#tattootuesday – Sydney Aaliyah Michelle

#TattooTuesday – Lyndsay McCreery

Published on October 28, 2014October 23, 2014 by Sydney Aaliyah Michelle4 Comments

Have I got a Tattoo Tuesday for YOU!!!!

Take it away Lyndsay,

Each and everyone single one of my tattoo’s has a meaning. I currently have 6 tattoo’s, 3 individual ones and 3 that make up one big one that start my sleeve. They each cover a scar, a scar that remained from a past that I longed to escape, and I fount the best way to do it. What better way to start over then with something beautiful?

My first ever tattoo at the age of 18, it was a rash decision I’m not going to lie. I didn’t go to a tattoo parlor and get it done by a professional. I was visiting my cousin who by out of consequence had been doing tattoo’s. I knew exactly what I wanted so I told her and got it done the same day. You can imagine that it’s not very good right? The rule is always get your tattoo done by a professional. Even though she isn’t a professional, it’s my first and probably most memorable one. The meaning behind it will always be one I live by. I may think negative thoughts about myself or my surroundings, but I will only speak about positive thoughts. Don’t embrace the negative, instead embrace the positive. Because there’s always a silver lining, even on a cloudy day.

Now my next tattoo came a few months later, now this one I planned. I found a drawing online and immediately sent it to my friend for her to draw for me, it was everything I wanted. I had always loved Batman and the characters. My favorite was The Joker though. I saw a lot of myself in him, now I’m not a sociopath or a serial killer or anything but I just connected with him. His scars was a big part of it, he had scars that everyone could see, he didn’t try and hide them. It’s as if he wore them proudly even though they were a source of pain. Another thing was every time Batman defeated him, he never stayed down long. He got back up and he fought back harder. My next tattoo made me realize I can’t take my scars to seriously, I couldn’t take life to serious. I have to find something to life about, I have to find that strength to wear my scars proudly not because I’m ashamed of them, because I’m proud of them. They each represent a battle in which I lost, but I got back up and fought harder and I sometimes won. Because I have to lose sometimes and I’m okay with that.

My 3rd tattoo as you can see is also Batman. Now as a little girl I didn’t spend my nights watching Disney movies, I spent them watching old batman movies. I watched every single film, night after night. I fell in love with it, and the whole idea of it. I didn’t have a hero growing up but Batman quickly became mine. Now the reason why I chose the Bat signal is for a number of reasons but i’ll give you the only one that matters most. For me, the Bat signal means hope. A hope that a hero is out there, hope that someone is always looking out for you, but most importantly that you can always find hope. So now I look down at my wrist everyday and I see scars, I see sadness but I can always find hope.

Now my last tattoo is a bundle of 3 which make up one big tattoo. Now this I put a lot of thought into it and I planned for months. This one probably means the most to me, because it represents the 3 most important people in my life. My brothers and baby sister. Now I’ll have to explain this one for you to understand it. I’ve battled self harm since I was 9 years old. It was something that got me through each day when all I wanted to do was give up. I didn’t think I’d have anything to fight for, anything to live for. Then by the time I was about to turn 11 came my brother Jude. He was born and suddenly I had something to fight for, because he needed me. I was the one to fed him, changed him and made sure he had everything he ever needed. He was my reason to fight, but then I also had another reason to fight as well, because along came my brother Alexandar. I did the exact same with him as I did with Jude. I was living with my dad when he came along but that didn’t stop me. I cared for them because they didn’t have anyone else who would. I struggled but I managed. Then Dixie came into my life. A little sister I always wanted but unfortunately 5 days after she was born Jude, Alexandar and Dixie got took away and went to live with there grandmother. I saw them maybe 5 times after that and I’ve not seen them since. That was 6/7 years ago. The stopwatch represents that no matter how much time has passed or much will pass, they’ll never leave my life and my heart. The birds represent that they may fly away but I’ll always be here waiting for them with a home and welcome arms. They’ve flown away and they’ve grown into such beautiful children, but it doesn’t matter if I’m not in there life anymore, as long as they are happy and they have the childhood they deserve then everything will be alright. They’ll hold a place in my heart and they have permanent place in my life. It may be in ink and on my arm but at least it’s close to my heart.

My tattoo’s each hold a painful memory underneath but as I look at them today I no longer see pain, I see beauty and happiness. I plan to have more, I plan to have something to remember my battle with self harm, and I plan to have something to remember the fresh start I have made. I’ll leave you with a Batman quote that oddly fits my tattoo story.

“It’s not who you are underneath, but what we do that defines us.”

Thanks so much Lyndsey, amazing story of over coming. I love you ink, too.

If you have a tattoo story and want to be featured on Tattoo Tuesday, leave me a note in the comments.

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 – @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.