Tattoos are all the rage right now. Want to see a picture of mine? Nah. Don't panic. I don't have one. But if I did, I'd want a tramp stamp of the Loch Ness monster swimming on the waves of my . . . er . . . as I was saying, tatts are trendy. Here are three interesting tidbits I found at the intersection of literature and skin artistry . . .

Tattoo For a Book
Want a tatt of a dragon and the honor of promoting a new book at the same time? The latest book in Stieg Larsson's Dragon Tattoo series is about to launch and Hachette Australia is looking for a volunteer who's willing to give up their back as a canvas. Best of all, it's free. Deadline is midnight, July 12.

The Illustrated Man
Way before every hipster in town was inking their skin, Ray Bradbury wrote this classic science fiction book. In it, an unnamed narrator watches the Illustrated Man's tattoos come to life, presenting nineteen short stories.

Top 5 Books That Influence Tattoos
The most common books that influence tattoo choices are:
1. Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
2. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
3. Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
4. The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
5. Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk