This carry-on experiment is either going to be the best thing I’ve ever done and will convince me to halve my possessions when I get home (which will be timely as I’m moving back to the big smoke in September), or it’s going to be a very frustrating 3.5 weeks.

I’m taking:
5 dresses
1 pair of jeans (wearing on plane)
4 T-shirts
1 shirt
1 pair yoga pants
1 pair linen pants
1 wrap skirt (10 years old and still going strong)
1 long cotton cardigan
9 pairs of knickers
3 bras
3 pairs of socks
1 nightshirt (for when staying with friends, otherwise wouldn’t bother)
1 shoulder bag
1 scarf
1 pair trainers (wearing on plane)
1 pair flip flops
LOTS of jewellery

1 washbag filled with a million tiny (and useless, let’s be honest) travel-sized beauty products
1 travel hair brush (surprisingly effective)
1 electric toothbrush
1 Moleskine (soft cover) + pens
1 rubber stamp + 3 ink pads
A zillion recharging cords (so annoying)
1 Kindle (i take it all back!)
1 iPod
1 iPhone
1 SX-70 Polaroid camera (+ 15 packs of film
1 laptop
1 copy of my book, which i will give away in the first week as it’s just too heavy to cart around
1 small make-up bag filled with make-up

Several raw fruit energy bars + a bag of brazil nuts
10 earl grey rooibos teabags
1 jar of multi vitamins
1 bundle of nerves
15 handfuls of excitement

Only a few tickets left for Vancouver | Toronto | New York City

See you on the other side! x

The flights are booked, the venues are being sorted out as I type, and the excitement — and nerves! — in my heart is building. The book tour is ON!

Here are the final dates:

Monday 9 July – Portland, OR (hosted by Kelly Rae Roberts) – FULL!

Wed 11 July –  Los Angeles (hosted by Marisa Anne) – FULL!

Friday 13 July –  San Francisco (hosted by Teahouse Studios) – FULL!

Wed 18 July – Vancouver (hosted by Holly Truchan & Amanda Gilligan) – FULL!

Saturday 21 July – Toronto (hosted by Jamie Ridler & Tanya Geisler) – FULL!

Monday 23 July — Boston (hosted by Susan Piver) – FULL!

Wednesday 25 July — New York (hosted by Monica McCarthy) – FULL!

There are a few spaces left for Los Angeles, San Francisco, NYC, Toronto and Boston [all events are now full] and I’ll share links to the other events on the Book Tour page (—> click on the badge over there in the sidebar) as soon as we’ve finalised them.

All the book events are totally free, so please do come along and have a glass of a wine and a cupcake with me!

Plus! While I’m in San Francisco I’ll be hosting a special day at the Teahouse Studios on July 15th with my friend, Mati Rose McDonough — we’re calling it Books, Business & Boys!

From the Teahouse website:

Join us for a day of nourishing connection, delicious food and candid conversation on some of our favorite topics: books, boys and business!

Both Susannah and Mati run successful creative businesses, have newly published books and have also experienced profound love losses. In the process of building their businesses, writing their books and healing, they have learned some valuable life lessons and have found their way back to themselves.

Now they’re out birthing their books (and beginning to dip their toes in the world of dating) and want to talk about all the juicy details of dreaming big. Plus, it’s just fun to dish about boys, right?

This will be an intimate, soulful and light-hearted day of sharing, storytelling and community. We’ll create a space where we can talk about the real questions in life. We’re all in this together, making it up as we go along and learning from one another along the way. We’ll be available to talk shop, demystify our creative businesses and book-writing journeys.
We’re going to be holding space for 20 like-minded souls to dive into conversation around a table filled with delicious food and a LOT of laughter. You can ask us ANYTHING — seriously!

Andrea and Kelly Rae hosted a similar event in May and we were so inspired we wanted to bring our stories to the Teahouse table too. if you can make it on the 15th I’d love to spend the day with you. Places are limited to 20 so best to register soon.

______

In the meantime, I’m planning what to bring with me because with EIGHT flights in total over 3.5 weeks I’ve realised checking a suitcase is going to be a nightmare… so I’m only taking a carry-on. This thrills and terrifies me in equal measure. This is where I’m at right now:

You see that teeny tiny suitcase? Yep, that’s what I’m taking. Thankfully, the silver boots are staying at home.