Author: Sydney Aaliyah Michelle

I am so excited to introduce you all to Ava (Jordanna East)erby – love her name.

Five Questions: 

1.  How old where you when you got your first tattoo? I was 16. The legal age you can get a tattoo is 18, but if you have a parent/guardian sign a waiver you can have one done at 16. The deal was I had to continue to keep my grades up and it had to be done in a location where it would never be seen at school. My mother took me to the tattoo shop, signed the form, and left to get her hair done. Yes, she LEFT! I was alone with a 300lb man covered in tats for my very first tattoo. I impressed him though. He said he’s had grown men not sit still for the entire duration of a tattoo. That day I got a black and gray tiger on my upper back holding a red rose in its mouth. It’s kind of faded now, so I’ll be having it touched up and incorporated into the large back/rib piece that I have planned.

2.  What made you want to get your first tattoo? I grew up rather self-conscious of my body, but as I grew into it, I wanted to celebrate it. I wanted to adorn it, like a new home. I got my belly-button pierced the year before (also signed for, haha), then I graduated to tattoos.

3.  How many tattoos do you have? 6/7. Weird answer, right? If someone else is looking at me, it appears I have 6 (both wrists, upper arm, upper back, lower back, and hip), but one of my wrists is actually two tattoos. While in Tahiti, my husband and I got traditional Polynesian tattoos; mine was a Polynesian gecko around my wrist. When we returned to the states, I had my artist add several Tiare flowers around it, the Tahitian national flower.

4.  What is your tattoo story? If you have more then one tattoo, tell me your most recent or your favorite tattoo. My most recent tattoo is the one described above. My favorite tattoo is my arm. I originally had a paw print and a nickname from my youth. It was an awful piece of crap. My current artist covered it up with a Bengal tiger and several tiger lillies. If you’re looking for it you can still see the paw print and, believe it or not, I like that.

5.  Tattoos on a significant other, like or dislike?  Why? Love! So much in fact that my ex got a tribal sleeve done to try to impress me. But he ended up passing out as soon as the needle touched him. Very embarassing. But my darling Hubby-pants has several, with plans to get more. I really want him to get wording around his collar bone. That’s the sexiest tattoo a man can get. Doesn’t even matter what it says. It could say something about green eggs and ham for all I care. (You hear that Hubby-pants?!)

Bio: Jordanna East is currently working on her first novel, Blood in the Paint, as well as its prequel novella, Blood in the Past, due out in March 2013 (with the novel to follow in Summer 2013). She lives in New Jersey with her awesome-sauce husband and their freakish love of sports. She looks forward to at least four more tattoos. Don’t worry, it’s just art.

Thanks so much Ava. Beautiful ink.  If you would like to be featured on Tattoo Tuesday, leave me a message in the comments.