WHILE trying to find inspiration for his third book, Lewis Kingston randomly selected a location from his atlas as a base to set his next novel and the rest is history.

After years of writing and editing, the 67-year-old is delighted that The Silver Llama, of Beecroft, Old Hall, has taken shape and is now on sale.

The crime-drama focuses on life, love and human nature – providing an insight into South American history.

Lewis, who is the president of the Warrington Photography Society, describe it as a 'fascinating project' to tackle and one that he has enjoyed.

He said: "In 2013 I travelled to La Paz and Lake Titicaca to check out my facts and to get a real feel for this South American country.

"It was a tremendous experience that on one occasion had me running through the city streets to avoid being arrested by a bogus policeman."

Over the years, Lewis' love for writing has grown in strength and helps to fuel his motivation.

After leaving school with little in the way of qualifications, Lewis started a five-year engineering apprenticeship which paved the way for a career in mechanical engineering, writing and teaching.

Since his early teens, Lewis has been a keen photographer and has written for a number of publications including journals and magazine.

In 1999, Lewis decided to put pen to paper to write his first book documenting a three-week steam engine driving experience in Poland I Drive You Drive.

This was followed by his first novel A Foot in Two Worlds - a fictional story based on a four-week adventure in South Africa.

He added: "By travelling to the country I was able to get under the skin and I came back with lots of fascinating stories to share."

But despite his latest book only being on sale for a few weeks, Lewis has already started work on his third novel, Chinese Connection.

Silver Llama can be ordered from Waterstones.