Jackie Lambert - Mitos suson

My featured author for this blog needs no introduction. But I will anyway, it’s Jackie Lambert. I’m a huge fan! Jackie is a well known, best selling author. She’s published several books and won awards. She’s been featured in many blogs, magazines, podcast and videos. She’s been trekking the globe with her husband, Mark and her doggies in a caravan. Fortunately for us, she’s been chronicling those adventures.

These days, my husband and I are so domesticated and every time we travel, we miss our fur babies. Jackie has provided the solution to this problem. Take them with you! She travels with all her 4 dogs.

Hat off to you, Jackie for roaming the road less traveled. You are a total inspiration and I’d love to say I want to be to be like you when I grow up. But since I am older than you, I’ll just say I want to be YOU in my next life.

Check out my interview with Jackie below.

Jackie Lambert and the Fab Four

1. Tell me about yourself.
“I can never be all the people I want and live all the lives I want. I can never train myself in all the skills I want. And why do I want? I want to live and feel all the shades, tones and variations of mental and physical experience possible in my life.” Sylvia Plath from the Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath.

When I read this, I thought, That’s me!

In my thirties, I finally accepted that I would never be a stunt woman or circus performer. However, I had by that time moved house twenty-two times and lived all over England and Wales. With a degree in biochemistry, I had been a research scientist, beer taster, technical sales person and European product specialist for an American company: a job that required me to travel both in Europe and the US.

I could ride a horse, fly a plane, and was halfway to earning my black belt in karate. Like Toad of Toad Hall, I had dabbled with all kinds of exciting pastimes, including fire eating, rallydriving, skydiving, and medieval combat. I had also discovered exotic trip destinations, and after backpacking around the Antipodes and rafting some of the biggest whitewater rivers in the world, was busy trying to work out how to get more of what I loved into my life.

I met my soul mate, Mark, in January 1999. After 37 days, he proposed, and 37 weeks later, we were married on the rocks outside a Scottish lighthouse.
In 2016, to indulge our mutual passion for exploration and the outdoors, we quit work, accidentally bought a caravan (RV trailer), then decided to rent out the house, and hit the road with The Fab Four, our cuddly quartet of Cavapoos (Cavalier/Poodle cross.)

We intended to tour for three years, but seven years in, we can’t imagine stopping. In 2019, we bought The Beast, a 6×4-wheel-drive ex-army truck sight unseen off the internet. We finished converting her in July 2021, and she has been our home-on-wheels ever since.

2. What’s your books about? Can you give me a synopsis of your books in one sentence?
The comical, true adventures of a couple who quit work to ‘Live The Dream’ on a full-time European road trip with four dogs.

3. Are your books a series?
Yes – I have written five books in the Adventure Caravanning With Dogs series, and one Adventure Travel With Dogs book about a ski season in Italy. Each is a standalone read, but the series is chronological in time and follows our adventures since we quit our jobs to become perpetual nomads.

4. What genres do you write in?
I write about real life with a comic slant. I truly admire those who write fiction – I just don’t have the imagination to make things up.
However, “It could only happen to you…” is a phrase I hear a lot.

As Lord Byron said, real life is often stranger than fiction. Some episodes from my life are so outlandish that I’m sure people think I make them up!

5. What inspired you to write your books?
I’ve always loved writing, but the books are all thanks to Nicola!

When Mark and I gave up work to travel permanently, lots of people asked if I had a blog. Besides wanting to follow our adventures, they were nosey about the practicalities. Most notably, the practicality of how to retire at 50 and fund a dream lifestyle!

To satisfy their curiosity, I set up my blog: www.WorldWideWalkies.com,which is a combination of travel stories and tips.

The following September, Nicola, a blog subscriber I’d never met, left a comment on my blog which said,
“You should write a book! No one writes like you. Even your blog about toilets was a joy to read.”

Nicola didn’t stop there. She introduced me to her friend, Sophie, who had self-published her Rhodry, the Scottish Deerhound series of children’s books. Nicola also assured me that if I published a book, it would do her a big favour, since she was stuck for Christmas presents that year.
Who can ignore a deadline AND a ready-made market?

In the next two months, I merged my first year of travel blogs into a manuscript and learned everything I could about self-publishing. I treated myself to ten ISBN numbers, researched and commissioned a cover designer, formatter, editor and proofreader. On 2nd December 2018, just in time for Christmas, my first book, Fur Babies in France – From Wage Slaves to Living the Dream, was born.

I knew nothing about Amazon rankings or how to launch a book. Much later, I saw on travel writer Jules Brown’s blog that FurBabies had been a bestseller and had outsold Bill Bryson, albeit briefly. https://julestoldme.com/2018/12/07/how-to-sell-more-books-than-bill-bryson/

Thank you, Nicola!

6. How do you select the places you want to visit?
Largely by happy accident.

Throughout our working lives, Mark and I were terrorised by time and dictated to by deadlines, so it’s rewarding to live more freely.
Of course, without a rough plan, we’d never do anything, but we try not to be too rigid and proscribed. The joy of travel is discovery, and you never know what you will find on the way. Being able to change our plans based on weather, suggestions, invitations, or simply a flight of fancy is often the secret ingredient that makes travel extraordinary.

Once, we planned a whole two week holiday around an umbrella museum featured in our Italian language textbook.

We read blogs and soak up recommendations from other like-minded travellers, and plot them all on Scribblemaps.com – a free online tool. Then, when we want to visit an area, we just join the dots. Since we hate crowds, we avoid large cities or places that are over-touristy. Our passions, hiking in nature with The Pawsome Foursome, windsurfing, and skiing dictate some destinations. We also love history, so we seek out castles and lighthouses, which are often in spectacular locations. Plus, we were married in a lighthouse!

As Lao Tzu said, “A good traveller has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving.”

7. How long do you stay in one place?
As long as we’re enjoying it and are within the visa rules.

We spend weeks or months exploring a single country. That said, we do suffer from curiosity and itchy feet. Unless we really fall in love with a particular location, we usually move a short distance every few days.

The exception is when we ski. We stay in our favourite Italian resort for the maximum time allowed by the post-Brexit rules.

8. What message do you want readers to take from your books?
I write my books to entertain and inform.

Occasionally, besides having a giggle at our incompetence or misfortunes, I hope my readers will pause to think, How fascinating. I did not know that!
An early review for Fur Babies In France described it as, “Laugh out loud funny and a great travel guide,” which is exactly the balance I seek.
I am keen to show that by making informed decisions, it is possible to live your dream life without being an heiress, lottery winner, or millionaire.
In addition, I hope to enhance the understanding of different countries and cultures.

As Mark Twain once said, “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.”

Particularly with my third book, Dogs ‘n’ Dracula: A Road Trip Through Romania, I wanted to set Romania’s record straight. We were told so many horror stories, we almost didn’t go. Yet, what we found was a country filled with history, unspoilt nature, and the kindest, most generous people you could wish to meet.

If you get the chance to visit Romania, I heartily recommend you do – but go soon. Before it changes too much.

9. What’s the most challenging aspect of writing for you?
Finding the time to keep up with chronicling our adventures while I’m having them!

10. The most rewarding aspect of writing?
There is nothing more gratifying than a comment from a reader who says my books or blogs have inspired them or given them confidence to follow their dreams.

For me, that is absolutely mission accomplished!

11. Are you currently working on a book at the moment?
Yes – my forthcoming books will chronicle our experiences since we bought The Beast, our 26-tonne, 6×4-wheel-drive ex-army truck and converted it into our new home.

12. If yes, how many hours do you write in a day?
I don’t have a set writing schedule.
My days are unpredictable – as a nomad, no two days are the same. Although we prefer to travel in short hops, we occasionally have long driving days, or full days out enjoying our location. I write as and when I can – and it’s one reason I welcome a rainy day!

13. If you are not writing, what are you doing?
I fill my days with the outdoors, walking with the dogs and exploring beautiful or historic places.

I enjoy the research and fact checking for my blog and books, although it is very time consuming.

To relax, I love to curl up with a good book and always end the day with a cup of mint tea in bed, watching or listening to comedy via the internet.

14. What would you advise emerging Indie authors?
Be realistic about your expectations.

Only this morning, someone asked me, “Are you a successful author?”

The conversation went like this.

“It depends on your definition of success. My books have been bestsellers, won awards, and have hundreds of five-star reviews between them.”

“But are you a millionaire?”

“I’m retired, but if I did have a day job, I wouldn’t be giving it up!”

Success isn’t always financial.

It was my dream to publish a book.

When I did, my aim was simply to break even on my investment, and achieved that in four months. Since most books, including traditionally published ones, sell fewer than 200 copies, I felt that was a great success.

These days, my royalties from six volumes buy Mark and me an occasional treat, and allow me to be generous to the dog rescue charities I support.

Thousands of books are published every day, so your book must stand out.

Don’t ignore the craft of writing and storytelling, and be professional – invest in a professional cover, proofreading and editing.

Of course, some indie authors do make a living from their books, but that involves a lot of hard work.

Plus, travelogues are perhaps not the most popular or lucrative genre, unless your surname is Bryson or Theroux – although I am proud to say reviews have compared my prose to both!

15. What do you do for marketing?
Even though I spent most of my professional life in sales and marketing (scientific equipment, not books!) I write as a pleasure and a hobby.

I could apply much more time and effort to marketing, but I don’t want my pleasure to become a ‘job’.

I have found the best marketing is organic and word-of-mouth. Results from ads and social media are short-lived – literally only hours, sometimes, and I don’t have the inclination or budget to exploit them fully. I spend most of the year in non-English-speaking countries, so I don’t do personal appearances or signings, although if I had the opportunity, I would enjoy giving talks and presentations.

Since I enjoy writing about my passions, I supply guest posts to dog, travel, and skiing websites. I also do interviews and podcasts like this one. To see where I’ve been featured (and get ideas around where to promote yourself!) check out my blog https://worldwidewalkies.blog/where-ive-been-featured/.

There is a wonderfully supportive community of indie authors who help promote each other. I am particularly grateful to Sally Cronin’s Smorgasbordblog and Marcia Meara’s The WriteStuff, both of which are varied and entertaining. Sue Bavey and Valerie Poore are also very supportive of fellow indie and memoir authors.

I particularly love the friendly and very well moderated Facebook group, We Love Memoirs, setup by Alan Parks and New York Times bestselling author, Victoria Twead.

Unlike most book sites, which are a tedious timeline of authors clamouring “Buy my book!”, We Love Memoirs brings together memoir readers and authors in a meaningful way – with no promotion allowed except at specific events. It’s a great place to chat with book enthusiasts,share reviews and win free books when you do.

16. If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be?
No one can spell Jacqueline – and what if boys want to read about The Beast?

Why did you choose to publish under your Sunday name and not your initials, like J.K. Rowling?

17. What does your typical day look like?
As a permanent vagabond, there is no such thing as a typical day. Sometimes, I wake up and have to remind myself which country I’m in.

We have some daily routines to fulfil, such as walking the dogs, and finding somewhere to park up overnight, but sometimes, even everyday things, such as shopping for groceries, can be a challenge.

We’re currently in Bulgaria, which uses the Cyrillic alphabet. Fortunately, aged 12, I was a space nerd obsessed with Uri Gagarin and tried to teach myself Russian. I can’t say I became fluent, but I can at least read Cyrillic, which is great for place names and direct translations, such as Кофе (Kofe). The trouble starts with things like молоко(moloko – milk)!

18. What does your writing workspace look like?
It’s a laptop, literally on my lap in the truck. Usually on the sofa, sometimes on the bed, and occasionally on a reclining chair outside, although the reclining chair is Ruby’s favourite place to commandeer my lap.

A doggie cuddle always trumps any other activity, although I can type, pet Ruby, and hold a cup of tea at the same time.

19. What are you reading right now?
Witty travelogue is my favourite genre, so I’m currently immersed in a masterclass from Tony James Slater. I’m reading his latest release, Alligators Eat Marshmallows (And Other Things I Learned On My 10,000 Mile Road Trip Around The USA).

I was laughing by page one.

20. If you were a fruit or a vegetable, what would you want to be and why?
I think I would be a coconut.

The latest scientific wisdom suggests coconuts are a type of fruit called a drupe. They originated in South East Asia,then either floated or hitched a ride to the Americas.

So, like me, they are small hairy world travellers, well rounded, but often mistaken for a nut.

Links:
Blog:                 https://worldwidewalkies.com
Amazon:           https://author.to/JLambert
Goodreads:       https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18672478.Jacqueline_Lambert
About Me:         https://about.me/jmlambertauthor

Check out my 5 Star review for ‘Adventure Caravanning with Dogs, Year 1 – Fur Babies in France’ as posted in Amazon, GoodReads and BookBub.

I really enjoyed Jackie Lambert’s adventurous romp. Along with her husband Mark, she and their fur babies caravanned around the South of France. They lead a life one can only dream of. Anyone can think about traveling in a caravan or a RV, but only a few can turn that dream into a reality. Definitely, they journeyed through the road less traveled.

I don’t think I could muster half the courage they did. I’m too inured by my creature comforts. Instead, I’ll settle into a warm cozy bed and grab my copy of ‘Fur Babies in France: From Wage Slaves to Living the Dream’. I’ll catch up with the adventures in her books. Thank God, it’s a series as well as a stand-alone book!

I admire Jackie’s storytelling craft; it’s full of humor, gripping and sincere. She can even make windsurfing sound thrilling! She’s sharing a lot of logistics about how they were able to break away from their daily grind to living their dream. Jackie is generous with valuable travel tips. She encourages would-be travelers to pursue their aspirations. She inspires you to go after your dream and live it. She’s refreshingly candid about their successes and failures. Through all the trials and errors, she plunges headlong on to a road full of unknown surprises. They’re a wonderfully entertaining read! I highly recommend her books.