BOOK DESCRIPTION
“The End” is Only the Beginning.
Elle Masters is over dating. It used to be fun: the drama, the angst, the exhilarating beginnings, the bittersweet middles, the blowout endings. Then the tears, hangovers, rebounds, and another addition to the shoebox of memories in her closet. Now Elle can’t remember the last time a guy made his way into her box.
When her friends Rachel and Valerie insist she snap out of her post-breakup funk with a girls’ night out/rebound hunt at a San Francisco bar, Elle isn’t expecting tall, dark, and hummuna-hummuna, Nick Wright. This is no rebound guy. He’s definitely, maybe, The One.
In Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda, the interactive romantic comedy where you direct the plot, you play Elle as she and her pals put the “antics” in “romantics.” Get ready to question everything you thought you knew about love, over-analyzing and second-guessing your way through hundreds of modern dating dilemmas and passionate predicaments. Will you accept a last minute date? Freak out if Nick wants space? Be the first to use the ‘L’ word? Live in sin? Or hold out for a ring? Wait, do you even want a ring?
With 60 good, bad and inexplicable endings, you’ll always have another second chance at love with Mr. Wright.
LINKS
AMAZON
THE REVIEW
I could read this book for hours trying to figure the different scenerios for Elle and Nick!!
Ella is done with dating. After her most recent break up, she's bound and determined to stay single. Her two best friends have other plans, and decide to take her out for a night on the town. That night, she notices a cute guy checking her out.
Nick Wright is good-looking, charming and very interested in Elle. Throughout this book, you can pretty much see where the relationship goes and where it doesn't. You make up the story as you go along, and I loved that!! As I said, I could read it for hours seeing the different paths their relationship take!!
I loved her two best friends, who were there for Elle through everything. Even getting mad at Nick for not calling for a week.
Really great story!!!!
THE INTERVIEW
How long have you been writing?
For fiction, I started writing six years ago with my first novel, Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda. I
had a great idea for a book but was nearly a decade into my career in
public relations, so I never expected I’d actually do anything beyond
daydream about it now and then. But when I had to give up my career (and
the outdoors) because of disabling health issues, my cabin fever led me
to digging it out of my “Things I’ll Probably Never Do” notebook.
Beyond
that, I’m a very wordy person. Some people think in pictures (and I do,
too, sometimes), but I more frequently can see words as I think them. I
kept journals from elementary school through college, all of which have
long since been (regrettably) destroyed. There was a half-hearted (and
wildly naive) attempt at a novel in elementary school, and a screenplay
(which had a killer soundtrack) in high school.
My
career in public relations always involved a lot of writing, which has
been very helpful, particularly in character development, as I was
already accustomed to adopting vastly different individuals’ “voices”
when writing speeches, talking points, or other media materials.
And jokes. I write jokes. (Thank you, Twitter, for giving me an outlet for this.)
What or who inspires you to write?
Enthusiasm
inspires me! My own and others’. It’s as contagious as a yawn to me. If
I’m feeling unproductive, I watch or read something about a favourite
performer, like Jim Henson’s biography, or Dave Chappelle’s first
appearance on Inside The Actors Studio. I admire them both
greatly for what they’ve accomplished in regards to their own craft, and
that’s usually enough to get me fired up.
It’s
generally hard to hold my attention, but when something grabs my focus,
you’ll be unlikely to get it back. I have little bursts of inspiration
that multiply exponentially, and my memory is terrible, so there are
post-it notes, scrap papers, emails and voice memos pretty much
everywhere on and around my person, all with scattered bits of dialogue
and plot points. Compiling it is an adventure in itself. (Especially
guessing how much wine fueled a particular idea).
My
blog is about as organized as my bread crumb notes, and I try not to
write anything just for the sake of it. But...if you can provoke a
strong enough emotional response from me, I’ll feel compelled to write
an impassioned response or open letter. (I’m a bit of a rabble rouser.)
What genre do you like to read?
My
taste is pretty eclectic, and obsessive. Last year the bulk of my
reading was historical fiction and nonfiction. Memoirs and biographies
are always in the mix, actually. It’s rare that real life isn’t more
interesting than fiction. That old expression “You can’t make this stuff
up!” comes to mind.
I just finished Patience Bloom’s memoir Romance is My Day Job: A Tale of Finding Love at Last, and it’s up there with Jenny Lawson’s Let’s Pretend This Never Happened (which should be read repeatedly) in my Top 10. Rob Lowe’s Stories I Only Ever Tell My Friends sits at Number One. It’s The Bee’s.
What is your favorite genre to write?
I’ve
only officially written commercial fiction, with a largely humorous
vibe, and I imagine that’s where I’ll spend most of my time for now.
First up, there are the next two titles in the Once Upon a Theme series, each leaning to the romantic comedy end of the spectrum, and will alternate points of view, giving Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda’s supporting characters Rachel and Valerie each their own title with a unique focus.
I’m
also working on a story dealing with chronic illness. It’s been six
years since I had to stop working due to disabling fibromyalgia and
chronic fatigue syndrome. That’s a long time, and not a thing has
changed in terms of understanding, research effort or awareness. The
rate of diagnose is increasing exponentially, already affecting up to
six percent of the North American population, mostly women, and no one
seems to be looking into it. I’d like to contribute something toward
changing that.
Who is your favorite author and why?
I tend to have favourites for each genre, and for women’s fiction, that’s Emily Giffin. Something Borrowed
remains my go-to reread, in print and on audio. I remember finishing it
in about sixteen consecutive hours without sleep. I love all of
Giffin’s work, but have always been impressed that she made me root for
the “bad girl,” while turning a common trope on its ear in Something Borrowed. And in the follow up, Something Blue, she even managed to make me like Darcy (the actual bad girl), which I’d decided was against the laws of physics. I’d love to see more of her books made into movies. Where We Belong would be an excellent screen adaptation.
What do you love about writing and why?
Writing
is both always the same and always different - at least, it’s as
different as you want it to be. As a restless soul, that’s comforting. I
can decide on a whim to switch to a new story, or a new genre - or even
jump to screen or teleplays, which is something I’d very much like to
do. (Basically, I want to be Vajayjay Abrams and conquer TV and films in
addition to books.)
What is the book about?
Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda
is a choosable path novel, much like the books you may remember from
grade school, only this one’s way grown up and for chicks! It has
hundreds of unique choices inspired by popular dating advice and
culture, and 60 endings.
As
the reader, you assume the role of Elle, a single gal ready to swear
off dating following another break up that didn’t break your heart. That
is, until you meet Nick Wright and find yourself over-analyzing and
second-guessing your way through courtship conundrums and passionate
predicaments, and then living with the outcome – even when it means
starting over. Fifty-nine times.
What or who was the inspiration for the book?
I
met a guy in a bar and we hit it off. My friend and I agreed to join
him at another spot where he was meeting friends from college. On the
way, we stopped at his place so he could change, and I noticed a copy of
Neil Strauss’ The Game - a fascinating memoir about an
underground society of pickup artists. I’d recently heard of it, but
didn’t want to assume it was his and not a roommate’s. But for the rest
of the night, he’d sort of flit back and forth between me and a number
of girls from his school days, something I suspected was meant to make
me insecure.
So that wasn’t going anywhere, but I was curious and bought the book, along with an Amazon-suggested copy of dating advice classic, The Rules. Not two chapters into The Game, I found nearly a dozen “techniques” that guy had tried on me. It was actually pretty funny. Then I read The Rules, which is a very rigid list of Do’s and Don’ts. I contrasted those titles with the only other advice book I’d ever read, He’s Just Not That Into You, and found they had little in common. And that was a mere sample of what was out there.
When
I thought of how impossible it would to keep up with all of it, it
brought to mind the adventure and role-playing video games published by
the company I worked for. A heroine always working toward the next
level, forging her own path, jumping through hoops and getting advice
along the way. She’d get so far before, out of nowhere, boom! Game Over. Try Again?
Fast forward and there I am, knee-deep in research by experts, creating
an inclusive and (hopefully) relatable representation of modern dating
culture.
Who are the characters in the book?
Elle
Masters is our protagonist. She’s a mid-level public relations
consultant in San Francisco. And while she’s most definitely looking for
love, she’s unclear on marriage and kids, currently more distraught
with the fact she can’t remember the last time she met a guy who made
her think about either of those things. She’s a reasonable and
independent gal but, like all of us, is occasionally prone to a little
neurosis when it comes to relationships. Just a little.
Elle’s
best friend since high school is the half-Canadian, one hundred percent
sarcastic, Rachel Winters. A music supervisor for film and television,
she’s got pretty much the coolest job on Earth. She’s not a Rules Girl.
In fact, she’s more of a No Rules Girl, much preferring to keep things
casual than stay perpetually partnered. In her Once Upon a Theme title, Good on Paper, Rachel finds her unromantic self barraged with classic romance archetypes.
Rachel
lives a few floors down from Elle in an apartment she shares with
Valerie, who the two met in college. A stark contrast to the bold and
brash Rachel, Valerie is a girly girl and true romantic. A lifelong
student of romance novels, movies and soaps, she loves a little drama,
but not in her own life, which she’d prefer to keep neat and
uncomplicated. In her Once Upon a Theme title, As the Plot Thickens, Valerie’s life becomes a veritable soap opera, with scandal, secrets and studs.
Elle’s leading man is Nick Wright. He’s a tall, dark and Henry Cavill type who works in one of those finance jobs no ever truly understands.
He’s a guy’s guy, in every sense of the word, and not without his own
reservations about traditional approaches to relationships. He’s a
straight shooter (and according to Elle, one heck of a kisser).
If you could have five authors, over for dinner, alive or dead, who would they be and why?
Emily Giffin - She’s incredibly genuine. I never read her books and sarcastically think, “Oh yeah, that happens in real life.” It would also be a great time to ask her to sign my books.
Chelsea
Handler - I’m kind of obsessed with her. Obviously, yes, she’s
hilarious, but uniquely so. Her mind is remarkable - razor sharp wit,
and keen, unforgiving observation. She has a confidence that’s rare
among women in entertainment today. Her books are art, and I think it’s
great she started her own publishing company. I’m also looking forward
to her upcoming talk show on Netflix, which is a great example of what a shrewd business woman she is.
Gilda Radner - Oh, I love her. I named my cat after her. Saturday Night Live
has been a launching ground for some pretty incredible women, but Gilda
is my favorite. Such memorable characters - larger than life characters
- and they all came out of this tiny woman with this adorable voice.
When I was around 12 years old, I read her memoir It’s Always Something about her journey as a comedy giant on SNL,
falling in love, and battling cancer. When you can make something so
harrowing funny, you’re my hero. I’ve loved memoirs ever since.
Mildred Wirt Benson - The most frequent author behind the pseudonym, “Carolyn Keene” - the name associated with Nancy Drew,
my favorite books as a kid. My mom tracked down the entire original
series one at a time at used book stories, and I maintain they’re to
thank for my early developed writing aptitude. It felt like fate when my
first job out of college included PR for the video games based on the
series. I mean, Nancy Drew. The original Veronica Mars.
Steve Martin - He’s probably one of few truly genuine
examples of a modern renaissance man, and would definitely have been a
fixture on Henry VIII’s court. He writes...everything, he paints, he
plays music, he dances, he does the whole gamut in comedy. And I bet he
brings really good wine (that he makes himself) to dinner parties.
THE AUTHOR
Author Bio:
Tara Lee Reed is the accidental writer from Toronto, Canada, not that chick from Sharknado. When her career in public relations was forced into hiatus by a jerky plot twist, she wrote the first in a series of interactive novels. When she received offers of single and multi-book deals from top houses, she turned them down to publish independently. Because she’s crazy.
She was voted Most Sarcastic Female at her high school prom, which she went to alone. (Not that she thinks about it.) She can fit her whole fist in her mouth (which makes the prom thing surprising), and she can sing with her mouth closed, but she can’t do both at the same time.
Her tweets on The Bachelor have been aired in a live broadcast and picked up by national media. She once appeared on the cover of a romance novel with her longtime partner, who has done 79 more – with other women. She thinks that’s qualification enough to write this book.
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