I left for DC on the red-eye last night — headed back to my hometown for a book signing, at Barnes & Noble in Bethesda, MD on Saturday.  Over the last few years of touring, I’ve gotten pretty good at packing my carry on.  Even though I swap some of the items, like the books I’m reading and my playlist, these are some of the essentials that always make it into my carry on.

I love my Marc Jacobs Workwear bag. It’s actually a lot bigger than it looks, and it has side pockets for my water bottle and hand sanitizer (otherwise known as the travel gift from the gods.

If you read my blog regularly or follow me on Instagram, you probably recognize my travel charm necklace that I’m too superstitious to fly without.  I always carry a spiral notebook. Right now, I’m outlining the sequel to UNBREAKABLE. My pen of choice is the Dr. Grip. And what would any self-respecting writer do without a Starbucks coffee card?

My Charge is my latest gadget obsession. I keep it in my purse, and it gives me an extra charge if my phone dies. On the jewelry front, I love my Alex & Ani bangles because they are super cute and go with everything. Mac lipstick in “Craving” has been my go-to lipstick for the past 7 years (and it doubles as blush in a pinch). I never travel without a book or two. On this trip, I packed the ARC of Robin LaFever’s DARK TRIUMPH, the sequel to GRAVE MERCY (which I loved), and Larry Brooks’ STORY ENGINEERING — an amazing book on writing craft.