I got this mug several years ago, shortly after I started writing a tattoo-themed series. I originally had a couple and I think I was planning on using them as promotional giveaways. Unfortunately, I didn't get around to finishing the series...yet. But I have characters, plots, and (because of course I do) covers! You can see them all here: https://www.pgforte.com/inked-in-oaktown
Anyway, it's a cute mug. It's big and bright and cheerful. And it hits all the Trad Tattoo markers, with swallows on either side and a heart with MOM written across it in the middle.
My first fictional tattoo appears in the Oberon series. Ryan suggests Siobhan get one in Touch of a Vanished Hand and then we get to actually "see" the results in the next book, The Spirit of the Place--both of which are included in the second Oberon Omnibus, Return to Oberon.
Here's the scene from Touch (I should point out, for those of you who don't know, that Siobhan and her sister Sinead are identical twins; and that Sinead, when she first met Ryan, fooled him into thinking she was Siobhan. As a result, he doesn't trust himself not to get them mixed up. Much to everyone else's amusement and/or irritation) :
Siobhan had stopped at the winery’s office to get directions out to the farmhouse. She was crossing the parking lot on her way back to her car when she saw Ryan lope down the stairs from the terrace, and head for his bike. She paused to admire the athletic grace with which he moved, and to smile at the distracted frown he wore, the unaccustomed air of seriousness on his face. No doubt about it, the man definitely takes my breath away.
“Well, fancy meeting you here,” she called, as she sauntered toward him.
He turned to look at her, leaned back against the motorcycle, crossed one ankle over the other, crossed his arms. Said nothing. She felt her smile falter. Her footsteps slowed. An indefinable expression flickered in his eyes. Part annoyance, and part...something else. Something dark and inscrutable. Something she couldn’t put a name to.
“Is there something I can do for you?” he asked at last, entirely too politely.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, and in the same instant, understanding dawned. Anger flashed through her. “Oh, honestly! Ryan, are you ever gonna learn to tell us apart?”
Alarm widened his eyes for an instant, and then he frowned. He straightened up again, uncrossed his arms, but still he scanned her face suspiciously as he asked, “Siobhan? What are you doing here?”
“I stopped by to see how Sinead was doing,” she said as she closed the distance between them. “I thought I’d spend some time with her, maybe take her to lunch. I have the day off, remember?”
He nodded, brushed a quick kiss across her cheek. “Yeah, I remember.” He pulled back a little, his gaze still curious, doubtful, far too uncertain.
Siobhan sighed. He’s still not sure, is he? Even now? It couldn’t be a good sign, his continuing inability to differentiate between her and her sister. He was usually a lot more observant than this. She shook her head. “What’s it gonna take, huh? Do I have to tattoo my name across my chest before you get it?”
A spark of interest lit his eyes. “I’ve got a better idea.” He leaned back against the bike once more, half sitting on it as he took hold of her arm and drew her close. “How about my name?”
What? She gaped at him horrified by the eager smile stealing across his face. “Ryan— Oh, come on, you’re notserious?”
“Sure, I am. Why not?” His fingers tugged at the neck of her blouse. “It doesn’t have to be big, or anything. Just…oh, I don’t know, maybe a cute little red heart? With a yellow ribbon scrolling across it and my name in blue capped letters, right...about...here.” He lowered his head, pressed the softest of kisses against the top of her breast.
Dear Lord. A tattoo? She felt her breathing stall and made a half-hearted effort to push him away. I need help,she thought, nearly fainting from the shock when she realized the idea was actually beginning to appeal to her. Are we both crazy? Never in a million years. Desperate, she summoned up the anger she’d been feeling a moment earlier. “Now, tell me, Ryan, why ever would I brand myself with the name of a man who doesn’t even know who I am?”
He raised his head, smiling wider, obviously amused at the absurdity of the statement. Oh, God. Bad move. Definitely the wrong thing to say. What had possessed her? She had to know he’d choose to view such a remark as a challenge.
His eyes turned dark, hot, intense. “Oh, I know you, Siobhan,” he answered. There was laughter in his voice and love and a certainty that made her blush to the roots of her hair.
Yes. He did. And very well, too.
Omnibus Two: Books 4 - 6
A Taste of Honey
Touch of a Vanished Hand
The Spirit of the Place
Second Chances, Enemies to Lovers, Opposites Attract, First Love, Holiday Magic, Suspense, Angels.
https://www.amazon.com/Love-Espresso-Zakrzewski-Anthologies-Ashley-ebook/dp/B0CSKS814M/
This collection features meet-cutes that take place in a bookstore/coffee shop. The heroines are looking for their HEA but never expected it to happen while picking up a cup of coffee or picking out their next book boyfriend.
Includes my new Atlas Beach story, Giada Mazzi is Living her Best Life:
Blurb:
"life is more than just the lies we try and tell ourselves about what we’ve done and who we are.
I guess the truth is that I never stopped loving Ben. And I never stopped imagining how different my life might have been if he were only the person I needed him to be, instead of the person that he is. Which is silly, right? I mean, truly; it’s laughable. Because if he were someone else, he wouldn’t be him. And the world is already full of people like that. What good is one more gonna do me?
Besides, if I’m honest, Ben wasn’t ever the problem. That was me. I was never the person he believed me to be. Oh, I thought I was, in the beginning. I tried hard to be, and that worked for a while. Sort of. But eventually I reached the point where I had to make a choice between living life for myself, or for everyone else.
And when it came right down to that…how could I not choose me?"
Visions Before Midnight Erin Allridge is a modern woman, with modern ideas about relationships and a painful personal history she has no intention of repeating.
When terror and tragedy strike the small town of Oberon, the pair are forced to re-think their visions for the future.
In this world of form and spirit it can be hard to find balance and harmony, but sometimes, particularly when the veil between the worlds is at its thinnest, love can find a way to bridge the gap.
Hungry Heart
An Oberon Halloween Story
Cara Matthews is trouble—with a capital T. That's one thing that pretty much everyone in Oberon can agree on—parents, teachers, other students, her on-again-off-again boyfriend, Seth Cavanaugh.
Well, if you give a dog a bad name they'll probably live up to it, right?
This Halloween, after one insult too many, Cara's hellbent on wreaking revenge—no matter who gets hurt in the process.
***Please note: This is a companion book to Visions Before Midnight. While it can stand on its own (and does contain scenes and material that does not appear in Visions) this is essentially Cara's version of events, which may or may not be accurate. Do you trust her?***
https://books2read.com/HungryHeartOberon
