First, A Little Background: 

Over this past summer, folk singer-songwriter Dan Coyle was writing a series of blog posts called “There Was a Time When I Had No Fans.” The series was inspired by emails Dan often received from fans of his music, emails that not only described how much they enjoyed his songs, but also how extraordinarily lucky Dan was to be able to make a living as an independent performer . . . and maybe did he want to share a few insights into how that was possible? 

Dan realized that he was, indeed, quite lucky and got to work straightaway writing the story of his success, also detailing the hardships he faced along the way: growing up on a farm in rural New York State, pursuing his love for the stage during college, fueling his creativity with a move to Chicago (penniless but impassioned), the speed with which he went from playing at open-mic nights with audiences in the single digits to national radio airplay and performances at folk festivals with attendance numbering in the thousands – and, especially, how the shock of this sudden turn led him to problems with alcohol, drugs, and self-mutilation. 

After several failed attempts at recovery and a stint of hospitalization, Dan came to a realization that ultimately changed his entire approach to his career, music, and life, allowing him to find his own path and purpose with resilience and style, a way to positively impact his corner of the world. 

What We’re Doing:

After Dan had published several of these posts on his website, he was approached by a fan in Hawaii who happened to own an independent publishing company and who’d been floored by Dan’s story. Did he want to write an autobiography? 

Uh, maybe? Dan was honored and humbled by the request, but felt strange about writing the story of his own life. 

And that’s where I come in: I’ve been interviewing Dan about his life starting from childhood all the way through the present time. Everything is being captured on film, and our coffee-fueled (and, okay, wine-addled) sessions will be released as one of the awesome prizes for supporting our campaign. But most importantly, I’ll use our conversations to write the book of Dan’s story, from his rise to his downward spiral, his challenging recovery and his revitalizing tour through Europe. 

The book, tentatively titled The Last Bus in the Night, will be part memoir and part motivational for those interested in pursuing a creative passion, people who want to set their own rules and live the life they want – so we’re including lessons learned and tools to arm you in exploring a different existence from the one typically prescribed by society. 

Why We Need Your Help:

This isn’t an all or nothing kind of deal: this book is getting written come hell or high water. But the difference you’ll be able to make (and, hopefully, your friends too, after you tell them all about it!) is whether it’s released to a limited audience simply as an e-book or as an actual, physical object to hold in your hands and smell the pages of (you know you do it). If we reach the minimum goal, Dan and I will be able to do two things: 

1. Print and release a run of books to be placed in independent bookstores across the United States and Canada. Wouldn’t it be super exciting to go to your favorite bookseller, and be able to support a small business owner, your local economy, AND the arts? We think so! 

2. Tour the West Coast of North America, starting in Vancouver, British Columbia and hitting all the major cities until we reach San Diego, California. The tour will encompass book readings, signings, and live performances by Dan. We’re especially excited about this one, because it means we’ll actually be able to meet and chat with some of the folks who have been touched by this story (i.e. YOU!). 

But it doesn’t have to stop there: if we exceed our goal, we’ll be able to add tour stops in cities throughout the Midwest and on the East Coast. And if, thanks to your generosity, the pledges we receive are significantly higher than the minimum, we plan to bring the tour to Europe and let fans determine where we go! 

So, Thank You! 

We appreciate you taking the time to visit our campaign. We have 30 days to meet our minimum goal of $1,500 and it’s your generosity that will get us there! 

We really believe in the community we’ve created both in our regular lives and online, and we are so stoked for you to be part of it! Join us in making this book and tour as successful as possible so that we can bring our unique form of upbeat badassery to a city near you. 

Remember, you ARE the media, so as soon as you’ve contributed be sure to use this link to spread the word far and wide! 

Who We Are: 

I’m Jessica Kulick, writer, traveler, blogger, yogi, fan of all things pistachio. Want to see more of what I do? Go to www.ofrevolt.com or holler at yer girl on www.twitter.com/ofrevolt. 

I’m Dan Coyle, singer, songwriter, wanderer, lover of salt and ancient gadgets. Listen to my music at www.dancoyle.com or tell me cheesy jokes on www.twitter.com/dan_coyle.

Oh yeah! The photos!

For those of you contemplating a pledge of $75 or more (which, OMG thank you and WOO HOO!), here are a few examples of Jessica's fine art travel photography. If you choose to support us at this level, you can choose which ones you'd like to receive, or we can surprise you with a few of our own favorites! 

Each photo has an individual value of $18, and is printed with a supra lustre finish, a fine-grained pebble texture that resists fingerprints. I also sign them with my name, the title of each photo, and when and where it was taken.

To see more of Jessica's travel photography, visit http://ofrevolt.storenvy.com.