Tess, 35 and Kat, 29 both grew up in Mid Wales. Tess went to Penuwch primary school, then onto Aberaeron School and finally Penglais Comprehensive in Aberystwyth to do her A levels. Kat went to Mynach primary school and also went to Penglais. They knew each other vaguely because Kat was friends with Tess's brother Fred (who she later went onto marry) and then when they started dating a few years later, Tess and Kat became firm friends bonding over their love of camping and food!

Why did you and Tess decide to write "The Happy Campers"?

We decided to write The Happy Campers because we realised that there wasn't a book out there for people like us. We love camping and have been going since we were kids, so we had lots of great photos and ideas and wanted to share them. So we hit upon the idea of writing a book for about 'happy camping'. We wanted to gently remind people how great camping is and to hopefully inspire people to get out there and to go on some great camping adventures and make lots of happy memories. We were also inspired by the beauty of Great Britain, when you go camping you get to be outside in this beautiful country of ours all day long and you get to discover hidden gems that you didn't even know existed, and we wanted to try and show people how easy and simple it is to do this.

How did you feel when you got a publisher for your first book?

We were completely over the moon when we got a publisher, we didn't quite believe it! Bloomsbury were only the second people we presented the idea to, so we were really, really excited.

What advice would you give to would-be writers?

We had no experience of writing before but we had a great idea that we really believed in and so made a mock up of the book so that we could get our ideas across much more easily than just writing a proposal. So our advice would be:
1. Believe in what your doing, if one publisher turns you down it doesn't mean they all will, so persevere.
2. If you are doing an illustrated book - mock up a couple of pages so the publisher can see instantly how it could look.
3. Try and get into the London book fair and show some editors your ideas.
4. Be patient - we came up with the idea in August 2004 and our book was published in April 2007!

Why do you think camping has become so popular?

We think its partly because the last time camping was cool was the seventies when we were kids. Now that we're all grown up and having kids of our own we want to show them how much fun it can be and make some memories for them. Also camping is a cheap holiday and very easy to do, you just need some basic planning and equipment, so it can be very spontaneous. Also it's a very low impact holiday; you're not flying off somewhere or using lots of power so its good on the environment and you get to immerse yourself in nature and so slow down and relax, so its good for the soul too!

What experiences of Mid Wales did you draw upon for your book?

We both have a great love for Mid Wales as it is where we both grew up. We love the wildness it offers, the breathtaking mountains, clear running rivers, beautiful beaches and the fact that it's never too overcrowded so you can always find your own little piece of paradise. We both had our teenage years growing up there and spent most of the summers camping with our families and then our friends, going on youth club camp outs and birthday campouts. Swimming in the lakes and rivers, cycling around, all these experiences shaped our love of camping and inspired us to write the book.

Do you have a favourite tip from the book?

Tess's tip is to make sure you have a comfy bed! It's so much more fun camping when you get a good nights sleep and wake up refreshed and feeling snug in your lovely cosy bed. And Kat's tip would be to be find a campsite that allows campfires as they are one of the most lovely things about camping, you get to cook your dinner on them and then become entranced by it for the rest of the night! And our final top tip from both of us is to take our book "The Happy Campers" with you!

What are your plans for the future?

Our plans are to carry on camping! Spread the camping love, have more kids, take them camping and hopefully write another book at some point and also explore more of this great country of ours.