Indie Ink Runs Deep: Dean Moses

Every now and then I manage to talk a small press author into showing us a little skin... tattooed skin, that is. I know there are websites and books out there that have been-there-done-that already, but I hadn't seen one with a specific focus on the authors and publishers of the small press community. Whether it's the influence for their book, influenced by their book, or completely unrelated to the book, we get to hear the story behind their indie ink....


Today's ink story comes from Dean Moses. Dean was born in England in February of 1991; however, he never truly felt at home, so at the age of nineteen he moved to New York City, where he hoped to fulfill two of his longtime dreams, marry the love of his life and become an author. For the past five years, he has written for newspapers, including the New York Amsterdam News and the Spring Creek Sun, as well as transcribed for the New York Times’ Lens Blog. He has also written a serial story for the website JukePop Serials. He currently resides in Queens with his wife and two cats.

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The tattoos on my hand are a tad on the nose.  They represent my love for writing, and my need to do it. Christopher Hitchens once said of writing, “It must not be the thing you would like to do, but it must be the thing you feel that you have to do. It must be that without which you could not live.” I feel that quote sums up this tattoo for me. The quill overlapping the bone conveys the title of writer, it is not just a job, it is a part of me, and it’s who I am.

The wordsmith tattoo is somewhat ironic. It is the label I strive to obtain while knowing it is the stage that I will never stand on. I believe that no matter how many books you have published, how many awards you may receive, or how good others say that you are, there is always more to learn—therefore you will never be the best.   

The tattoos on my arm are a mishmash of time, places, and people I love. The BOO at the top was my first tattoo. Boo is the nickname for my Jack Russell, Locket.

The rose has a slightly more longwinded story behind it. I am originally from England. While visiting my future wife, Amanda, in New York City, we made plans to see The Phantom Of the Opera on Broadway. I won’t spoil the show for you in case you have not seen it, but a rose plays quite a big role in the love story. In an effort to ensure that I would never forget the importance of the day I spent with Amanda, I decided to get a tattoo of a rose.

The writing around the rose came about many months later when Amanda visited me in England. At the time, The Phantom Of the Opera’s sequel was playing in London’s West End. Key chains were being given away at the show with the title of the play written on them in Latin, Love Never Dies. The premise of those three simple words, which to me are just as powerful as “I love you,” was significant to my relationship.  In my opinion, love is not a fleeting notion that passes us by. It is an experience that is forever etched in our heart—in our souls.