Ellsworth, ME – February 20, 2012 – Local author and singer/songwriter Kate O’Quinn has been working on her debut project Mixed Tape of Emotions – A Partially Fictionalized Memoir for a few years now. “It’s been a long process of trying to capture everything in just the right way,” said the up and coming artist. “It’s really a few years of my life complete with songs that I wrote during that time to process the events in my life. I wanted to put the reader directly into my shoes. What was I seeing, feeling, listening to and creating.” O’Quinn is now trying to ‘crowdsource’ funds to publish copies of the book/cd duo and take the project on the road this summer.
Kickstarter, founded in 2009 is a crowdsourcing platform that helps creative projects come to life. It is powered by an all-or-nothing funding method. Projects must hit their goal by their completion date before any money or rewards change hands. This serves to protect both backers and artists.
O’Quinn’s campaign – Help Make my Mixed Tape a Reality – is offering a wide range of rewards, each one building off of the next. She’s also made it possible for everyone to buy-in to her project. A dollar donation will get you a customized thank-you card directly from the artist. “I really love the idea of people getting to share in the creation phase of a project. That way, when it becomes real you can say, ‘Hey! I helped get her there.’, and you get some cool rewards too.” Other rewards include an autographed copy of the book and cd, a merchandise prize pack, and even homemade cookies.
When asked about the book’s plot, O’Quinn answered, “It’s about me, but it is a story that everyone can relate to. I’ve always said that the journey to find love isn’t unique – unless it’s set to your own soundtrack. The project is multimedia. Not only is there the cd of original music, but the chapters are also named after well-known songs that capture the action in the chapter.” The book blurb states that the book is for anyone, “trying to find their place in the world, trying to manipulate love in their favor, or anyone who just loves and lives through music.”
Individuals can read about the project, view the pitch video and support the project through Sunday, April 8 at 8:00pm at www.kateoquinn.com which will take you directly to her Kickstarter page. You can also find her on Facebook and through the Twitter tag @kateoquinn.
