A FORMER pilot who was inspired by one of his favourite childhood books set in the Lake District has launched his first book.

Kendal-born Danny Rurlander, 46, has also incorporated his own adventures as a young boy living in the lakes in his debut children’s book, Spylark.

His novel is an adventure-based story which follows a group of brave children and a number of home-made drones.

The book opens with a 13-year-old boy called Tom Hopkins who somehow, by using his drone, stumbles across a criminal plot which catapults him into the world of global terrorism and the adventure that awaited him.

Mr Rurlander grew up in Kendal, attended Ghyllside Primary School and then Kirkbie Kendal School.

He studied English Literature at the University of East Anglia where he also learned to fly with the RAF.

“A number of influences and experiences have found their way into Spylark,” he said.

“My own childhood adventures in the part of the world where the book is set.

“A first-hand knowledge of flying aeroplanes gained through my time with the RAF and perhaps most of all memories of books I read as a child, most notably Arthur Ransome’s Swallows and Amazons.

“I wanted to bring these influences together in the form of a classic adventure story with a modern twist.”

All of the action of the book is set around the northern half of Windermere and the surrounding fells.

“I wanted to try to capture this wonderful place,” continued Mr Rurlander, “in such a way that you could smell the bracken of the hills coming off the very pages.”

The action-adventure thriller with themes about friendship, bravery and technology is aimed at boys and girls aged nine and above.

Spylark was launched at Waterstones, in King Street, Lancaster, on Friday where copies are now available for purchase.

It will be released nationally on August 1 and can be pre-ordered from all good book sellers now, including Amazon, WH Smith, Foyles, Waterstones, and a number of independent bookshops in Cumbria and Lancashire.