Regina Cole's Blog, page 9

January 29, 2012

Tattoos, Erotic Romance, and be in my book!

Hey there darlins!

I'm a fan of body modification. Piercings, tattoos, and other weirdness that people perform to make themselves look just so really fascinate me. I've spent a lot of time trolling BME in my day.

Little known fact: I once explored the idea of becoming a professional body piercer. What stopped me? The time to suffer through an apprenticeship. I just didn't have the moments in the day to travel the hour each way to the only piercer I trusted in my area. My family's gotta eat.

Since then, I've changed my mind about it, but I am still fascinated by it. That's why Ellora's Cave's recent call for submissions really "pricked" my interest, hardy-har-har. You want me to write a story about tattoos and mix it with erotic romance? Yes please!

Although my time under the needle has resulted more in piercings than ink, I have been the happy recipient of three individual tattoos and one touch-up session.

My lotus foot tattoo. Yes, it hurt like HELL.

The most painful, of course, was the foot. The two on the lower back were a piece of cupcake in comparison.

Crappy webcam pic. My skin isnt' really green.

I love that things are changing a bit in the world. Only fifteen, twenty years ago, ink was something that bikers and badasses did. If you had a tattoo, people looked at you like you were dirty, off, weird in some way. Now the sisterhood of the needle has grown exponentially. It's more common to meet someone with at least one tattoo than without. I love that.

Tattoos are a sort of badge of honor. They're a testament to who and what you were when you got them. I have a friend who's wanted a tattoo for years, but she's always hesitated when it came to what to get. Here's what I always tell her:

"Tattoos are memories, kind of like a picture book you wear. Say you love frogs. In a few years, if the love fades, you can still look at that tattoo and experience those feelings again. If you got a tattoo for a triumph, for a darkness overcome? It's like a medal of honor. It's not about what you'll love in the future, it's about what you love now, and want to remember."

My family is still old fashioned when it comes to ink. That's probably the only reason I don't have three or four more pieces right now. I know that I'll have more someday. But for right now, I'm satisfied with my ink and what it means to me. And to write the love I feel for tattoos and bod-mods into a vibrant fictional character that gets to fall in mad, passionate love with a talented tattoo artist? That's all I can ask for at this point.

What are your tattoos of? Care to share your ink stories? I'd love to hear them. I may even make you a character in my "Pricked" submission for Ellora's Cave, if your tale is interesting enough. Don't be shy, talk to me.