RHYS BOWEN: As you now know, I've just returned from six weeks in Europe. And I'm about to set off on yet another book tour when Malice at the Palace comes out on August 4th. I travel a lot (well, not compared to Hank, but to most sane people). And as you know, travel these days can be stressful....as when I was in France a couple of weeks ago and arrived at the train station to find that the trains were on strike and I was due to fly out of an airport two and a half hours away. I couldn't risk staying another night and hoping that the trains were operating the next day because I had no guarantee I'd get on the one flight out of Toulouse to London. AND I was flying home from London in two days time. So.... I had to bite the bullet and take a 300 Euro taxi ride. And I am halfway to Toulouse when the driver informs me that officially the taxis are also on strike so he can't take me anywhere near the train station or the airport. He'll have to drop me at an undisclosed location in Toulouse, hopefully near a metro station so I can make my way to the airport to catch a plane that is about to depart.
I made it, only just. But you can see what I mean by stressful. On book tours it only takes one delayed flight, unexpected thunderstorm and the plans for the day fall to pieces. So I've found that one way to keep my sanity and banish stress is to take some friends with me.
These two are Sophie and Alexander and they come with me on my US flights. I keep meaning to make them a little house and furniture to take with me, but just their funny faces make me feel better.
And in case you think they take up space, this is how big they are:
And this is Hubyrd. My daughter Anne gave him to me last year and he has had his photo taken all over Europe. People have looked at me in amazement as I place him on Queen Victoria's head or at the edge of cliffs. But again he reminds me that life should be fun and that stressful flights really don't matter.
So what do you do when you travel? Hank, do you have any stress-busters? Anyone else have toys that have to travel with them? Or a particular book? Or am I the only one who is a little weird?
