A tattoo is an indelible mark or figure fixed upon the body by insertion of pigment under the skin or by production of scars. ~ Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary.
It’s said that after Captain Cook visited Tahiti, the art of tattoing traveled to England via the sailors. Certainly the word “tattoo” came from the Tahitian language (tattau). But humans have been decorating their bodies with art of some type for thousands of years. Check out the photo of a tattooed mummy here.
During the last couple of years many authors have included heroes and heroines with tattoos, myself included as you can see by the cover on the right. (Just a quick promo – Make That Man Mine comes is due for release from Ellora’s Cave on 15 June!) Author, Marjorie M Liu has her Hunter Kiss series featuring a character with living tattoos. The first book, The Iron Hunt is almost at the top of my to-read pile, and I hope to dive in very soon.
In real life it’s quite common for people, especially younger people, to have one or more tattoos. Personally, although I admire them on other people, I’ve never felt the urge to get my own tattoo. I’m not big on pain and needles. Also, I don’t like the way some of them fade. I think that some people jump into the idea of tattoos without much thought. A tattoo is usually for life, and it needs to have meaning. The traditional Samoan tattoos certainly have meaning, although I hear the process is very painful. If a Samoan man doesn’t complete his tattooing it’s considered very shameful, the shame extending to his entire family as well as the individual.
What do you think about tattoos? Do you have a tattoo? Do you like your fictional characters to have tattoos? Do any tattooed ficitonal characters stick out in your mind?
Related posts:
June 9th, 2009 at 1:07 am · Link
I’m not a fan of tattoos in real life. All I can picture when I hear of a young person getting one is “what will it look like in 50 years when they’ve gained weight and their skin’s all saggy?” I’ve had friends who got tattoos and within a few years regretted it and are now paying big money to get them removed (another painful process).
However, in fiction, I love ‘em. I have a tattoo symbol as my “brand” on my website, and the character I’m working on in my WIP has tattoos covering his arm forming a sleeve. I think for fictional characters they can be a neat little reveal of some hidden trait. The big biker guy with the “I <3 Mom” or butterfly or something soft, the shy little heroine with a devil tattooed on the inside of her thigh. Lots of things to interesting stories to work into either one of those.
June 9th, 2009 at 4:48 am · Link
Hello Shelley,
I love tattoos. I myself have 2. My hubby has almost 20 and is still getting inked. He will eventually have both arms sleeved. Personally, it doesn’t matter if the characters have tattoos are not. It really depends on the story as to if they should be a part of it. Have a great day.
June 9th, 2009 at 7:13 am · Link
I love tattoos in fiction. In real life… Have to say, I’ve yet to run across one I’d want on my body. If I had, I’d probably be wearing it.
I started reading The Iron Hunt on my Kindle yesterday. Hit the 75% mark before I had to go to bed. Amazing world building.
June 9th, 2009 at 7:29 am · Link
I have the whole, not liking pain thing going on, so I doubt if I will ever get one. Hubs has one from the inside of his elbow down to the inside of his wrist. It still fascinates me to think that it is permanent.
Some tattoo’s are sexy, on the right people. Like the guy on your cover! Yum!
I actually have my current hero in my wip that has a tattoo on the back of his shoulder. Since it is a paranormal, and the hero doesn’t remember who he is, it plays a part in the story line.
June 9th, 2009 at 8:19 am · Link
With tattoos… Not a personal fan myself. Stories where the tattoo is part of the story or badass hero character… fine.
In real life… I can’t see doing anything so BIG that will last forever like that. I’m a nurse, and I’ve seen more tat’s then you can imagine. One thing remains the same for all of them… They look like crap when you’re old. I’ve never seen a person over the age of 60 with a good looking tat. grin
June 9th, 2009 at 12:56 pm · Link
Leah – I agree about tattoos not looking good on older people. The combination of older skin and faded tattoos ísn’t always a good look.
Hi Roberta – a lot of my friends are tattoo fans. How did you go about choosing your tattoo? Even if I could get past the pain aspect, the choosing would take me ages.
I did have henna tattoos when I was in Egypt. They were cool for as long as they lasted. The henna hand tattoos they do in India for marriage celebrations look very stunning too.
Jory – how do you find your Kindle? I’m looking forward to readin Marjorie’s book.
June 9th, 2009 at 12:59 pm · Link
Debra – see, I’m thinking about the tender skin on the inside of the elbow and wrist. I’m wincing as I type this. I’m a real baby!
Catherine – that’s interesting. I wonder if the tattoo industry looks at technology and improving lasting time etc? I wonder if technology makes a difference to the tattoos?
June 9th, 2009 at 1:55 pm · Link
some tattoos can be SEXY! the person has to be Hot to make it Sexy though,Hee hee! I have a tattoo,Long story don’t want to go there really, I’ll just say,A Beautiful memory of my Beloved Pet,that is truelly missed. Interesting post about tattoos.
June 9th, 2009 at 2:09 pm · Link
I think tattoos are cool if done well. I love the art of henna tattoos for Indian weddings (not permanent I know) they’re so beautiful! I have one on my arm I got when in the Navy, let’s just say the tradition of tattooed sailors lives on. I know I like a bad boy with a tattoo on my heroes but they work for anyone. the only one I can remember is Joe Winston in “Say no to Joe” by Lori Foster because his said “I love Lou” on his tushy, funny story behind that behind!
Hugs and love!
June 9th, 2009 at 2:38 pm · Link
Shelley–I love the Kindle! I’ve got the Kindle2, the smaller version, though I don’t think a person would go wrong with the Sony reader.
I’d almost given up reading e-books, my eyes just couldn’t take it anymore since I spend so much time on the computer every day. Now I buy print only if forced or a book is a “keeper” that I want to reread multiple times.
One major advantage to the Kindle is the sample chapter. As I come across books of interest, I always check Amazon to see if they’re available for the Kindle. If they are, then I have a sample chapter sent. Saves me having to remember books that sound good, and also allows me to read the chapter at my leisure, then decide whether I want the entire book (as opposed to ordering it or making a rushed decision at the bookstore.)
Another advantage is that despite having a TBR pile that actually fills bookshelves, I’m not always in the mood for anything I have on hand. The Iron Hunt is a great example. Nothing on my shelves appealed to me last night, but I had the sample chapter of this book. Read it, it “hit the spot”, so I bought it and immersed myself.
June 9th, 2009 at 7:49 pm · Link
I have a tattoo on my shoulderblade. Wasn’t bad at all, kind of like a bee sting. I think it’s important to think long and hard before getting one, and make sure it’s something you’ll want to live with forever. I don’t like when people just pick anything or do it just to do it. I think it becomes an addiction for some people and a whole lot of tattoos can look really bad if not done right. I really can’t stand when people get blatantly pornographic tattoos on areas that are on clear display to children. And I really cringe at getting someone’s name on your body. I’ve known too many people live to regret that mistake.
June 9th, 2009 at 9:57 pm · Link
Hmm… I don’t have strong feelings about tattoos–don’t have any, and no plans for getting any. I’m OK with fictional tattoos, but as others have mentioned, they should be part of the characterization–if it fits with the character, cool :) As for aging and tattoos, I imagine part of it simply is that our skin just doesn’t look the same as we age–no matter how well we take care of ourselves, I don’t think we can hold off sag forever, and that will definitely affect a tattoo’s appearance… I’m sure Catherine would have better info/input!
June 10th, 2009 at 12:11 am · Link
Jory – I didn’t realize the Kindle had sample chapters. That is a good feature to have, especially when trying out a new author.
If you want to download a book from EC for example can you do that or can you just use the Kindle format direct from Amazon?
June 10th, 2009 at 12:14 am · Link
Connie – stop for stopping by. It sounds as if your tattoo has some very special memories for you.
Amy – I loved that series with the Winstons. They were all bad boys in the nicest way. I’m gonna need to have a chat with you about the Navy. It sounds like you had some interesting memories!
June 10th, 2009 at 12:17 am · Link
Crystal – I have to agree about having name tattoos. You often hear about the romance falling apart and the tattoo being an unwelcome reminder!
Fedora – this aging thing brings all kinds of problems.
June 10th, 2009 at 8:18 am · Link
Shelley–With EC books (or other ebooks not sold through Amazon) you buy them in pdf format then convert them through Amazon for the Kindle format. I email them to my free address, then download on the computer and drop/drag to the Kindle. For 10 cent a book, you can send to a different address and download them via the wireless feature (Amazon doesn’t charge until you hit 30 books). No sample chapters, but excerpts are typically available at the book source.
June 10th, 2009 at 7:10 pm · Link
Jory – sounds easy enough. I envy readers in the US. You have such easy access to books, both print and ebook. With the geographical restrictions it means I can’t buy quite a few of the books I’d like to purchase.