Are you Inked up? asks Vicki Stiefel

HALLIE EPHRON: I confess, it's taken me awhile to become comfortable with Millenials' romance with tattoos. I want to ask, "Don't you know your skin will sag when you get older?" "Do you really want that on you when you interview for a job?" "What's going to happen when you get tired of it? ... I want to ask, but don't.

My dear friend and author Vicki Stiefel (Chest of Stone) is far ahead of the curve on this. She's got them. And she's not a millennial. 

So here's a page from Vicki Stiefel... how tattoos twine through her real life and her fiction.

VICKI STIEFEL: I take the receipt from the clerk.

“Is it real?” He points to the tattoo on my finger, the one with all the flowery vines.

“Yes, it is.”

“Really?” His tone bubbles with skepticism.

The urge to reply with snark is strong, but all I say is, “Really.”

I assume his disbelief is because I'm not a Twentysomething or a Goth or a biker, either, although I do still possess a bit of the hippie I once was. 

But, hello? Tattoos have gone mainstream.

What is it about these permanent inkings—living symbols etched into our flesh—that make them so compelling?

I blame my tat addiction, er, acquisition on my late crime-writer husband, Bill Tapply, who sported a mayfly tattoo to honor his fly-fishing passion. When he chose to get another tat, I joined in. He got Kokopelli. Mine? A Celtic spiral tattooed on my wrist, which was the inspiration for Clea’s tat in my novel, Chest of Bone. Hers is magical. Mine? I'll never tell.

Clea’s tattoo is “applied” by her dying mentor, the act of which comes with lots of blood and pain and launches my story. But I’m not the first author to pen tats into a tale. 

Novels use tattoos as symbols, plot threads, and more. Good guys, bad guys, and even corpses are fleshed out with ink in their skin. Can you imagine Moby Dick’s Queequeg without his tats? Or Lisbeth Salander’s Girl with the Dragon Tattoo minus that dragon on her back? 

Speaking of dragons, the serial killer in The Red Dragon wears a William Blake design, which he believes is a spirit he calls "the Dragon.” Tattoos play a huge role in Elizabeth Hunter’s masterful Irin Chronicles’ The Scribe, where they heighten the wearer’s magic powers. Magic of the evil kind illuminates Mr. Dark’s “human” tats in Bradbury’s Something Wicked This Way Comes. From the Man Booker finalist’s The Electric Michelangelo to the evil preacher’s tats in Night of the Hunter, a character’s tattoos can add layers of meaning to a character and a novel, which is part of why I love them.

My Wyvern wrapped around a Key symbolizes two of my series’ characters from The Afterworld Chronicles. 

I’m not alone in sporting a tat from my books. To quote the marvelous Rob Hart, “Books and tattoos have a lot in common. Both are intimate — and sometimes painful — acts. They’re addictive, in that you finish one and immediately ache for the head rush of another.” Rob’s got his New Yorked inked on his skin. Elizabeth Hand, Kevin Wilson, Steph Post, and many other writers wear ink based on their books. Other tattooed authors range from Dorothy Parker to Julie Hennrikus to China Mieville. As ink-decorated John Irving told The New York Times, “Tattoos are souvenirs. They’re road maps of where your body’s been.”

Legions of readers, those wonderful folks who devour our work, ink themselves as a permanent badge of their love for authors and reading. They sport tattoos from Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter novels to those of Jane Austen and Sherrilyn Kenyon. They wear open books with “I’ve lived a thousand lives” or “Books are proof humans can do magic” or “Wanderer,” which is etched into my forearm beneath an open book.

 

I am that wanderer of ideas and of books. And, yeah, I want to get another tattoo.

Oh, BTW — if you plan to get a tattoo, do it right. Go to a reputable tattooist whose style you admire. Be sure you’re passionate about the tat, since without costly laser removal, it’s forever. Finally, copyedit your design. Seriously. Or this might be the result.

Do you have tattoos? Care to show and tell?

HALLIE: I think all our readers know that I do not. Or if I did, it would be my secret.

Vicki Stiefel''s fantasy suspense series, The Afterworld Chronicles, launched with Chest of Bone, the tale of a Mage, a Monster, and a Mission. Her mystery/thrillers include Body Parts, The Dead Stone, The Bone Man, and The Grief Shop, a Daphne du Maurier prize winner. All feature homicide counselor Tally Whyte. Her writing and photography have also appeared in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, Worcester Magazine, Wild Fibers, Dive Training, and other national publications. She co-wrote (with Lisa Souza) and photographed the non-fiction 10 Secrets of the LaidBack Knitters, and recently published Chest of Bone, The Knit Collection.

With her late husband, William G. Tapply, she ran The Writers Studio workshops in creative fiction. For six years, Vicki taught fiction writing and modern media writing at Clark University. She mentors writers and students and critiques writing in a variety of genres, from partial to completed manuscripts.

The Afterworld Chronicles' second novel, Chest of Stone, will hit shelves Nov. 2017, and she’s pounding the keys on the series' third novel, Chest of Air. In the works, her next mystery series will feature a tattooist.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vickistiefelauthor/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vickistiefel/

Twitter: @vickistiefel

Elaine Johnson and what mystery writers should know about the brain...

HALLIE EPHRON: Our guest today, Elaine Johnson, started out as a teacher of serious literature (Shakespeare, Milton...), went on to become a college dean, and along the way became intrigued by the workings of the brain. After twenty years of research and lecturing on the brain, her book, “A Beginner’s Guide to the Brain: Major Discoveries that Will Change Your Life,” comes out today.

** And right here, on Jungle Red, we're giving away a copy of the book to one of today's commenters!

Coincidentally, a literature class Elaine is teaching right now focuses on our very own Julia Spencer-Fleming's work. Elaine, how did that happen?

ELAINE JOHNSON: It was requested, not surprisingly, by an Episcopal church as part of their education program. They chose all of Julia Spencer-Fleming’s books over Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale and The Tempest. I was happy with the choice because Julia’s treatment of the same characters through many books allows us to explore why mystery can be first-rate literature.

At the first meeting, it became evident that people welcome an opportunity to read mysteries. We agreed that after this term, we’ll survey a variety of modern mystery writers. Jungle Red provides a great foundation for a syllabus.

HALLIE: We're happy to hear that! So, what do you think it is about the human brain that makes us such suckers for mystery novels?

ELAINE: Certainly one reason the brain favors mystery novels is its deep, biological need to find meaning. Disturbed by unexplained events and randomness, the brain arbitrarily assigns them meaning. In its quest for meaning, it constantly searches for patterns and order. Murder mysteries satisfy the brain’s desire to make patterns, explain randomness, and in so doing find meaning.

HALLIE: Elaine, are there any discoveries or insights that would help us write more convincing villains.

ELAINE: Brain research suggests that convincing villains could be driven by deep emotion that blinds reason, a willingness to do anything to belong to a group it values, anger at being improperly valued—of losing status by being demeaned in some way--a desire to experience again and again the pleasurable feeling that is the brain’s reward whenever we do something it likes, and unwavering certainty that one’s beliefs are absolutely right, reasonable, and a reliable guide.

HALLIE: What about the mystery writer’s characters? Does the brain seem to prefer some kinds of characters over others?

ELAINE: Brain research suggests that three things especially incline the brain to like certain kinds of characters.

First, the need to belong: The brain is a social organ; it longs for and requires the company of other brains. When we do not belong—when we feel rejected, ignored, or reprimanded—we experience the same hurt that physical pain causes. Two brain regions respond to physical pain. The same two regions respond to social pain. This means that if the reader watches a protagonist who belongs--who has compassion or insight that connects her with others--then the reader will identify readily with that protagonist.

Second, mirror neurons: Mirror neurons cause us to identify with characters. These neurons have a unique double function. They fire when we do something—when we perform an action or feel an emotion, and they fire when we watch someone else perform an action or feel an emotion. Mirror neurons cause us to perform in our brain the action or feeling we observe. When we observe a protagonist think, feel, or act, our brain’s mirror neurons fire, linking us with that protagonist.

Third, morality: A moral sense is rooted in the design of the human brain. Genes dispose our brains to make moral distinctions. The brain’s innate disposition to judge human actions as either right or wrong, moral or immoral, helps explain the appeal of mystery novels. Mystery novels portray a moral universe where wrong-doing is punished. When bad guys are punished by protagonists they admire, the reader’s moral brain is happy.

HALLIE: That's so interesting -- I wonder if it also explains why we tend to be attracted to people (and dogs) that look like us!

And finally, how do you think mystery writers get it right about the way the brain works?

ELAINE: Mystery writers of drama and novels get a lot right. They have long intuited the things that brain research confirms.

They are especially good at recognizing that the brain is unreasonable. Research now proves that the brain is governed far more by emotion than reason. In fact, the brain so embraces emotion that it may adopt an idea for emotional reasons and then-- after the fact--look for reasons to justify that stand. Or it may ignore evidence that contradicts that stand. Emotion will trump reason.

Driven by emotion in the guise of reason, a person may in the name of religion or ideology hate entire groups, and that hatred can drive someone to attack any member of that group.

HALLIE: Reading Elaine's answers, I immediately want to know: are men's brains and women's brains wired differently? But maybe she'll tell us what she thinks in the comments.

Don't forget, we're giving away a book to one of today's commenters. Elaine will be checking back in today to answer questions and comments, so please, ask away! Don't forget, we'll be giving away a copy of the book to one randomly drawn commenter!

What We're Reading

ROBERTA: My reading's been a little slow since January--I blame that on burnout from serving on the MWA Edgar best novel committee. But I just finished CAUCASIA by Danzy Senna--a novel about two sisters, one who takes after their white mother, and the other who resembles their black father. After the parents split up, each takes the daughter most similar in appearance. The story is told from the perspective of Birdie, the girl passing for all white, as her mother drags them around the east coast. Fascinating!

And on my to-be-read pile: Steve Hamilton's THE LOCK ARTIST, Jhumpa Lahiri's UNACCUSTOMED EARTH, THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO, and Barbara Kingsolver's THE LACUNA.

What have you loved lately?

HALLIE: I just read a manuscript that I loved -- THE SCENT OF THE MISSING by Susannah Charleson. She writes about raising and training her search-and-rescue dog, a lovely golden retriever named Puzzle. It's a knockout, and it comes out next month.

I am looking longingly at the pile of books on my floor. I haven't had a minute to read for pleasure in the longest. But when I do, I'm going to read GILEAD, and OLIVE KITTERIDGE, and LIFE OF PI, and THE YIDDISH POLICEMEN'S UNION, and at long last THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO.


HANK: AH, Roberta, I, too, have judging burnout! But now I am back in the reading groove, such as it is ...sometimes, it seems as if I get through thre pages, and then I have to sleep. Anyway. I'm in the midst of 212 by Alafair Burke, and enjoying that quite a bit! I'm also trying to read The LOCK ARTIST by Steve Hamilton, but Jonathan keeps taking it away. Harlan Coben's new CAUGHT is waving its arms at me, but I need to read Mary Jane Clark's fast-paced DYING FOR MERCY before I interview her Saturday at Murder 203. I'm eager to read UNDER THE DOME by Stephen King, but that'll have to be this summer. And hey, Jungle Reds...I guess my ARCS of DEADHEAD and THE LAST ILLUSION must have blown off my front porch. Sigh.

JAN: I'm reading Loving Frank, about Frank Lloyd Wright, by Nancy Horan. And Boston Against Busing, race, class in Ethnicity in Boston in the 1960s and 1970s, which is actually fascinating. And I just reread Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, which was better the second time around, which makes me believe that how I feel about a book has a lot to do with the hype beforehand. Someone told me Midnight in the Garden of Good Evil was the best book ever written before I read it the first time, so I felt slightly disappointed. This time, when I was reading it just for structure, with no hype, I was delighted.

RO: Maybe that means I should read Girl with the Dragon Tattoo again. I recently reread Unsuitable Job for a Woman and loved it all over again, so I will probably reread another PD James next. It's almost like taking a writing class.

ROBERTA: Jan, I read Loving Frank last summer in preparation for visiting Wright's Falling Waters. Fascinating look into his (fictional?) character. I found the ending shocking!

And I thought of two other for my pile--both Anna Quinlan and Anne Lamott have new books out--got to run down to the bookstore and snatch those up too.

RHYS: I must be the only person in the world not to have read THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO. I feel so badly for him--I should be furious if I died before I became a bestseller! I currently reading THE MYSTERIOUS BENEDICT SOCIETY. It's a children's book, along the lines of Harry Potter, I suppose, but not nearly as fun to me. More like an old fashioned adult telling the tale,rather than living the action with the kids in the present. I'm reading it because my daughter and I are just finishing up the first book in a children's series (we need an agent for her... any suggestions?) and someone mentioned this book.
Next I have an AS Byatt book to read STILL LIFE. POSSESSION was one of my favorite books ever so I'm looking forward to this one.

ROBERTA: You are right Rhys--what a disappointment to be a big sensation after you've gone and died too soon. And so exciting about the children's bok with your daughter--keep us posted on that! And Susannah--woo-hoo--absolutely can't wait for yours! How about you JR readers--any recommendations to add to our piles?