Image-ination; I Get Read

It’s been a hectic week and I didn’t think I had much to write about, but then I remembered that I hadn’t told you about my new tattoo. You may remember that over a year ago, I promised that I would get all my books tattooed on me, and I’d made a good start but then I got sidetracked. Until finally, three weeks ago, I finally got an appointment with my favourite tattoo guy, Nathan S. of New Rise Studio. He did what he always does—I arrive, he says “What were you thinking?” then I say, “A steampunk pocket watch with the words ‘Time’s a-ticking under it”, and he says “Okay”, then he draws something fantastic on the spot. Here’s the end result:

I’m super-happy with it, because the image commemorates Feasting Upon The Bones, my first short story collection (Potters Grove Press), featuring the character Mr. Death and his catchphrase “Time’s a-ticking.” I’ve expanded that character and he also now appears in a couple of other places, which you’ll hear more about down the road. But for now, Feasting is immortalized on the back of my calf.

I was scrolling through the pictures on my phone, looking for something interesting to go with a story that was going to be published on DarkWinter Lit (I only use original images, taken by either me or Ken, except in rare circumstances, because I like to customize a unique image to the individual story or poem), and I came across this image, which you might recognize:

Yes, it’s from WordPress and it’s the image you see when a post has no comments. I’ve seen it hundreds of times, but I only looked at it closely the other day and then I was really confused. Seriously, what the hell is it? Here are two options:

a) A girl carrying a giant tennis racket, accompanied by a boy awkwardly holding a small oar. Are they attending the world’s weirdest summer camp? I went to summer camp once, and all I remember is shooting arrows at targets and crying because I got stung by a bee in my ladyparts. Needless to say, I hate camping to this day, especially if it involves playing tennis in high heels or rowing a boat with one hand. Or bees.

b)  She’s a detective with a magnifying glass the size of a hula hoop and he’s her trusty sidekick, ready to gather evidence in his crossbody bag. Someone at the summer camp died, and now they’re looking for clues. Maybe there’s one behind that mostly invisible plant. Actually, THAT would be a summer camp I’d go to—a murder mystery adventure camp where the counsellors are all robots, and it would be called MurderCampWorld, kind of like WestWorld but without the sex, violence, misogyny, and racism. Okay, there’d be a little violence but it’s just the one murder.

Regardless of what the image actually is, I have no idea why it’s the one chosen to encourage people to post comments, and if I were customizing an image for this page, I’d encourage discussion with this cute little guy that I found on Facebook Marketplace. I’m not sure what he’s supposed to be, but I’m certain he would make people really want to open up:

In other news, I had a tarot card reading the other day on Zoom, done by my good friend and fellow blogger Willow Croft, Bringer of Nightmares and Storms at willowcroft.blog. It was fantastic and fun, and her insights have really helped me center my energy around the things that matter the most to me. I highly recommend her—she charges a small fee, but it’s completely worth it, and she can do it over Zoom, telephone or even email. If you’re interested in supporting a fellow blogger, you can contact her at croftwillow@yahoo.com for a full reading, or if you’d like to try it out, use the code mydangblog in the email subject line for a $5 USD three-card reading.

49 thoughts on “Image-ination; I Get Read”

  3. Your tat artist is a genius! You only verbalize your idea and he brings it to life in such a fantastic way! Tattoo artist with his talents are hard to find, it’s amazing! I’ve also wondered what that image was, but I’m sticking with she’s carrying a giant magnifying glass, looking for someone to comment.

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  5. Oh my! 1) Love the intricacy of your newest ink. He did a phenomenal job! 2) Yes, they should adopt the…ahem…cozy as their official symbol to get people to comment. Because confronted by that…how could you not? LOL. Mona

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  6. I love your new artwork!!!! It’s super Gorgeous and I love that you are commemorating your books in tattoo form! A good artist is so hard to find. I had a woman in LA who I loved! She did about 95% of my art and I am hesitant to go to another artist, but she is super far away now.

    I am going for option B and I will see you at that camp!!!!! As long as it is an insect free camp!

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  7. Most of my grandkids have tattoos and they are interesting idea designs they’ve made themselves. Techniques have changed so much it’s no longer such a threat healing but I’m not into pain for the fun of it. I love steampunk ☺️

    Sent from my iPhone

    >

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  8. Two kids investigating a murder at summer camp, possibly while being pursued by Mr. Death, sounds like an intriguing start to a story. One of my most vivid memories of camp is sitting by the campfire listening to a story of two kids who murdered the woman who cooked the meals. That seems like a bad idea for many reasons. One of my other most vivid memories is sneaking out of the cabin while the other kids were telling even scarier stories. I went to the kitchen where the woman who cooked the meals gave me some cookies.
    The important thing, though, is your tattoo is amazing and Nathan is so talented even Ken might change his mind about face tattoos.

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  10. Here’s to having your entire body covered in tattoos, except, of course, where bees tend to wander.
    That’s a cozy to keep your butt-plug warm. Nobody likes a frozen butt-plug.
    Tarot-Zoom, huh? Quantum entangled shuffles I suppose.
    Justice, The Fool, The Devil and The Empress walk into a bar…
    “What’ll it be folks?”

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  19. I’ve never really wondered about the WordPress girl with the giant magnifying glass (or tennis racket), but now that you’ve mentioned it, it is a rather peculiar illustration to use.

    Love, LOVE the idea of a Murder Mystery Camp.

    Liked by 1 person

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