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Following the conclusion of our Kickstarter campaign last week (October 18th), we’ve been quickly pushing things forward to ensure everything gets done on time. By now, our Kickstarter backers would have been charged for their pledges (thanks again!). The money won’t actually be deposited in our accounts for another week or so, but that’s not stopping us from moving the process forward with our printers: We submitted a final version of the book to the printer for review the very next day after the campaign ended and received feedback this week notifying us of some technical edits we need to make. We’ve made those changes and have re-submitted an updated version. Assuming everything is now good to go, we will receive a hard-copy proof of a portion of the book in a few weeks. This will be done to ensure that the colors we’re seeing on our computer screen are not drastically different from the in-print version — fingers crossed!For your reference, below is a copy of the timeline we shared in our Kickstarter campaign. So far so good! Stay tuned for updates as we progress through this journey together!

Our Kickstarter campaign is finally live!!!! Thank you all for your patience and support throughout this time!  Now the rubber meets the road!

We only have one month to run this campaign, so we have to move fast!

How can you help make “The Jiu-Jitsu Ponytail” a reality?  We’re glad you asked!  Here’s how:

1. Please visit our Kickstarter site and learn more about the project; we even made a fun little video, so be sure to check it out!
2. Select a reward option / funding level to support the campaign; any amount helps because it gets us another step closer to the final target!
3. Tell your friends! Word of mouth is key!
4. Post your support on your social media accounts – Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. – we need to get in front of as many eyeballs as possible!

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Help me make #TheJiuJitsuPonytail children’s book a reality by supporting its @Kickstarter campaign today!  @JJPonytail @mirkhalidali

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Thank you again for your support!!!

First a quick update about our upcoming Kickstarter campaign: We are on track to launch the campaign next week! We’re just adding some final touches and making absolutely sure we’ve got all our i’s dotted and t’s crossed. Thanks for your patience and continued support!

In the meantime, here’s another peek into the book:
Although the main characters in “The Jiu-Jitsu Ponytail” are Noor and her ponytail, Noor’s “Baba” or dad also has a key role to play to enable her success. He is an example of the role that men can and must play in empowering girls and women.

Noor’s Baba is a serious but loving father, and he is very actively involved in Noor’s jiu-jitsu training. His time with Noor, however, isn’t limited to just jiu-jitsu; he also helps her with her homework and puts her to bed at night.

When it came time to illustrate Baba, Taahira and I got to a look for him fairly quickly. I had a pretty clear idea in my head what I wanted Baba to look like, and Taahira hit it right out the park:

We think the sketch all the way on the right — number 6 — is the best one 😉 What do you think? Take this quick poll, and let us know!

 

Here’s where we landed with Baba’s final look in color:

Nearly a year go, I began sketching out a story inspired by my experience getting my 5-year-old daughter ready for Saturday morning Brazilian jiu-jitsu practice.  Now, after countless drafts, revisions, edits, and sketches, we’re almost ready to hit print on a beautifully illustrated children’s book: “The Jiu-Jitsu Ponytail!”  To get this book across the finish line, we are hard at work preparing a Kickstarter campaign to take pre-orders for the book and to raise the needed funds to publish and distribute it.  Please subscribe to our website and social media accounts to stay tuned for updates and to show your support!

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