A Bovey Tracey author has taken inspiration from Dartmoor and South Devon to write a fantasy adventure tale for young readers.

The imaginary setting for Maureen Boon’s book, Tobal and the Moving Statues, is a permanently lightless land where the sun never rises. But when the young hero dares to travel beyond the dangerous, cursed Kraben Hills to the Dark Moor, he discovers that his nation, the Peninsula, is trapped by a time barrier spell which can be broken – if he can overcome an evil overlord and a wicked wizard.

Maureen said: “The forbidden Kraben Hills are based on the Haldon Hills, but I've moved them to the west of Dartmoor.

“The coastline of the Peninsula is cut off from the rest of the country by the Kraben Hills and a barrier which was erected during a war centuries earlier to protect Tobal's land. I think of the Cornish coastline including the Lizard Peninsula which is quite isolated in parts.”

Some of her inspiration also came from her experiences a few years ago while researching a local history book about the Templer Way, the route once used for transporting granite from Haytor to Teignmouth for export.

Maureen said: “When writing The Templer Way Story, I wandered around the moor, particularly Haytor Down.

“One day my sister and I walked down to Holwell Quarry and the mist descended on us. We were not lost because we could follow the tramway, but it was very spooky and inspired me to write a short story about a time slip. I also have a time slip where Tobal meets his ancestors in the secret cavern under the High Tor.”

Maureen, a former headteacher of Vranch House specialist school in Exeter, is passionate about encouraging children to read. It’s no surprise that one key character in her latest book is Tobal’s school librarian, Elfrida, a wise woman who gives him a magic talisman.

She said: “Elfrida is one of the few people who Tobal really trusts, and he goes back to her when things go wrong and she helps him find his way.

“She is wise and knowledgeable. Tobal knows that her library is a safe place.

“I really hope that reading Tobal will inspire children to read more and write their own stories.”

It was Maureen’s own childhood reading that attracted her to write in the fantasy/adventure genre: “I always loved this sort of book when I was a child, especially if they were about areas like Dartmoor.

“I really enjoyed reading The Weirdstone of Brisingamen by Alan Garner, and even as an adult I have read the Harry Potter books.

“A favourite of mine was The Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton, which was read to us by our teacher in school.

“I have always enjoyed hearing the legends of Dartmoor. When I was a child and we drove through Dartmoor my dad would say, 'Look, there's a pixie.' Of course I believed him - but never saw any myself.”

Tobal and the Moving Statues is published by Pegasus Elliott Mackenzie Ltd www.pegasuspublishers.com