It Wasn't the Plumbing… It Was Me

The shower was ice cold – but it wasn't the plumbing. It was my stupidity.

Rewind 19 hours and we'd just set out from home looking forward to a glorious family holiday in France. We set off early with 500 miles of driving ahead of us.

But then disaster struck.

Industrial action meant traffic was at a standstill heading to the ferry port. And a journey that should have taken thirty minutes took in excess of five hours. With our two young boys in the car, packed up to the gunnels.

It meant we didn't make it to our gite until gone midnight. It was pitch black, I was exhausted from the drive, and we couldn't find the house.

When Amanda eventually spotted it, I reversed the car into a lamppost and put a sizeable dent in the bumper.

Furious with myself, all I wanted was a hot shower and my bed. So imagine my irritation when I discovered there was no hot water and I had to have a freezing cold shower.

Not a great start to a family holiday.

But even more frustrating was discovering my own ineptitude (I put it down to tiredness) the next morning.

It turns out the C on the taps in France doesn't mean COLD like in the UK. It means CHAUD – or hot.

I was turning on the wrong tap. No wonder I couldn't get any hot water 😂

The correct information was all there in front of me. I just misinterpreted it.

Which is exactly what I'm trying to make readers do when they read my books. I lay out all the clues but try to steer you away from the truth until the twist at the end.

Incidentally, The Couple in the Lodge – the tale of a couple who arrive late at a holiday cottage in Scotland and face a rather more shocking problem than a cold shower – is on a limited-time sale.

For the next few days only, you can grab a copy for just 99p / 99c.

Meanwhile, if you're in the UK, you can also grab The Stranger at the Door for 99p through July.

That's a double bubble promotion! You're welcome 😊

What's the worst start you've ever had to a holiday? I'd love to hear your tales of woe in the comments.