DailyDoodles now for sale!

If you follow me on FB, Twitter, or Instagram, you might've noticed that for the last few months I've been posting a #dailydoodle. (Well...I don't post one EVERY day. But I post them regularly enough.) They're something I started doing as a writing warm-up--and I know you're probably thinking: how does doodling help your writing? But I swear it does. It gets me in a mindset to not be such a perfectionist.

Drafting is a messy process, and I hate it because of that. I want the words to be lovely and shiny and done as soon as I type them. So if I don't do something to stop myself, I'll start revising way too early. Cue the #dailydoodle, which I always do in ink, because it forces me to live with all my tiny mistakes. Sooner or later I'll draw a line or make a mark I wish wasn't there. But since it's permanent, the only choice I have is to keep going. And the really funny thing is, I always find a way to hide it. Or sometimes, the mistake even ends up making the drawing a whole lot better.

So I'll doodle for an hour or two, remind myself that it's okay to make mistakes, and that's it's better to just keep moving forward and not look back. It's been working really well, and for fun I started posting them on my social media, and the response has been ... well ... pretty surprising.

Here's a few examples, in case you haven't seen them. My style is sort of a mix between Zentangling and line drawing:

And the REALLY surprising thing is that people started asking to buy them. So after many weeks of debating, I decided to make them available.

I sell the originals by request, usually through Facebook, though email works too. You just have to contact me when you see one you want. They're not all that expensive, but there's only one of each, so setting up an Etsy shop and doing individual listings is too much work--especially for how fast they seem to sell.  So for now it's: see one, contact me, and first come first served.

But since a lot of times more than one person wants it, I've also set up a way for people to buy prints. Behold, my Society6 page:

http://society6.com/shannonmessenger

Prints start as low as $16, and they ship worldwide. Even cooler: you can get the doodles on all kinds of cool things like tote bags and pillows and clocks and notecards. (it's kind of embarrassing how tempted I am to buy some).

So if you've been wishing you could get your hands on a doodle, now you have a way. And like I said, I still sell the originals too. You just have to contact me. :)

EXILE Paperback Release Day Celebration!

You guys! YOU GUYS! 

EXILE IS NOW AVAILABLE IN PAPERBACK!!!!!!!!!!

And I know this probably isn't the release day you're all waiting for (only 91 more days until EVERBLAZE releases--EEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!) But I'm always super excited when my books finally release in paperback, because when I was growing up, paperbacks were pretty much the only books my parents could afford.

Even better: the shiny paperback only costs $6.99--and considering it's 592 pages that is a HUGE BARGAIN!!!!

Even, EVEN better? Those shiny paperbacks also include THIS, which I KNOW you're all excited about:

Yes, that's right! 

It HAS THE FIRST CHAPTER OF EVERBLAZE!!!

As if you needed more reasons to pick up a copy, I'm also hosting a special swag giveaway to celebrate, since I don't think hardcover release days should get to have all the fun. So here's how this works:

If you pre-ordered the paperback version of EXILE any time before August 5, 2014--OR if you purchase a paperback copy between now and August 10, 2014--fill out the form at the bottom of this post by 11:59pm pacific time on August 11, 2014, and I will send you these:

(in case you can't tell, that's a signed EXILE bookplate and a limited edition signed Verdi art print postcard)

If you buy more than one copy of the paperback, you can definitely get more than one set of swag. Just make sure you fill out the form separately for each copy, so I know how many to send you. 

And please note, this giveaway is only available for people who buy the paperback during the designated time period. (If you've bought the hardcover or ebook, I've already done giveaways for that--sorry if you missed them!) Also: no proof of purchase is required. I like to keep my contests on the honor system, so if you say you bought it, I trust you. But remember: every time you lie, an alicorn loses its wings, and do you really want that on your head???

International entries also totally count. I will mail swag anywhere you live. But this is only for a very limited time, so don't miss your chance.  And don't forget to fill out the form* (you must fill out the form in order to get your swag).

Also: don't forget, I'll be on tour all next week, so if you're near LA, Fresno, Reno, Portland, or Seattle, check my events page and come see me! And that also means I won't be able to send out your swag until I get back. But I promise they'll go in the mail as soon as I'm home!

And... I think that pretty much covers everything. But if I missed something, let me know. You can ask questions in the comments. Otherwise here's the form you need to fill out: (and if you can't access the form for some reason, you can find it HERE). 

Ready?
....
Go!

*You must be 13 or older in order to fill out this form. If you're not, please have your parent or guardian fill it out for you.

  (Form removed. Giveaway closed. Thanks to all who participated)