CRIME AUTHOR’S TRAVEL NECESSITIES
Ian Hamilton is the Canadian author behind the Ava Lee crime series about a Chinese-Canadian forensic accountant who trots the globe to chase down massive debts. To write the fine details of all his settings, Hamilton frequently travels to Europe and Asia. A CBC television adaptation of his books is in the works and his newest novel, The Princeling of Nanjing, came out Jan. 12.
Forty Creek whisky:
“Whenever I travel anywhere outside of Canada, I make a point of buying dutyfree Forty Creek. You can’t buy Canadian whisky in very many places. It’s an absolutely fantastic whisky. I have it as my nightcap, mostly neat. I’m usually gone for a week or two, so one bottle is sufficient.” Price: Depends on the bottle size.
Jade necklace:
“It was given to me by a friend in Hong Kong about 20 years ago as a good-luck charm. I take it everywhere. It’s made to wear around my neck, but it makes me uncomfortable, so I stick it in my pocket. It’s supposed to signify safe journeys. I don’t read Chinese script, so I have no idea what it really says. It’s kept me safe thus far.” Price: Priceless
Universal travel adapter:
“I bought this at a hardware store in Scotland. The electrical outlets are different all over the world. You get tired of phoning hotels and asking for an adapter, because quite often they don’t have them. I can plug in my computer and phone at the same time. It sure saves you a lot of trouble.” Price: Varied
USB stick:
“I’ve got everything in here. Book drafts, finished books. All the work in progress is on this stick. And if I lost that, I’d be in trouble. When it comes to editing, I edit on paper and never on a computer. I’m not a Luddite, but I’m close to it.” Price: Lexar 8GB 3-Pack, $24.98
Notebook:
“I’ve got every note I ever made for all my books. Most of my writing is about places I’ve been to. If my character is having a meal at the restaurant, I want to make sure she’s actually eating something off the menu. In one of the books, she eats at Yi Long Court at the Peninsula Hotel in Shanghai and had sliced pork knuckle with shredded jelly fish, sautéed scallops with kale and black fungus in XO sauce. That’s all there.” Price: Hilroy 3 Subject Notebook, $3.85 Mai Nguyen is a Toronto writer.