Building the Beast - Book Tour and Giveaway

​The true story of how one married couple made an impulse purchase blind off the internet: a 24.5-tonne vintage army truck. Their plan: to convert into a unique off-grid tiny home on wheels ready for an expedition to Mongolia. 
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Bulding the Beast:
How (Not) To Build An Overland Camper
The Wayward Truck Book 1
by Jacqueline Lambert
Genre: Comedic Travel Memoir, Nonfiction

​Featuring ‘The Beast’, an expedition truck, as seen on TV*

A Vintage Truck: An Amateur Team: An Immovable Deadline
The Comic Memoir of a Crazy Idea

In this captivating true story, join an intrepid married couple as they take another wild leap into the world of nomadic living.
Four years previously, Jackie and Mark gave up work to embark on a permanent road trip with four dogs. However, one Friday the 13th, forces beyond their control cause them to throw caution to the wind and buy a 30-year-old army truck sight unseen from the internet.
Their goal: to create an expedition truck fit to drive overland to Mongolia.
Follow them as they dive headfirst into the daunting but thrilling task of converting this rugged vehicle into a perfect off-grid tiny house on wheels.
Yet their first ever DIY van conversion proves to be a rollercoaster ride, when they sell their house to fund the build, and Friday the 13th comes back to haunt them.
Is their confidence that, ‘there’s always a solution,’ misplaced?
With their relationship, sanity, and finances on the line, can they navigate the pitfalls of their first-ever build and avoid becoming homeless?
Filled with quirky van life friends and unexpected twists, this is an inspiring tale of perseverance, friendship, and finding the courage to conquer the challenges that face those who dare to chase their dreams.

* The Beast made a guest appearance on Ben Fogle’s New Lives In The Wild

ARC Reviews:

“An honest and often funny account of the realities of when people actually begin to live their dream.” Anna Rashbrook, Author

“A page-turner!…You never know what will happen next!” Carrie Riseley, Author

“The trials and tribulations of building a home on six wheels, told with laughter and insight… a must read – even if it’s just to stop you making the same mistakes!” Maximilian Sam, Award-Winning Author

“This book is a fantastic look at designing a unique project and going for it with humor and perseverance. If one is tired of another ‘chucking it all and renovating an old house’ story, this is a quixotic twist that will keep you entertained.” Kari Iverson Lane

“Hugely inspirational, because I think many would have just given up trying, with all the things they had to put in place to get their dream of owning and converting The Beast off the ground. What a story – and a fabulously entertaining book/read.” Julie Haigh, Goodreads Librarian and Top 1,000 Amazon reviewer.


**Get it for Only .99 cents!**
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​ Grand Designs

I have an admission to make. Property renovation programmes are my guilty pleasure – and an inspiration.
First and foremost, I’m a Hammer Head.
For years, Homes Under the Hammer was my weekday daytime paramour. ‘Hammer,’ as it’s known to aficionados, features unsuspecting buyers purchasing property at auction. They aspire to find rubies in the rough and profit from the plain, but frequently end up with dry rot, subsidence, and a blown budget.
This happens most often when they ignore Hammer’s golden rules.

1. ALWAYS view before bidding.
2. Read the legal pack.
3. Set a budget and stick to it.

I love the variety of projects they feature: from old sewage works to pieces of industrial wasteland, with every type of residential dwelling in between. But, a highlight for me is the literal soundtrack. The music is truly inspiring. They might pair the ‘Before’ montage of a ramshackle wreck with This Ole House by Shakin’ Stevens. Dodgy circuitry? Cue Eddy Grant’s Electric Avenue. My all-time favourite was the outstanding appropriation of Billy Idol’s Rebel Yell for a many-bedroomed residence whose only toilet was outside. I’m certain that in the midnight hour, the young lady who cried for more, more, more was not lodging an impassioned request additional indoor privies.
From the beginning, George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces has been grist to the mill of my tiny home aspirations. Here, subjects create bonkers but bijou living quarters from sheds, tree houses, or an odd assortment of base vehicles such as a derelict boat, a retired London bus, or a decommissioned Sea King helicopter fuselage strapped to a flatbed truck.
But if it’s wild ambition meeting unfettered eccentricity you’re after, there’s always the granddaddy of them all, Grand Designs.
Since 1999, architect Kevin McCloud, MBE, clad in a blazer with his trademark woolly scarf rippling behind in a breeze of creativity, follows the visionaries of this world. The ones who drive humanity forward with their crazy thinking, experimental ideas, and unwavering optimism. People prepared to sacrifice their sanity – along with their relationships and their grandchildren’s inheritance – on the altar of their bold, unconventional, and sometimes hopelessly insane, home-building dreams.
Who can forget the “heroic” Eco Arch house, whose domed roof was a confection of ceramic tiles and plaster of Paris last seen in 14th century Spain? It partially collapsed when one of the crew leaned on it. Or the monumental challenge of Yorkshire’s Hellifield Peel Tower? A stately seven-bedroom family castle raised from an 800-year-old pile of Grade-1-listed rubble, despite the central wall disintegrating and the costs exploding. Or the builds based on the shape of an ammonite fossil or a hamster wheel?
At key milestones, McCloud pops in to survey the subject’s progress, proffer wise counsel, and gently allude to flaws in design and logic. Then, he presents his signature soliloquy to camera like a wandering, windblown poet.
“This collapsing beam is no mere structural support. It is the spine of Rufus’ aspirations. The backbone of Camilla’s dream.”
When he returns to find the unfortunate couple/kids/newborns spending another unexpected winter in a caravan surrounded by freezing mud and construction chaos, McCloud may discuss the pros and cons of their approach to Project Management.
Regardless of my decades long televisual apprenticeship, I never understood the purpose of Project Management.
Even as an absolute novice, who had disregarded Hammer’s principal golden rule and bought unseen.
If you have discussed your plans with a knowledgeable contractor who is working for you, what’s the point of a Project Manager? Won’t the builder simply handle it for you?
And if you’re a reasonably intelligent individual, capable of navigating the treacherous waters of budget overruns and construction calamities, can’t you just oversee a project yourself?
Even in absentia, because coronavirus travel restrictions mean you can’t return to the UK to supervise your project in person?
After all, email and international mobile telecommunications have featured on the communication landscape for decades.
I could almost see McCloud’s quizzical eyebrows arch higher than the dome of the 14th century Spanish villa.
With our own Grand Design, my husband Mark and I were about to discover the merits of hands-on project management.
The hard way.

 Jacqueline (Jackie) Lambert is an award-winning travel writer, adventure traveller, and dogmother, who loves history and curious facts.
BC (Before Canines) she rafted, rock-climbed, and backpacked around six of the seven continents. A passionate windsurfer and skier, she can fly a plane, has been bitten by a lion, and appeared on Japanese TV as a fire-eater.
AD (After Dog), she quit work in 2016 to hit the road permanently with her husband and four pooches. Initially, they were Adventure Caravanners, who aimed To Boldly Go Where No Van Has Gone Before.
Now, they’re at large in a self-converted six-wheel army lorry, with Mongolia in their sights.
All her books and the anthologies that include her travel stories are available on Amazon:
https://author.to/JLambert

Photo: Mark, Jackie & The Fab Four with The Beast. Photo courtesy of @Liveration, who made a short film about the crew and their lifestyle on YouTube.

Website * Blog * Facebook * X * Instagram * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads

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​ Five of the Craziest Things I’ve Done – Adventure Author Jacqueline Lambert

Recently, a friend of mine, award-winning children’s writer, Maximilian Sam, posted on his blog about the power of words and my new book, Building The Beast: How (Not) To Build An Overland Truck.
I was a bit taken aback that he titled his piece about our decision to buy a 24.5-tonne truck blind off the internet “Genius or Insanity?” Then, he added, “Scarily, having chatted to Jacqueline extensively, I’m not even sure this is the craziest thing she and Mark have ever done!”
Scarily, thinking about it, it’s possible he might be right!
Since I accidentally rafted the Zambezi in 1994, which truly awakened my love of adventure, I strive to live life at the edge of my comfort zone.
I thought I’d share with you a selection of my adventures to see what you think:

Rafting The Zambezi – In 1994, I was a singleton looking to holiday solo because my friends were all hitched. Rather than sitting alone on a beach for a fortnight, I considered an activity holiday, such as walking or sailing. Then, I spotted Rafting The Zambezi: The River Of The Gods in a magazine. I’d never heard of whitewater rafting – it wasn’t really a ‘thing’ back then, and there was no internet to check it out.
I was aware of Dr. Livingstone and had seen Thor Heyerdahl’s raft, Kon Tiki, on TV. I pictured rafting the Zambezi as floating down the river on a barn door looking at elephants. Plus, a trip to the dark, mysterious continent of Africa sounded like fun.
When people said things like, “It’s some of the biggest white water in the world!” I replied cheerily, “Nah. Not where we’re going.” With equal confidence, I dismissed, “There are crocodiles in the river, and hippos. And they’re the most dangerous animals in Africa!” along with, “Have you thought about the tropical diseases?”
It wasn’t until I saw The Zambezi Whitewater Spectacular playing when I landed in Harare airport that I realised that was EXACTLY where we were going!
Yet a week tackling Grade 5 rapids (Grade 6 is unrunnable) was the most thrilling thing I’d ever experienced. Sleeping under the stars on beaches by the river, somewhere that was as remote and inaccessible as the moon to most people, was a unique privilege, and let me connect with the magnificence of nature.
It was something I knew I needed more of in my life!
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I Did The Two Highest Bungee Jumps In The World (at the time) – Victoria Falls Bridge in Zambia (111 m / 364.5 ft), and Le Pont de Ponsonnas (103 m / 337 ft) near Grenoble in France. I am afraid of heights, and loathed both experiences! I did the first jump to show I could master my fear. It was so awful, I wasn’t sure I could do it again, so I had to show myself I could. Now, I don’t feel I’ve anything further to prove, so I shall never need to repeat it.

I Have Cuddled A Tiger And Been Bitten By A Lion – who hasn’t?!

I Quit My Job To Backpack Around Australia & New Zealand – Aged 30, and still single, I asked my boss for ‘maternity leave’. “But Jackie, you don’t even have a boyfriend!” he said. “I know! That’s the beauty of it. I’m not going to go through all that messy business of childbirth. I just want a few months off to backpack around Fiji, Australia, and New Zealand, then have my job back at the end.” He was so surprised, he actually said, “Yes!”

Mark and I Accidentally Bought A Caravan – Yes, that is how all this nomadic lifestyle business started. We were made redundant and set out one day to a caravan (RV trailer) dealers, just to have a look. By the day’s end, we had signed on the dotted line… Back home, we opened the champagne and got a little tipsy. “If we sold up our belongings, rented out the house, and toured in the caravan full time, we could probably manage financially without working!” we giggled. Obviously, when we looked at it sober and in the cold light of day, we decided it was a brilliant idea. Within a month, we’d done exactly that and hit the road with our four dogs. Initially, we planned to tour for three years, but eight years on, there’s everywhere, and it’s still on our list!

So, what’s next? Who knows! But Mark and I are ready to embrace whatever crazy, exhilarating, and unexpected experiences come our way. After all, life’s too short for anything less than a wild ride!

​Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!

​Apr 26
kickoff at Silver Dagger Book Tours
Bedazzled By Books
Book Bites....with a side of coffee

Apr 27
❧Defining Ways❧
The Sexy Nerd 'Revue'
The Book Dragon

Apr 28
A Wonderful World of Words – GUEST POST
All Things Dark & Dirty
The Bookshelf Fairy

Apr 29
FUONLYKNEW – GUEST POST
Girl with Pen
Sylv.net

Apr 30
Plain Talk Book Marketing – GUEST POST
Naughty Nightie Book Blog
Literary Gold

May 1
Haley Cavanagh Books
Book Reviews by the Reluctant Retiree
Twisted Book Ramblings

May 2
Webs and Blogs For Writers
Book Review Virginia Lee Blog
Royally Insane Books

May 3
All The Write Stuff
4covert2overt ☼ A Place In The Spotlight ☼
Books all things paranormal and romance

May 4
Anna del C. Dye official page
Inside the Insanity – GUEST POST
Painting With Words

May 5
Insane Books
Trixie Reports Books

May 6
J.M. Northrup
ⒾⓃⓉⓇⓄⓈⓅⒺⒸⓉⒾⓋⒺ ⓅⓇⒺⓈⓈ
Celticlady's Reviews

May 7
I'm Into Books
C.A.Milson
My beauty my books

May 8
Country Mamas With Kids
eBook Addicts
Stormy Nights Reviewing & Bloggin'

May 9
Sue's Musings – REVIEW
Kenyan Poet
The Scratching Post

May 10
Craving Lovely Books
Midnight Book Reader
Scrupulous Dreams

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