Blog Tour: Savior by Rhys Ford ~ Guest Post #Giveaway

Author: Rhys Ford
Title: Savior
Series: 415 Ink #2
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: September 18, 2018
Length 220 Pages
Cover by: Reece Notley

Savior by Rhys Ford

Published by Dreamspinner Press. Coming September 18, 2019

A savior lies in the heart of every good man but sometimes only love can awaken the man inside a savior.

The world’s had it out for San Francisco firefighter Mace Crawford from the moment he was born. Rescued from a horrific home life and dragged through an uncaring foster system, he’s dedicated his life to saving people, including the men he calls his brothers. As second-in-command of their knitted-together clan, Mace guides his younger siblings, helps out at 415 Ink, the family tattoo shop, and most of all, makes sure the brothers don’t discover his darkest secrets.

It’s a lonely life with one big problem—he’s sworn off love and Rob Claussen, one of 415 Ink’s tattoo artists, has gotten under his skin in the worst way possible.

Mace’s world is too tight, too controlled to let Rob into his life — much less his heart — but the brash, Filipino inker is there every time Mace turns around. He can’t let Rob in without shaking the foundations of the life he’s built, but when an evil from his past resurfaces, Mace is forced to choose between protecting his lies or saving the man he’s too scared to love.

 Dreamspinner Press

 Amazon Global Link

Well, I want to thank everyone for following the blog tour for 415 Ink: Savior! I’m going to use the same intro for every piece in case someone jumps in midway because that way everyone starts off on the same page. So if you’re joining midway, be sure to backtrack and catch the other posts because we’ll be exploring tattoos. Be sure to catch Savior, a second book in the 415 Ink series, on its release date of September 18!

This has been a crazy series to write and as much as I enjoyed it, it’s always a challenge to bring a fully fleshed character with very real problems to the page. I hope that you read Savior you will fall in love with Mace and be with him on his journey as he in turn falls in love with Rob.

Since the tattoo shop, 415 Ink, is such a central heart of the series, I wanted to talk about tattoo symbolism very briefly because there’s a lot of opinions and cultural attachments to certain tattoos. What could be presented on this tour is just a small sampling of what people believe certain images mean and how they connect to the people who choose to wear them on their skin.

I’m going to say that tattoos are not for everyone but I do have a hard-core cultural association with them so I’m very fond of tattoos. I feel it is a very personal thing and should be taken seriously because you are going to wear it for the rest of your life. But, I also do believe even the tiniest flash tattoo means something to someone and everyone getting ink should be respected for their choices. Someone’s little flower on an ankle could mean their experiment into pushing themselves to fearlessness or capture memory of something they shared with someone. Not every tattoo needs to be huge or an artistic rendering of the Sistine Chapel. But they should have meaning.

I believe a tattoo should be a piece of yourself the inker draws out of your soul and embellishes on your skin. It should rise up from some part of you to realize its existence.

Much like love. And very much like falling in love.

So there’s also giveaway! Enter to win a $20 USD gift certificate to an e-tailer of your choice which can include Dreamspinner, Amazon, Starbucks or any place I can send a gift certificate without having to sacrifice a chicken. Just follow the blog’s contest rules to enter!

So let’s talk about ink.

Other Mythological Creatures in Ink

Fantasy and creatures of myth are also commonly made into tattoos for both males and females. The designs can be done in various styles, in color, or black and gray. The possibilities are only fettered by the artist’s imagination.

Here are the meanings of some of the most common creatures inked on skin. I’ve left Dragons off this list because they got their own entry.

The Phoenix is a symbol of rebirth. Over and over again, the bird is consumed in fire and is reborn as an egg among the ashes. Phoenix represent surviving hardship, rising above difficulties, overcoming addiction, living through a disaster, or recovering from grief. If you’ve risen from the ashes of strife, a phoenix is the perfect tattoo for you.

In Chinese art the phoenix is a symbol of powerful femininity, and it is often featured in art along side a dragon which represents masculinity. They illustrate the balance between the genders and yin-yang.

Fairies are popular with men and woman. Women tend to go for more traditional art with delicate wings and bodies, while men aim toward fairy pin ups who are quite seductive in nature. Fairies are thought to bring good luck and health. They also represent innocence and fond memories of childhood.

It all depends on what sort of fairy you have in mind. They can be cute. They can be innocent. They can also be wicked and naughty. They can have wings like a dragonfly, a butterfly, or even a bat’s if they are of the dark-fey variety.

Wizards are obviously meant to represent power and magic. Like the fairies, they can be drawn as good or bad, light or dark.  They symbolize that you’re trying to achieve greatness, or perhaps you’ve already reached your goal and want to memorialize it. A wizard is more about personal achievement than an idea.

Mermaids were traditionally for sailors and other people who worked at sea. They can be shown as innocent friendly creatures or seductresses who are trying to tempt men to their deaths (all though those should probably be considered sirens.) These days they represent people who like the water and are symbols of femininity and strong women.

Unicorns are the rarest and most magical fantasy character, known for their evasive personalities. Unicorns are unique, mystical, peaceful, and serene animals. Some unicorn tattoos show a cross between a unicorn and a Pegasus (winged horse).  The unicorn tattoo is a symbol of innocence, purity of heart, kindness, healing, perfection, and peace.

Pegasus is a well-loved figure and has come down the centuries and millennia giving its name to many things from a constellation to an Air Force jet. It’s used as the logo for many companies and it’s used on stamps in Greece. Whether your Pegasus has feathered wings or the wings of a butterfly it is a symbol for freedom, and a sign that there is a higher power that will help you against the most challenging odds.

About Rhys Ford

Rhys Ford is an award-winning author with several long-running LGBT+ mystery, thriller, paranormal, and urban fantasy series and is a two-time LAMBDA finalist with her Murder and Mayhem novels. She is also a 2017 Gold and Silver Medal winner in the Florida Authors and Publishers President’s Book Awards for her novels Ink and Shadows and Hanging the Stars. She is published by Dreamspinner Press and DSP Publications.

She’s also quite skeptical about bios without a dash of something personal and really, who doesn’t mention their cats, dog and cars in a bio? She shares the house with Harley, a grey tuxedo with a flower on her face, Badger, a disgruntled alley cat who isn’t sure living inside is a step up the social ladder as well as a ginger cairn terrorist named Gus. Rhys is also enslaved to the upkeep a 1979 Pontiac Firebird and enjoys murdering make-believe people.

Rhys can be found at the following locations:

Email: rhysford@vitaenoir.com

Blog: www.rhysford.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/rhys.ford.author

Twitter: @Rhys_Ford

Giveaway

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Contest will end September 20th

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