I don’t know about you, but I love biker romances.  One of the things I love about bikers is their hot, sexy tattoos!  I love researching them to get ideas for my characters’ tattoos.  I’ve included a number of the pictures that inspired some of the tattoos for my Ready To Ride bikers.

I think my favourite is the thorn tattoo that looks like it’s piercing the skin.  This inspired the tattoo for Magic, one of my biker heroes, who has a thorny tattoo around his right wrist, where the thorns seemed to pierce his skin and bleed.  Words in script spiral up his arm within a thorny vine, then the vine coils over his shoulder and around his heart.  The thorns seem to pierce his skin and the artwork makes it look like there is a tear across his chest, revealing his heart beneath.

During FB parties, I sometimes ask my readers if they have tattoos and, if so, why they get them.  Often, a tattoo holds great meaning to the person and I love hearing why they do it.  Here are the top 5 reasons I’ve heard from fans and friends about why they’ve gotten a tattoo.

1. As a commemoration.

Often these are to commemorate a loved one who has been lost.  A dear friend of mine recently lost her mother and she and her sisters were thinking of getting a matching tattoo in remembrance of their beloved mother.  Many readers have told me about tattoos for lost children, which is especially heartbreaking.  I can see where having a tattoo, which keeps the memory of a loved one close, could bring some comfort.

2. To show a belief or goal.

Whether to show a spiritual or religious belief, or something inspirational for other reasons, these tattoos serve as reminders of something important to us.  Sometimes it’s a symbol, a few words from a poem, or even just a single word like Hope, Courage, or Imagination.  My son was inspired by a story that has shaped many of his beliefs and has given him a direction in life, encouraging him to explore a higher realm of consciousness.  He has a tattoo on his wrist of a special symbol from the story that represents many facets of this belief.

3. To celebrate a special goal achieved.

When we finally achieve a dream we have been striving for, sometimes we crave a way to bring it close to us and be reminded every day that dreams can come true.  A friend of mine who hit the New York Times bestsellers list at the same time as me, decided she wanted to get a tattoo to commemorate the event.  Believe me, if I was brave enough to get a tattoo, I would do it for that in a flash!

4. Aesthetics

Sometimes we just want something beautiful on our body.  (Haha!  Besides the fun stuff!)  I love a beautiful fairy tattoo, or a delicate curlicue, or a beautiful flower.   And stylized hearts!  And Celtic designs!

5. To show uniqueness or rebellion.

Sometimes we want something that shows our own unique style, and makes us stand out from the crowd in some way.  I like to do this by dying my hair bright pink, or purple, or crimson.  (That’s not uncommon these days, but I was doing it twenty years ago.)

What about you?  What kind of tattoos do you like?  Everyone who comments will be put in a draw to win a copy of Hot Ride! 

~~~~~

Riding Steele (Ready To Ride series)

Opal’s latest book, Riding Steele, was released  yesterday (March 17^th).  It’s on sale right now for $3.99 (down from $9.99).

In the arms of an outlaw, she found the freedom to live out her wildest fantasies.

When Laurie is kidnapped by bikers, she has no idea her life is about to change forever. From the moment she meets Steele–their sinfully sexy leader–she can’t deny their fierce attraction. Even though she’s completely at his mercy, his eyes soften when he looks at her, and the others in his gang know she’s strictly hands off. But the more time she spends with Steele, the more her body insists she wants his powerful hands all over her.

Now she’s about to discover a new life on the open road…and what it means to be part of a gang that shares everything. At first their wanton lifestyle shocks her senses–but once she’s had a taste of life on the edge, will she ever want to leave?

Excerpt:

A sound jarred Laurie from the light, fitful sleep she’d fallen into and she clutched the big fluffy comforter closer around her with her unbound hand. She was covered from head to toe, peering out from inside the cocoon.

Was the biker coming back to take her?

The door opened and the light flicked on. In the doorway stood an even bigger, tougher looking biker. He didn’t even glance her way, just closed the door behind him and stripped off his black leather jacket. He pulled something out of the pocket and tossed the garment on the dresser, then opened the doors of the armoire at the end of the bed to reveal a big TV. He turned it on, then put a disc in the player below it.

Images of naked people appeared on the screen. It was obviously lead-in credits for a porn film. He watched for a few moments, then pulled his T-shirt over his head, revealing bulging muscles and a snake tattoo coiling around his bicep then across his chest. Her heart raced as he unzipped his jeans and dropped them to the floor, then stepped out of them.

She held her breath when she saw him hook his thumbs in the elastic of his boxers, then push them down. Oh, God, he was going to get into bed with her and . . . He was going to force her to—

Her breath caught when he stood up.

God, she’d never seen a cock that big. She’d never even imagined a cock that big. Even though it was just starting to swell with need, it was gigantic. And frightening. Impressive. And intimidating.

He turned toward the bed and she sucked in a breath.

His eyes narrowed as his gaze jerked to her.

“What the hell?” He grabbed the covers and tossed them back, ripping away her only protection.

* * *

Steele stared at the woman lying in his bed. The sight of her long, shapely legs and slim, but curvy body sent blood straight to his groin. She shifted back and a chain clinked. That’s when he realized one of her wrists was handcuffed to the headboard.

Fuck, this was why Shock had suggested he turn in. Not to watch porn, but to enjoy the birthday present awaiting him in his bed!

He smiled. “Well, hello there.”

Should he slide his cock in her sweet, luscious mouth first, or glide into her hot, melting pussy?

What the fuck?  She was here for the night. He could fuck her right now, relieving his ache, then have her revive him with a blow job and start all over again.

He chuckled and climbed into bed beside her, then shifted closer. He reached for her hand to pull it to his cock, wanting to feel her soft feminine fingers wrapped around him, but as soon as he touched her, she jerked away.

“No, please . . .”  Panic flashed in her wide, blue eyes and she was practically panting in fear.

“What the fuck?”

Then he saw the sparkle of diamonds around her neck. It was the choker Craig’s sister had received as a gift from her boyfriend at the bar earlier tonight.

What the hell was going on here? Steele rolled away from her and sat up, placing his feet on the floor. He stared at the frightened woman, who was sucking in air, panic showing in her widened eyes.

He raked his hand through his hair. “How the hell did you get here?”

Someone started pounding on his door.

“Steele, it’s Wild Card.”

Then the door swung open and Wild Card burst inside. “I fell asleep on the couch. I didn’t mean to . . .”

His gaze fell on Steele’s naked form, then darted to the woman in the bed. Then he shook his head, holding up his hands, palms toward Steele, in a defensive gesture. “Steele, you gotta listen to me.”

Anger surged through Steele and he lurched to his feet. “Wild Card, what the fuck did you do?”

“I didn’t mean to—”

Steele strode toward him. “How the hell did you miss the fact that the plan was not to kidnap the woman?”

Riding Steele (Ready To Ride series)
Kindle: http://amzn.to/1sTE844
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1svi8mR
Nook: http://bit.ly/1ygrbr5
iBooks: http://bit.ly/1rsAtyt

Coming soon, the next in the Ready To Ride series:

Hard Ride (Ready To Ride series)

This is a novel in three parts

Part 1 – April 7^th
Part 2 – April 14^th
Part 3 – April 28^th

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1Dzt1Zc
BN: http://bit.ly/1FywpTq
iBooks: http://apple.co/1F17HMC
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1BOkAWE

Ways to keep in touch with Opal:
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Blog:                          http://opalcarewromanceauthor.wordpress.com
Website                   www.OpalCarew.com