tattoo tuesday – Sydney Aaliyah Michelle

Tattoo Tuesday – Matthew Turner

Published on September 16, 2014September 15, 2014 by Sydney Aaliyah Michelle1 Comment

I’m thrilled to bring you this amazing Tattoo Tuesday Story!

Take it away, Matthew.

To understand the meaning of my tattoo, requires us to travel back to 2004. You see, as a wayward nineteen-year-old, I drank and partied and did what I liked. I’d also spent four months travelling Australia, and although I saw a great deal and met some of the most wonderful people I’ve ever had the pleasure to meet, in hindsight I wasted away my time.

I also wasted a lot of money on endeavours that ultimately lead to the same demise… the dreaded hangover.

But what fun. And if you can’t have fun at nineteen, when the hell can you? But I digress, for my tattoo story stems from another trip after Australia. A trip to Northern Kentucky, and YMCA Camp Ernst. A trip that wasn’t really a trip, rather my first real job.

Anybody who’s worked at a summer camp understands how real a job like this is, as it tests you in every single possible manner. Now, don’t for a second think I transformed into a born again Christian who never drank a drop again. I didn’t. I continued to do immature and wayward things for a long, long, long time.

But Camp Ernst taught me a lot about life… about me… about the true meaning of work and love and others…

Loving it oh-so much, I returned in 2005, and 2006, and 2007, and ended up spending eight summers within the walls of my spiritual home. I have no idea who I’d be without Camp, but I wouldn’t be the me of now. I doubt I’d write, for one. I doubt I’d live a creative life at all. In fact, I doubt a lot of things, but this is a what if I’m glad not to consider.

In 2010, I returned to Camp Ernst for a single week. In my late twenties, I had a real job with real responsibilities, but I couldn’t stay away. Like a drug, June came and sent me scurrying to the phone where I spoke to Eli (The Camp Director), pleading with her, “Can I come for a week? You don’t have to pay me! I just need to be there.”

At this stage, my once-upon-a-time campers were now my colleagues and peers. More important, my friends. Molly decided we should get a tattoo, and capture the moment and the meaning of a place we all hold dear in our hearts (despite the sleep deprivation, frustration, and low pay).

Five of us entered that tattoo parlour, with a simple design in mind: a triangle, because that’s the YMCA’s icon – an icon of strength, love, and equality; and the words, ‘This is goodnight, not goodbye’ – because these were the lyrics of Linger, a song we had all sung around the campfire hundreds of times before.

And it’s fitting, because I’ll never say goodbye to Camp Ernst, no matter how old I get. Saying goodnight to those we love is like a promise to see you soon. I like this, and so, in many ways, my tattoo not only captures my love for my spiritual oasis, and the meaning it’s brought to my life, but to those I love – those from the past, present, and the ones I’ve yet to meet.

On my right forearm, on Tim’s left, Molly’s side, Saunie’s foot, and Davey’s too, five people with the same tattoo, but in different, yet equally meaningful locations. We all have our reasons for loving camp, and we’ll be forever connected through ink.

And so, that’s my tattoo story. I plan to get many others, too. I like the idea of my arms and back and chest full of words and sentences I adore. Lyrics and quotes and sayings that mean something to me. But that’s for the future, and other stories.

For now, I have one, but it’s an awfully special one.

On the 16th September, TICK to the TOCK is having a Kindle Countdown Deal, so will be a mere $.99 🙂

Thanks so much, Matthew. Click on his book to pick up a copy.

If you want to connect with Matthew Turner, check him out on Goodreads.

Tattoo Tuesday – H. R. Willaston

Published on August 12, 2014August 12, 2014 by Sydney Aaliyah Michelle2 Comments

I have flaked on Tattoo Tuesday for the last two week, but not on purpose. I have some great authors and bloggers coming up, but when there is editing to do, nothing else get’s through. So, I am extremely thankful for H.R. Willaston and per patience.

H.R, your five questions start now:

1. How old were you when you got your first tattoo?

I got my first tattoo when I was 19. It’s a cross with a rose in the center of it, over my heart. I got it for my grandmother and plan on having rosary beads added to it with the dates of her birth and death.

2. How many tattoos do you have? If only one, do you want more?

I have four tattoos. The cross I mentioned above, a ladybug on my right ankle (which was my students’ favorite when I was teaching preschool), two dragons nose to nose with their tails entwined on my left ankle (my husband has the same on his calve.) and my Andy Qwinn tattoo on the inside of my left wrist. I’m planning on getting at least one more (water falling onto and down my right shoulder).

3. What inspired you to get your first tattoo or favorite tattoo? Tell me your tattoo story.

I love all my tattoos but if I had to pick a favorite it would probably be the dragons. My husband and I decided to get matching tattoos and we chose dragons. We didn’t plan it this way, but the weekend we got them turned into a dragon weekend. We got the tattoos Friday and on Saturday night we went to see the How To Train Your Dragon live show. In my book Future Letters the characters Lil and Dylan get matching dragon tattoos but theirs were over their hearts and one dragon was green, the other was blue. Our dragons are blue and purple.

4. Tattoos on a significant other, like or dislike? Explain why?

I love my husband’s tattoos. He was with me when I got my first one (we were just friends then) but he didn’t get his until a few years ago and I’m so glad he finally did it. I like tracing my fingers over the blue horseshoe on his arm (he’s a Indianapolis Colts fan) and looking at the dragons makes me smile. He’s planning to get more too – which is more than fine with me.

5. Do the characters in your books have tattoos? If so, pick a character and tell me his or her tattoo story? Why was this story incorporated in the book?

In my book Nine Days the main character Andy Qwinn gets a tattoo while she’s in Hawaii. She goes to support a friend and ends up getting one herself. It’s a purple heart with ocean waves crashing inside it. Andy loves everything about the water from swimming in it on her school’s swim team to studying the animals who live in the ocean so she can protect them and their habitats as a marine biologist. I got the same tattoo when I was first writing the book. For Andy, the tattoo symbolizes freedom and the strength and courage to seize her freedom and allow her to be herself – which is something she can’t fully do at home. I got the tattoo at a time when I needed to be reminded that I could be as strong and brave as Andy, that I’d already survived so much and that I could survive what was going on at the time as well. A picture of this tattoo is on the back cover of the book (an on the title page of the ebook). The circling seals on the front cover represent the two monk seals – Pil and Popo – in the book as well as her relationship with Kai (sorry, I can’t explain that last part. You’ll have to read the book 😉 ). When she goes with her friend to get his tattoo she agrees to get a henna one. She gets the circling seals on her shoulder blade.

All the art work for Nine Days was done by Big Mike Cardenas, a tattoo artist at Clovis Ink in California. He’s done both of my husband’s tats and my most recent two.

Another great couple tattoo and I am waiting for the Cowboys to get back to the Super Bowl before I get my blue star tattoo. I might be waiting awhile.

Thanks so much H.R.

If you want to learn more about H. R. Willaston, check out her stuff:

Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Twitter

Check out her work:

If you have a tattoo story to share, leave me a note in the comments.

Tattoo Tuesday – Kristen Strassel

Published on July 22, 2014July 21, 2014 by Sydney Aaliyah MichelleLeave a comment

I loved this tattoo story because it shows you can cover a bad tattoo, but still hold on to the cool tattoo memory.

Kristen, your five questions start now:

1. How old were you when you got your first tattoo?

Seventeen. Same day as I took my SATs. Tattoo parlors weren’t legal in Massachusetts yet, so a friend of mine heard about a home party an artist from New Hampshire was hosting. A bunch of us got appointments, and got inked. Two of my friends and I went together, we’re the only girls there, besides the artist’s mother, who owns the house. The place is full of biker dudes. We waited our turn, sitting at the kitchen table with the artist’s mom, who was a cute little old lady, drinking coffee and eating cake while she helped us pick out tattoos.

2. How many tattoos do you have? If only one, do you want more?

Four. Everyone I still talk to that went to that party have had that party tattoo covered, including me. I have a flower anklet covering my first tattoo, a hummingbird above it, and leopard print on my other ankle. I may get another, this time on my shoulder.

3. What inspired you to get your first tattoo or favorite tattoo? Tell me your tattoo story.

Like I said above, that first tat had to GO. When I lived in California, I told a friend that I wanted to get it covered, and she literally pulled a U-turn in the middle of a busy road and brought me straight to Huntington Beach Tattoo. I told them I wanted a flower anklet, and they handed me a botany book. I picked hibiscus, because they were my grandmother’s favorite flower (and back to that eventful first tattoo…my mom said I could get a tattoo, because she thought I’d chicken out. Imagine her surprise when I came back inked. All she had for me was, “Now go show your grandmother.” Damn it. So I headed in to the living room, announced my that I got a tattoo, and my grandmother LIKED it. My poor mother misjudged both of us.), and California poppies, because I got it in California.

4. Tattoos on a significant other, like or dislike? Explain why?

Yes. Within reason, of course. I like nice ink. On anyone. I’m a little judgy when it comes to tattoos, so if it looks like someone’s cellmate inked it with a hot piece of metal and pen ink, yuck. I like well thought out tattoos. Even my leopard print means something to me (which if you know me, you know it’s my favorite color, it’s a neutral, and it goes with everything.). When people just start getting dumb tattoos in rapid succession, no thank you. And you know those people…the ones who go from nothing to thirty-two tattoos in nine months.

5. Do the characters in your books have tattoos? If so, pick a character and tell me his or her tattoo story? Why was this story incorporated in the book?

Tristan, who is my male love interest in Because the Night and the upcoming We Own the Night, has a full sleeve. Tristan can be extremely impulsive, a dance on the edge kind of guy, but he’s also pretty thoughtful. We never quite get the story of why he chose his sleeve, because the story is not told from his POV and Callie never asks, only admires it, but here’s what she says:

“The images danced together, the sky and heavens peeked from beneath his short sleeve, weaving into goddesses and stars, bursting into flames around his wrist. It looked the story of his life.”

Love her description of Tristan’s tattoo. Thanks so much Kristen.

If you want to learn more about Kristen, check out her stuff:

Website | Facebook | Blog

Check out her work:

Because the Night on Amazon and Barnes & Noble

Night Moves on Amazon and Barnes & Noble

If you have a tattoo story to share, leave me a note in the comments.

Tattoo Tuesday – @AliciaKobishop

Published on July 15, 2014July 14, 2014 by Sydney Aaliyah Michelle3 Comments

Gather around, everyone. I have another #TattooTuesday Author to share:

Welcome Alicia, your five questions start now:

1. How old were you when you got your first tattoo?

I got it on my 18th birthday.

2. How many tattoos do you have? If only one, do you want more?

I have one tattoo. Through the years, I’ve thought about getting more, and I’ve even come close a few times. But to me, a tattoo has to feel right, and I haven’t had that “just right” feeling since my first tattoo.

3. What inspired you to get your first tattoo or favorite tattoo? Tell me your tattoo story.

For me, getting a tattoo was a symbol of independence. I left home at the age of 17 because, to put it bluntly, I didn’t want to follow the house rules. However, even though I worked hard, and took good care of myself, a 17 year old is not considered a legal adult which means she can’t do things like get apartments…or tattoos. Turning 18 was a huge sigh of relief for me and what better way to celebrate the milestone by doing something I couldn’t legally do the day before.

As far as the design…I had wanted it for years. I was a HUGE Guns N Roses fan as a kid, and as cheesy as this sounds, and as embarrassed I am to admit it, when I saw the tattoo that Stephanie Seymore had around her ankle in GNR’s November Rain video, I knew wanted to get something similar. But I never had a fake ID as a teen and the possibility of my parents taking me to get one was clearly zero. So, I waited. And the urge never went away. Finally, I turned 18, and I took my friend Susan with me to a tattoo parlor (she got a panther tattoo). After searching through their design books, and not finding exactly what I was looking for, I described my idea to the artist, who brought it to life on paper…and later my ankle. 🙂

4. Tattoos on a significant other, like or dislike? Explain why?

That entirely depends on what the tattoo is, and where it’s located on their body. I strongly believe that the tattoos people decide to get say a lot about who they are.

As far as couple tattoos…I’m all for them! But I think it’s important that the couple has passed the two-year mark (or more). I read somewhere that the “newness” of a relationship wears off by two years…after that time, it’s either gonna work, or it’s not gonna work, and usually the couple knows exactly how they feel by that point (even if they are denying it!). Of course, there are always exceptions to the rule, but if they know they’re going to be together forever, it doesn’t hurt to wait a few years to declare your love for each other to the world with a permanent symbol like a tattoo.

That being said, my 10 year wedding anniversary is coming up in August, and my husband and I have thrown around the idea of honoring the occasion with couple tattoos. It’s not for sure yet, but we’ll see what happens…

5. Do the characters in your books have tattoos? If so, pick a character and tell me his or her tattoo story? Why was this story incorporated in the book?

The only character in The Fine Line that has tattoos is Matt, who is an auto mechanic and part-time bouncer. Matt is tough as nails on the outside, and wants the world to know it (hence the tattoos and bulging muscles), but has a heart of gold and would do anything for his friends. Matt is a supporting character.

Thanks so much Alicia.

If you want to learn more about Alicia, check out her stuff:

Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Twitter

The Fine Line official Blurb/Synopsis:
High school senior Liv Evans has one rule: No attachments. She’s lost enough in her life and has vowed to do whatever it takes to make sure she never again feels the emptiness of losing someone she loves. Boys are a fun distraction, but a serious relationship is something she’d rather live without. Her determination for a future free of pain and heartbreak is put to the test when she meets–and quickly forms an unexpected bond–with Logan Tanner.Logan has always been a free spirit, but ever since a life-changing event took place, which left him doubting the integrity of those who are closest to him, he’s taken that term to a whole new dangerous level. Learning the hard way that life is too short for worries or work–and that women can’t be trusted–Logan has exchanged steady work for street racing. When Liv walks into his world, everything he thought he knew about life and women is challenged.

In The Fine Line, Liv and Logan will discover if it’s possible for true love to have a future, or if history is destined to repeat itself.

Available on Amazon!

If you have a tattoo story to share, leave me a note in the comments.

Tattoo Tuesday – @EmilyRPearson

Published on July 8, 2014July 7, 2014 by Sydney Aaliyah Michelle1 Comment

I’m so excited to present to some, introduce to others Ms. Emily R. Pearson. Her novel Two Steps Back will be released on Friday, July 11, 2014.

Emily, your four questions start now:

1. How old were you when you got your first tattoo?

I got my first tattoo on my 18th birthday. I actually designed it for my dad who passed away when I was 8. I went to a local shop a couple months in advance with my design and they took it and completely vamped it up for me.

2. How many tattoos do you have? If only one, do you want more?

I have 4. I have a star on my foot and plan on adding to it. The star is because of the moment in The Lion King when Mufasa and Simba talk about all the kings of the past being stars in the sky. I also have the word ‘inspire’ that matches a close friend of mine’s as well. I have that tattoo for my dad and then I have a tattoo for my writing that I just got last month. It’s the quote I use to sign my books with; “Never let the past get in the way of your future.”

I have plans for many more 🙂

3. What inspired you to get your first tattoo or favorite tattoo? Tell me your tattoo story.

My first tattoo is my favorite one. It’s for my daddy and it holds a special place in my heart. If you look at the picture, you’ll see the wings are blue and green. That’s because my dad had a green eye and a blue eye. The antlers are obvious; he was a hunter. The barbed wire is actually a funny story. When I was little, I took a barbed wire fence out with my eye. I still have the scar to prove it. We were out of town because my dad and his friends were putting on a fireworks show and when he saw my battle wound, he tried to take me to the hospital instead of putting on his show. I told him I wanted to see the pretty lights so he cleaned me up and called me his champ. This tattoo means so much to me.

4. Tattoos on a significant other, like or dislike? Explain why?

Of course I like! Tattoo’s are hot! They aren’t required though. I love that someone can tell a story on their body though. That’s what makes tattoo’s special to me. It’s not just a fashion statement. It’s a story. I love stories, obviously!

I have several more planned myself. 🙂 Thanks so much Emily.

If you want to learn more about Emily, check out her stuff:

Website | Facebook | Twitter

Check out her work:

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I am hanging out with Emily this Friday for her Two Steps Back Release Day Facebook Party, be sure to stop by. There will be giveaways and prizes all day.

If you have a tattoo story to share, leave me a note in the comments.