The world behind the counter of a tattoo shop is one that most of us are only passingly familiar with — whether from sitting in the chair or watching it on TLC. It’s the kind of place we suspect is full of strange, sometimes wonderful, sometimes frightening characters and events, but it remains a bit of a mystery.

Jeff Johnson’s debut Tattoo Machine: Tall Tales, True Stories, and My Life in Ink offers a “peek under the skirt” of the life of a tattoo artist (Johnson is co-owner and manager of the famed Sea Tramp Tattoo shop in Portland, Oregon). But be warned; this book may make you want to get inked. Here, he discusses why it isn’t a memoir, what sci-fi legend Robert Sheckley did to influence his career, and how he finally came up with cover art that worked. Read More »

The Daily News reports that infamous dog-fighter/former NFL star, Michael Vick (who’s currently bankrupt), is planning to join the line of celebrity memoirists and is shopping for a publisher through literary agent Scott Waxman. Vick, who has taken hits from both PETA and the NFL since his release from prison late last month, has been splitting his time between a $10-a-day work release program, church, and time at home in Hampton, Va., with his fiancée and two of his children. The Daily News notes that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell told Vick “that his chances of playing football again depend on whether he demonstrates sufficient remorse.” So they’re guessing it’s a big mea culpa. Read More »