More handbags - and pockets.

Last week I was burbling about what might be in a handbag belonging to a writer. Or at least, what is in this writer’s handbag. Today I’m moving on to what my characters might carry – which is potentially more interesting?

Kaz, from Never Coming Home
I think her bag of choice would be big. One of those beautiful butter soft leather totes. It might well be a

Not quite big enough for Kaz?

freebie – her mother, Suzanne, is an ex model and I think she still has enough contacts in the business to receive the occasional gift, which she might pass on. Either that, or it might be something that has come into stock in the very up market dress agency that Suzanne now runs. Brought in by the sort of glamorous woman who won’t be pictured carrying the same bag twice? Kaz is very practical, despite her unorthodox upbringing. I imagine her bag of choice would be big as she wouldn’t yet have got out of the habit of having something large enough to carry all the impedimenta a four year old daughter would consider essential, even though that little girl is gone. I’m not sure Kaz would even be aware of what she was doing, in that respect. She will have taken out the heart wrenching collection of small toys, hair scrunchies and the super size pack of wet wipes, but I bet she hasn’t thought that she no longer needs something quite so big. Although, having said that, she is a successful garden designer, so she might carry a few of the tools of her trade, - an electronic notebook, the odd seed catalogue, an industrial strength tape measure. The bag will be well cared for – but might have evidence of the occasional explosive soft drink. And I bet there are tiny seeds in the bottom and trapped in the seams.

Madison from Out of Sight Out of Mind

I can see Madison with a small, square bag, maybe a satchel type, with a very pared down contents. Only

Is this Madison's type?

the necessary essentials. Even so, there might be clues that the bag belonged to a scientist with a particular specialism. Maybe a copy of the latest research journal with the page turned down on an article about memory – or a membership card to a specialist library? There might also be a few chocolate wrappers. I suspect Madison has a weakness for the odd sweet snack when she’s deeply involved in an experiment or piece of research and has forgotten to eat.

Devlin and Jay
Having stuck my nose into my heroines’ handbags it seems only fair to pat down Devlin and Jay (I wish!)  to see what they have in their pockets. I suspect they will have something in common – there will not be much there, and that’s not because either of them is worried about spoiling the line of an expensive suit.

Devlin will have the minimum he needs to function – wallet, keys, phone – all with as little clue to his identity as possible. Force of habit rather than absolute necessity, now that he is retired from … whatever it was he used to do. And of course, he stopped carrying a gun a long time ago.
Jay – well, Jay won’t have anything at all. His pockets are empty. Nothing to show who he is, or was.
No clue at all …