books like “1984”. Even though those things are true, I believe there is a growing number of people who are scared of where the world is going; something that has catapulted the post-apocalyptic sub genre into the mainstream over the past 3 to 5 years. It’s these fans we’re hoping to get interested in our book. Sci fi enthusiasts who are looking for novels about aliens and photon torpedoes are not really our target audience.

Q: Personally, my favourite sci-fi stuff, particularly the stuff with a political bent, is the deeply speculative work of Ursula Le Guin in books like The Dispossessed, and The Lathe of Heaven. Which authors and works inspired you as authors, and how do you feel Prison Break 2438 fits into the broader genre?

Shahab: Not sure about inspiration on this book directly, but I really think Stephen King’s seven book Dark Tower series will stick with me to the end of my days. Also many of Clive Barker’s fantasy epics like Imajica and Weaveworld, which my brother and I both began reading in junior high school, have had a profound effect on my love of fantastic adventures. Guillermo del Toro’s writing and films are also a huge influence.

Shahram: Interestingly enough I think the works of Orwell had a huge influence not to mention Huxely’s A Brave New World. I also found a lot of inspiration in books like Malcom X, fairly recent works by Iranian political prisoners and magazine articles about detainees in American prisons and camps at Guantanamo Bay during the Bush presidency. I think our book is more than just a Sci-fi novel. It’s a premonition of what is to come for our children’s children if we as humans allow ourselves to forget the atrocities we have, time and time again, proven to be capable of.

Q: Now, I understand that you’re engaged in a somewhat unusual fundraising enterprise to pay for a professional editor and the services of an illustrator. Could you tell us a bit more about the reasons behind that decision, and who you’d like to get on board once your fundraising target is met?

Shahab: Basically we want to keep 100% control over the published content. Even with a trusted publisher (who would normally pay for printing, illustrations and distribution) the author is usually without any help for marketing the book. 100% of the PR and advertising legwork and money to be spent has to come out of the author’s pocket until the day that they make it to Stephen King level. So, we figured, since we’d have to man that part ourselves anyway, we’d rather keep creative control as well. I’ve self published an art anthology through conventional means and used print-on-demand services for my two other books compiling my 35mm photography. I know both routes pretty well…so we decided to start a preorder campaign to help pay for the editing and illustrations so we could have more money to promote the final product. Brian Ewing, who has created some of the best band gig posters this world has ever seen, and we’re extremely humbled and honored to have him aboard. His new book just came out on Darkhorse Comics and it’s amazing because the pages are full of background information on each art piece; you have a chance to get into his head and see what he was thinking when creating the specific commissioned work. So good. We just want to hit out goal so he gets paid what he’s due and so that our final manuscript is something everyone can enjoy and be proud to share.

Q: Finally, how can our readers find out more about the project, and, if they want to, what’s the best way for them to get involved?

Shahab: A video as well as more detail on the book can be found here: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/thegc4/prison-break-2438-a-novel

Minimum pledge is $1 USD, but obviously the more one pledges to the product the more fun the reward. Not only is it possible to help the project get moving and feel good about that, but it’s possible to get limited Edition Brian Ewing clothing, posters, etc.