Thank you for visiting our site which allows us to share our journey and inspire you to get out and about to make the most of life. Over the past eighteen months, we have focused on writing about exploring and driving in France while I finished Clancy Goes To France.
Within the pages of both this website and my books you will find a common theme, which is to make the most of time. The goal is to provide our readers with valuable and entertaining information through books, newsletters and articles – the vision is simple, to enjoy the time we have with our family and help others to do the same.
Clancy Goes To France is a book which shares this core message and you also get to enjoy the back roads of France along the way. If you have browsed the site you’ll know that the book is a testament to my father, a means of sharing our road trip with him at a time when he can no longer make his beloved visits to France a part of his life.
Sales of the book contribute to my ongoing efforts to raise awareness and funds for the MS Society (permission to fundraise here).
*******The book can now be purchased in digital and Paperback at Amazon (click to view)*******
The Background Of Clancy Goes To France
It was almost two years ago when I first came up with the idea, it was when dad said he was considering selling his cars; this was almost more of a shock than the news that on top of his Multiple Sclerosis he had Prostate Cancer. The cars are the thing that have kept him going for the 36 years he’s suffered with MS, not just a hobby but a passion, hearing that the he had resigned himself to no longer being able to enjoy some of them stopped me in my tracks.
Clancy taking in the view
Six months of planning with the help of Peugeot UK, Siblu and Al Fresco Holidays had me ready to depart on August 31st 2013. The details had been fine tuned with meticulous planning but of course we had to be prepared to be adaptable along the way. A 3 year old in a car for 7 hours a day is a challenge in itself, let alone in a vintage Peugeot with 1 Million KM on the clock.
The following month was spent largely driving in France on the minor roads, a last minute change to my circumstances meant that I couldn’t be away for seven weeks and had to cut the time allowed to less than four weeks. Italy, Spain and Switzerland were on the agenda but the route needed to be tweaked to enable me to safely complete the challenge with Lola; driving tired would not only be dangerous but also unfair on my little girl.
As we enter 2015 I am nearing the end of the last part of the journey, the book is complete. It has been written in a very personal manner because essentially, it is for my dad to be able to share the journey with us. It was not all sunshine and roses, I have brilliant memories and learned a huge amount about myself as well as the realities of driving long distances in unknown territory.
It has taken eighteen months to write the book rather than the three months I had in my head; it changed from a fifty page book to one nearer two hundred which not only is a travel memoir but also a guide of sorts. The routes we took, the places we saw and the challenges we faced all come together to deliver a book I am happy to put my name to.
There is of course the other matter, the underlying cause that brought this about – Multiple Sclerosis. A percentage of my royalties will be donated to the MS Society on an ongoing basis, the original target for the challenge was 5,000 KM and £5,000 but now there is no cap. As long as the book is available for sale a contribution will go to the MS Society.
It’s an exciting start to the year, one which has me a little nervous but also excited. Publishing a book puts you out there to be blasted with criticism but it doesn’t matter – the book comes from my heart and has been written for loved ones. My dad cried when he read the first chapter – that is more than enough for me. If I can also inspire others to grab life and make the most of it I will be a very happy lady!
Update: May 2015 Clancy Goes To France is now available – if you would like to buy a copy or read a sample to make up your mind, please CLICK HERE.
If you would like a signed copy please email me at
emma@livinglavidalola.com