Darren and I have been workshopping ideas to promote our new picture book, Willow the Wonderer, to indie booksellers around Australia - there's well over a thousand of them! The 'whackiest' one thus far (and hence our favourite) has been to ... buy a campervan, pack everything in, drive around Australia, visit all the independent bookshops, sell our books whilst checking out all that our beautiful country has to offer and working on our next book. It will be our home and office on wheels for the next six to twelve months and combine everything we love doing! The only problem - finding the right camper is proving hard than we thought... In a moment of desperation or maybe delirium, I penned together a whimsical ad on Gumtree. To my surprise, it proved rather popular - we even got a few responses! We are still looking so sending our wish list out to all the seasoned van-lifers out there. What do you think - can we get something close or are we dreaming?!
The Gumtree ad
We are a writer and an artist, looking to buy a campervan and hit the road in July. Looking for a pre-loved campervan with a bit of character that has all the essentials (mechanical, electrical and plumbing) in place - but could do with a new loving home, new adventures and maybe a makeover!
The plan is to drive around Australia visiting bookshops to promote our new children's book - Willow the Wonderer (www.wiseasstories.com) whilst writing/illustrating the next book in the series. And of course see our beautiful country and do plenty of hiking/swimming/cycling at the same time ;-)
Our wish list ...
Ideal vehicle:
MWB
High roof or pop out so can stand comfortably
Automatic
Reverse camera
4x4
200,000kms or thereabout
Toyota, Mercedes, VW, Fiat (been told to avoid Ford Transit)
Bonus: Looks like Willow the Wonderer ...
Ideal setup:
Front swivel seats
2 burner gas stove positioned near window/door
Sink
Fridge
Pantry
Hot water system
Clean water tank
Grey water tank
Hot shower
Toilet
Solar
Batteries - sufficient for off-grid travel powering fridge and two laptops
Study nook / Dining
Lounge that converts to double bed (ideally not a permanent bed)
Storage space for stock (boxes of books)
Storage space for clothes
Price and availability:
$50k range
Available for immediate sale / pickup
We are happy to travel to pickup the right van
Don't leave without checking out our beautiful new picture book :-)
A new picture book,
written by Reeta Dhar &
illustrated by Darren Pryce
Beautiful illustration
Gorgeous rhymes
Engaging counting
Wisdom on happiness