I can t believe he had book cover tattooed on arm
Dec 1 2008 by Jeff Holmes, Paisley Daily Express
AUTHOR Diane Marshall s debut novel has certainly left a lasting impression on her caring husband John.
For the adoring carpet firm boss overcame his fear of needles to have a giant TATTOO of the book s cover grafted on to his arm.
The full-colour tattoo measures a whopping nine inches by six inches, took seven hours to complete and cost a hefty 400.
And Diane reckons any other hubby could do a lot worse than take a leaf out of John s book when it comes to showing devotion to their other half.
She said: At first, I was stunned by what John had done but, once I had recovered, I realised it is a lovely gesture.
If you know John and know how much he hates needles, then you d understand that it took guts for him to do this.
The couple were on vacation in Florida when John, who owns Paisley firm Hawkhead Carpets, got the needle.
But he insists that getting the tattoo done wasn t a moment of madness.
John said: I m scared stiff of needles but did it because I m 100 per cent behind Diane and her writing career.
Diane s novel Beyond The Light deals with near death experience and was five years in the making.
She was born and raised in a Johnstone tenement and remembers having premonitions when she was just four or five years old.
Diane, 57, also claims to have experienced a near death experience recently and managed to weave it into her book.
She said: There are two near death experiences in the story, although only one is mine.
It s a topic I ve been interested in for a while and I just had to write about it.
Diane s shift in career paths is as startling as John s tattoo, as she was formerly a medical technical officer at Monklands Mortuary.
In that role, she would prepare bodies for post-mortem examinations by removing vital organs such as the brain and heart and laying them out for the pathologist.
Diane said: I enjoyed my job. Once you get the scientific head on, you focus on the work in hand and just get on with it.
But I m so excited about my new career. Imagine doing something you truly love full-time. I ve learned lots from writing Beyond The Light, mostly with regards to writing disciplines.
I ve already started my second book and american indian tattoos I m being far more disciplined, writing at set times during the day, every day.
When you leave it for a few days, you lose the thread and the momentum goes. It s difficult to pick up and boxing glove tattoos you waste time going over it all again.
Diane s next book is a historical tome, based in 19th century Scotland and a vicious tale of money and greed.
Previously, she penned hit play The Attendants, which ran at The Mitchell Theatre in 2003 and received rave reviews.
This proved to loyal hubby John that Diane wasn t wasting her time by picking up the pen.
He said: The last thing I would ever do is put my wife up for ridicule. I ve read her stuff and ornament tattoo it s quite exceptional. She definitely has talent.
The problem was that she used to hide her stuff away. In fact, the current editor of the Paisley Daily Express, Anne Dalrymple, must take a lot of credit for kick-starting Diane s career.
Anne did a feature on her a few years ago and called her selfish for concealing her literary efforts from the public. She insisted that they deserved to see what Diane was producing.
Actress Lesley Fitz-Simons, who starred in hit TV shows such as High Road, is among Diane s fans.
She joined fellow entertainer Christian at the WH Smith store in Paisley s High Street to give Diane support at her book launch event.
Lesley said: I ve read her bookI actually completed it in just one sitting.
Now that I know Diane s near death experience is in it, I ll be reading it again. In fact, when the book is made into a movie, I want a part!
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