Neda Aria
Transgressive Fiction Author, Marketing for Writers, Post Modernism Literature, Book Cover Design, Writing Mentorship
Counting Crows
"Maybe it’s not Gus. Maybe it’s everything else—the things I lost without even knowing I wanted them.
Like motherhood.
I never wanted it. Not really. I never saw myself cradling a baby, singing lullabies, being someone’s mother though I pretended I was trying for Henry and his dreams of paternity. But now that the choice is fading away, now that I might never be able to be a mother—the loss is becoming a phantom limb. It’s not the absence of a child I miss. It’s the power to decide. It’s knowing there’s a part of me, soon, I’ll never get to explore. Or the weight of not knowing how to tell Henry we should stop trying after all these months. The weight of the lies I tell are choking me but I can’t bear the thought of being anything less than a woman in his eyes. As if, without motherhood, without my reproductive system intact, womanhood holds any meaning at all. P10
Tina, a renowned Iranian painter living in Manhattan, faces an internal battle despite having the life she once dreamed of—a loving husband, freedom, and a stellar career. Haunted by creative block and unresolved memories, she becomes obsessed with a boy named Gus from her past. Their brief yet impactful meetings across dive bars and cafés in Grand Rapids come to the forefront. These memories spiral further back to her teenage years in Iran, where she struggled against family expectations and rigid traditions. Her fight to escape Iran and pursue the American Dream now clashes with her creative block and emotional unrest, leaving her to believe that reconnecting with Gus might unlock her artistic and personal freedom.
Genre
Literary Fiction, Women’s Fiction, Romance
Theme
Feminism, Coming of Age, Cultural Identity, Family Struggles, Creative Freedom, Nostalgia, Pursuit of the American Dream
Counting Crows is part of a unique duology created in collaboration with Aaron Paul Schaut, published by hypercats publishing, where two interconnected stories are told from the perspectives of Tina and Gus. While Counting Crows focuses on Tina’s journey from 1990s Iran to the United States as she navigates cultural struggles, creative expression, and personal freedom, its companion novel, Lover’s Rock, delves into Gus’s experiences, capturing his coming-of-age and reflections on love, loss, and memory.
Together, the books explore themes of identity, nostalgia, and the unspoken connection between two individuals shaped by their distinct yet intertwined paths. This collaboration allows for a richer exploration of shared experiences from two distinct voices, offering readers a multidimensional take on love, longing, and the passage of time.
Learn more about both book here