UPDATE: We're headed into the Final Countdown! All Perk levels now include your name in the book's acknowledgments!

UPDATE:Two New Perks sponsored by Nathane Jackson Fitness!

2 AVAILABLE - Working Things Out. $100 for 1 signed copy and 1 digital copy, your name in the acknowledgments, and a 3-Month Online Fitness and Nutrition Program from Nathane Jackson Fitness. ($550+ Value) Add $25 for a $100 Gift Card from Eyes on Church Optical. 

2 AVAILABLE - Let's Get Physical! $150 for 2 signed copies and 1 digital copy, your name in the acknowledgments and a 3-Month Online Fitness and Nutrition Program from Nathane Jackson Fitness. ($700+ Value) Add $25 for a $100 Gift Certificate for Eyes on Church delievered first week of July (details below).

UPDATE: We're partnering with Eyes on Church Optical for a limited edition perk: Seeing Each Other. For a $50 contribution, you'll get one signed copy of Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda AND a $100 gift card good for prescription eyewear and sunglasses! Delivered first week of July. Only 50 available.

Once upon a time…

Once upon a time, there was a series of books that took readers on exciting adventures. What made them truly special was the ability for readers to choose how their stories would unfold. If their tales ended in sadness or tragedy, they could go back and do things differently. 

Decades later, in another land, lived a young woman who often found herself distraught when it came to matters of the heart. And like many before her, she turned to the written word for help in avoiding heartbreak. 

She was overwhelmed by the sundry of books and articles promising magical cures for her romantic ailments. There were so many rules. So many do’s. So many don’ts. So many contradictory and outdated opinions. How was she to keep everything straight, let alone apply it to her unique life?

And then one day, fate waved its magic wand and inspired the young woman to combine the stories of her childhood with the advice books of her adulthood. The result was enchanting. 

The reader could make her own decisions about her romantic future. If she made mistakes, she would start over again. It would offer true-to-life dating dilemmas. It would represent the varied wants and desires of the modern woman. There would be pop culture references, sex, and shenanigans. Hilarity would ensue.

And Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda was born.

Present day…

As you may have gleaned from the tale above, I am that young woman from the far off land (of Toronto, Canada).

I, Tara Reed, hereby declare that I have read my share of dating advice books. I’m betting you have, too. At least one. Come on. You’ve got a copy of He’s Just Not That Into You. Admit it. Just between us girls? I Knew it!

So you know as well as I do that some advice sends our love soaring to new altitudes, while some of it leaves us searching for the relationship black box, desperate to know where it all went wrong. My theory is that it’s because each of us is the sum of our unique experiences, which colour the choices we make in all areas of our lives.

Even if we don’t actively look to books, magazines, or tarot cards for advice, it finds us. Friends, officemates, and know-it-all relatives frequently have something to say. And yes, we get it subliminally through music, TV and movies. All of this contributes to the time-honoured tradition known as “playing games.”

We all do it. For every girl wondering why a guy hasn’t called her after a date, there’s a dude discouraging his buddy from calling a girl in order to keep the upper hand.

That's never going to change. Ever. But it doesn’t mean we have to take dating too seriously or transport ourselves to the 1950s in search of some mysterious quality supposed to help us catch and keep a man. We don’t even have to want to keep a man. Roar!

I say seek out all the advice your heart desires, but heed only the advice that sounds right for you, and make choices that are going to make you happy - whatever happy looks like to you. See a theme? Whether you want to marry (or not), have kids (or not), juggle two guys at a time (or at once), it should be fun!

So where to start? Hmm. Oh! I know! You could help me publish my awesome novel, Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda: A Novel Approach to Dating.

Tell me more!

It doesn’t matter if you’ve read all or none of the advice books because, though inspired by titles like The Rules and The Gaggle, this is not an advice book. Whether you fancy yourself a dating disaster or a certified courtship champion, Coulda, Woulda Shoulda offers you a fun platform to test your technique with hundreds of unique choices and over 60 different endings.

Stepping into the shoes of Hannah Masters, you meet Nick Wright and must carefully balance your heart and head to advance your relationship from frisky Friday nights to plans for a June wedding. (If that's what you want.) Rachel and Valerie, your best friends, put the antics in romantics and are always ready to help you get out of (and into) guy trouble. Take a peek inside the girls’ heads and closets via their personal Pinterest Boards.

How will you handle your first fight? His way-too-attractive-for-Your-liking gal pal? Suggestion of a threesome? That cute, charming guy who won’t take no for an answer? Pregnancy scares? Suspicious behavior? The three biggest of little words?

I don’t know what you’ll do, but I know that you’ll always have a choice - and a chance to start over if you fall flat on your face. And you will fall flat your face.

Okay. Neat-o idea, Tara, but why should you write it?

I’m just kinda like you! I’m a hapless romantic. I’ve been guilty of premature infatuation. I’ve juggled candlelit dinners and clandestine meetings. I’m sort of a dating inexpert who happens to be a pretty good writer. I’ve also spent a ludicrous amount of time reading all the dating and relationship resources I could find to make this book as comprehensive as possible.

I spent 10 years in public relations, writing for and promoting everything from video games to shoes to one super-famous, plastic blonde! Suffering from Fibromyalgia, I was forced to stop working five years ago. In between doctor’s appointments, side effects and treatments, I chipped away at this idea a little at a time and it took on a life of its own.

I’ve published many columns in SNAP, a Toronto-based newspaper, and studied improvisation with The Second City. I not-so-secretly wish I were a Muppet, I’m a Gemini, and I was named Most Sarcastic Female at my high school prom.

Why self-publish?

I pitched the original manuscript to agents in 2009, during the lowest point of the financial crisis. I received wonderful responses to the fresh concept, humor and my writing, but the publishing climate made it risky to take on debut authors with niche projects. I’m grateful to the handful of agents who encouraged me to leverage my PR expertise and publish it myself. 

And if I help you raise all that money?

First, I suspect you’d be handsomely rewarded by Karma - she loves love and when people get to fulfill their dreams. (But no pressure!)

Mostly, you’d be helping me publish with the quality of a traditionally published novel. That means three stages of editing, formatting and cover design. What’s more? Along with the book itself, you could score some sweet perks, like a place in the acknowledgements or having a character named after you.

But wait, there’s more! By referring people to this page, you’re not only increasing the likelihood we’ll meet the goal, but you’re in the running for the Top Referral Prize, which consists of one ebook, one signed print book, your name in the acknowledgments, a character named after you, and a six-month plan from Friend of a Friend Matchmaking!

The more often you share, the more likely you’ll win, so share early, share often and make sure you’re signed in to Indiegogo first so your referrals are tracked.

And if you don’t meet your goal?

Well, let's hope that doesn't happen, but if it does, the money goes to the highest priority initiatives: editing, formatting and cover design - in that order. If you selected a physical copy of the book, you’ll still get the ebook just as soon as I publish. 

What if you exceed your goal?

First, since I have no idea how, I’d ask someone to do a cartwheel! The more money we raise, the more we can do! Think book trailer, promotional videos, and side-quests. And of course, cool gifts for you, like temporary tattoos, a retro (but oh, so grown up) cootie-catcher for insight into your love life, a bookmark with as many fingers as you have, and a story map.

And if things get insane up in here, Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda could become a full-colour, illustrated, interactive iBook. It could be an app. It could be a video game!

You just met me, and this is crazy…

“They” say you know you’re interested in someone within a few minutes of meeting them, so maybe check out this First Look of Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda. It contains the prologue, your first two choices and their outcomes.

If you’re feeling a spark, go to paragraph i.

If you’re just not feeling it, go to paragraph ii.

i) Wow. Okay. I’m totally blushing. While I compose myself, check out those perks we talked about and decide just how involved with me you want to get.

ii) That’s a shame, but I get it. You can’t force a connection. But maybe you have some awesome friends you think I’d click with? I’d love it if you’d share this page with them using the buttons provided. I bet they’d love you for it, too!

MORE FUN STUFF:

Along with the book's First Look, you can now download a Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda FORTUNE TELLER! You remember those from grade school, right? (Maybe you called it a Cootie Catcher?)

Well, this one's a little more grown up and gives you a taste of what to expect from Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda. So download it and have some fun! Feel free (encouraged even!) to share it with friends. Maybe even bring it to work!

We've also got Cross-Stitch Patterns for the Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda ecard series in the gallery!

Learn more about me and Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda here:

My blog: CouldaWouldaShouldaBook.com

My guest post at TheUrbanDater.com

My guest blog at ChickLitPlus.com

My guest blog and interview at DateDaily.com

Me talking about online dating on Money Awesomeness!

Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda’s official Facebook page (Before you Like it, please like THIS CAMPAIGN PAGE, too!)

Me on Twitter @wordsmithwesson

Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda Pinterest boards

Many, many thanks,

Tara Reed

Campaign video directed by Istvan Dugalin.

Credit to www.freestock.ca for use of the image on the book in the campaign video.