About the author.

Fran Smee, writing as Frances Herbert, was born in Lochgilphead in Argyll on the west coast of Scotland in 1960. She is a recently retired teacher who, as a teenager dreamed of going to art school but chickened out and almost by accident fell into teaching and found a career which gave her a great deal of joy. When her children were young she made up bedtime stories however, as a full time teacher it was difficult to find the time to put these stories down on paper. When the children were still young Fran and her husband bought a blue 1974 bay fronted VW camper van. Fran had always wanted one and each journey taken in the van was like an adventure. Hence the bed time stories came to be about the van and gradually Dora was born. During the children’s younger years Fran and her extended family owned a house in Lochgilphead and regularly holidayed there. Mid-Argyll is a beautiful, tranquil and soul restoring part of Scotland. Only two hours from Glasgow but into another world. The west of Scotland is always the setting for the stories and an inspiration for the pen and watercolour drawings.

The books are written to capture the magic of owning and journeying in a VW camper van. Many people dream of owning one as they are iconic, however, those who have owned one know that journeys are often adventures. Dora has broken down in some memorable places and when you are parked up at the side of the road waiting to be rescued, many people say: “Oh we used to have one of these.” Or “I have always wanted one of these.” Occasionally people say: “We had one of these, it was always breaking down too.”

That being said, when you are in love with VW camper vans of a certain age, you have to take the rough with the smooth and remember that the journey is as important as the destination.