When most people take a vacation, they set down tools, leave the office, wave goodbye to their colleagues, and turn their mind off from their work until they need to step back into work again.

Not so with us authors. Our office is of the mind, and that means that it is almost impossible to completely abandon and try to switch off while you are taking a holiday – even if you would like to!

It has almost becoming a running joke in my family. Whenever I go on holiday with them, my trusty laptop somehow seems to find its way into my luggage.

“What did you bring that for?” They’ll ask me, a smile on their faces. “Surely you don’t want to work while you’re on holiday?”

And the answer seems that it should be ‘Of course not!’…but in many ways, writing doesn’t feel like work to me. Yes, some chapters are nightmares, and some characters make me want to rip my teeth out…

But sometimes the words just come. They flow like water from my fingertips and after losing myself completely in the words, I realise that several hours have gone by, and I haven’t eaten in any of them. My family have been tiptoeing around me, leaving hot drinks now cold around me, but otherwise leaving me be.

It’s an incredible blessing, having family like me. I honestly don’t know how I would write without them, and when we go on holiday together and explore our favourite parts of the country, inspiration lies around every corner.

A phrase to include in a book. A character to add in a story. A location that is perfect for a scene.

So when I next go on holiday, I’ll be taking the laptop. Inspiration may not stride, but just in case it does…