IN THE MEDIA:

My Guest Blog at ChickLitPlus.com talking about the inspiration and process for Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda.

My Guest Blog at DateDaily.com: "Great Dating Advice: Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda Author Shares Her Best Tips."

Chicklitplus.com hosts Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda First Look.

DateDaily.com hosts first look of Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda here. 

REFERRAL PRIZE: Be sure to log into indiegogo before sharing the page if you want a chance at winning the prize for most referrals to the campaign. The prize is the $1,000 perk and a 3 month online fitness and nutrition program from Nathane Jackson Fitness.

Once upon a time…

Once upon a time, there was a series of books that took young readers on exciting adventures. What made these books truly special was the fact they let readers make choices about how their stories would unfold. And if their tales ended in sadness or tragedy, the readers could go back to any point in the story and do things differently. 

Decades later, in another land, there was 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 soon found herself overwhelmed with the sundry of books and articles promising magical elixirs to cure 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 So many contradictory and outdated opinions.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 own, unique life?

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

The reader could make her own decisions about her romantic future.  If she should make 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 fairytale above, I am that young woman from the far off land (of Toronto, Canada).

I, Tara Reed, hereby announce to the world 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 dating 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. Why is that? It’s because we’re all different. Male or female, each of us is the sum total our unique experiences, which dictate our choices in all areas of our lives.

Even if we don’t actively look to books, magazines, friends, or tarot cards for advice, it finds us. Social circles, officemates, and know-it-all relatives desperate for us to have babies, frequently have something to say.  We even get it subliminally through music, TV and movies. (Yeah, yeah. Romantic comedies are the root of all evil and Rachel McAdams is the incredibly beautiful devil.  We get it.) 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 great date, there’s a guy discouraging his buddy from calling a girl so he can keep the upper hand.

That's never going to change.  Ever. Of course, that 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. Hear us roar!

You should seek out all the advice your heart desires, but it’s important to heed only the advice that sounds right for you, and to 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, right?

So where to start? Hmm. Oh! Hey! I know. You could help me fund the production of my awesome novel, Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda, which I'm hoping to publish by September of this year.

Tell me more!

Whether you think you're a dating disaster or a certified courtship champion, Coulda, Woulda Shoulda offers you a fun platform to test your technique throughout hundreds of true-to-life dating scenarios and over 60 different endings. Stepping into the role of Hannah, you’ll have to carefully balance your heart and your head to maneuver your relationship from frisky Friday nights to plans for a June wedding. If you want to get married, that is.   

It doesn’t matter if you’ve read all the books, or none of them.  Why?  Because while it was inspired by countless books like The Rules and He’s Just Not That Into You, this is not an advice book.  It doesn’t matter if you’re an old-fashioned gal or a true-feminista, this novel has something for you! You’ll also have great friends, Rachel and Valerie, who put the antics in romantics, and are always ready to help you get out of, and into, guy trouble.

How will you handle your first fight? What do you do about his way-too-close-and-attractive-for-your-liking gal pal? What do you say when he suggests the dreaded threesome? What’s a girl to do about that cute, charming guy she keeps running into who won’t take no for an answer? How about when you’re faced with unexpected pregnancies, suspicious behaviour, those three biggest of little words, and the minefield that is the topic of marriage? I don’t know what you’ll do, but I do know that you’ll always have a choice, and a chance to start over if you fall flat on your face. And you don’t even have to put on make up to do it.

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

What qualifies me to write this book? Other than the fact I did? 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 really more of a dating inexpert - who just happens to be a pretty good writer. I also spent a ludicrous amount of time reading all the dating and relationship books and articles I could get my hands on to make the content in the book as comprehensive as possible.

I’m no longer a single gal, but my guy (who you might recognize from such films as the video for this campaign) appears on the covers of 75 Harlequin romance novels, so that’s kind of like a rom-com, right?   

Go on…

I spent 10 years working in public relations, writing for and promoting everything from video games to shoes to dolls - including one particularly well-known plastic blonde!  Unfortunately, I was forced to stop working five years ago when I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia.  So in between doctor’s appointments, side effects and treatments, I chipped away at this book a little bit a time to keep myself sane. It soon took on a life of its own, and hopefully will provide me with the means to support myself in the future.

I’ve also published many columns on consumer technology in SNAP, a Toronto-based newspaper, and studied improvisation with The Second City here in Toronto. I also not-so-secretly wish I were a Muppet, I’m a Gemini, and I like short walks on the beach.

Why self-publish?

The completion of the original manuscript coincided with the lowest point of the recent financial crisis. After querying a group of agents, I received wonderful responses to the story and the fresh concept. Unfortunately, and understandably, the economy and unpredictable fiction market made taking on debut authors with niche projects challenging for agents. However, a handful of them encouraged me to leverage my PR expertise and publish it myself, and I am so grateful to them. 

And if I help you raise all that money?

First, I suspect you would 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 launch this book with the full integrity of a traditionally published novel.   

That means professional editing, formatting, and cover design, and a kick-ass, interactive website. Let me emphasize the word “professional” here. I’ve got a great team of talented colleagues who are ready to put in the work (as soon as I can pay them).

What’s more? Aside of from the book in multiple formats, you could score some sweet extras, like official temporary tattoos, a place in the book's acknowledgements or have a character named after you. You can find a full list of perks to the right of the screen.

I'm working with financial expert, Shannon Lee Simmons to make sure funds are distributed properly.

And if you don’t meet your goal?

Well, let's hope that doesn't happen. If we don't make it, the money will be used on the highest priority initiatives - editing, formatting, cover design and a website - in that order - as well as getting the book to you. I'll do everything in my power to make sure you get a professional product. That's priority one! 

What if you exceed your goal?

From your fingertips to God's ears! The more money we raise, the more we can do! We'll do a book trailer, a series of fun promotional videos and illustrations to bring the book to life. I've prepared a fun package of bonus incentives that will enhance the Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda experience, including a retro (but oh, so grown up) cootie-catcher to give you insight into your love life, a specialty bookmark that has as many fingers as you do, a glossy story map to let you trace your steps along the way, and more!

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

You just met me, and this is crazy…

Okay, for a first meeting this is a lot of information. But “they” say you know you’re interested in someone within a few minutes of meeting them, so….

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 Indiegogo's share tools. I bet they’d love you for it, too!

You can learn more about the book and stay up to date at my blog, CouldaWouldaShouldaBook.com. You can also watch me on YouTube, join Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda’s official Facebook page, or follow me on Twitter @wordsmithwesson. If you want to get to know Hannah, Rachel and Valerie a little better, check them out on Pinterest!

Many thanks,

Tara Reed

(AKA: Wordsmith & Wesson)

Special thanks to Sally Jacquart and Russ Visch for letting Istvan Dugalin direct this video in their basement!

Also, credit to www.freestock.ca for use of the image on the book in the campaign video.