Delopeena Maxwell-Smith’s new book, The Loquat Chronicles: Lola and Larry’s Tale, was inspired by the beauty of St David’s Island.

Ms Maxwell-Smith moved to the area three years ago.

“I just love it in St David’s because I am surrounded by the ocean,” she said. “There are so many places where I can see nature. It makes my imagination go wild.”

She was exploring her neighbourhood with a friend one day when she decided they should compose a story. He was a little unsure, not being the creative type, but she was more confident.

They brainstormed ideas as they wandered towards Clearwater Beach, quickly coming up with a story about two loquat children, Lola and Larry, who have adventures around St David’s.

“They see some schoolchildren at St David’s Primary and really want to talk to them but cannot because they cannot speak,” she said.

The loquats have adventure after adventure as they seek connection with the surrounding community.

The book is filled with characters such as a crab, a mean hawk, a Chinese plum tree, a scary cockroach and an oleander.

When Ms Maxwell-Smith sat down to pen the story, the writing came easily, taking her only a month to complete.

The real challenge lay in compiling a finished product.

“I did not know how to do that,” she said.

She sought advice from a host of people including Marla Smith, the head of the Youth Library, government officials, other local authors, and artists.

“I just didn’t know which path to take,” she said.

The illustrations were particularly problematic because she was not naturally gifted at drawing.

“I did not want to hire an illustrator because of the cost,” she said. “Being an accountant, I wanted to keep costs down.”

She turned to a more modern solution: a generative artificial intelligence programme called Leonardo.ai, which can produce images and video.

Even that tool was not without its learning curve. In her mind, she had an image of what she wanted but struggled to make Leonardo.ai produce that.

A tech friend explained that she was not using the right prompts, and steered her in the right direction.

“I had to learn how to use these specific prompts and then adjust the image,” she said.

She has since come to love Leonardo.ai.

“The programme makes life so much easier,” she said. “It was like hiring an illustrator.”

The writer did eventually pay for a human artist to help make images produced through Leonardo.ai cohesive.

Ms Maxwell-Smith developed a love for stories and language during her school days at Victor Scott Primary, St George’s Secondary and the Bermuda College before going to university abroad.

“We do not give our teachers enough credit,” she said.

At Victor Scott Primary, librarian Freda Byron made a real difference for her.

“As a child, I had a really difficult time enunciating my words, and was very shy as a result,” Ms Maxwell-Smith said. “She encouraged me to read, and gave me a safe space to be myself.”

Teacher Peter Drexford also helped her.

“He and Ms Byron really made sure I got a robust education and was given the attention that I needed,” she said.

Today she works as a finance manager for the Bermuda Fire and Rescue Service.

A talent for writing manifested itself when she took a fire fundamentals course with the University of Columbia/Waldorf University, as part of her job.

“I wrote an article about senior airport fire officer Gary Renaud and chief Reginald Burchall,” she said. “I also wrote about the workings of the Bermuda Fire Service.”

The university enjoyed the essay so much that it featured it in its 2021 Waldorf Magazine.

Ms Maxwell-Smith published The Loquat Chronicles: Lola and Larry's Tale through Amazon’s self-publishing service. It now available for purchase through Amazon.com through Kindle or in hard-copy format.

When the project was finished and posted for sale on Amazon.com, she was overjoyed.

“I felt like I could scream,” she laughed. “I was just like, thank God. I just want my readers to find delight in friendship, camaraderie and adventure.”

She hopes to have the book available in local stores soon.

“I have not seen a physical copy yet,” she said. “I have ordered some. I am just waiting for them to come. However, my friends in the UK were able to get their copies sooner.”

They gave it a thumbs up.

“They just said the colours were just vivid and beautiful,” Ms Maxwell-Smith said. “They said they were really proud of me. That made me feel ecstatic. I was just glowing.”

Her hope is to get the book into local primary schools such as Victor Scott Primary and St David’s Primary.

Ms Maxwell-Smith will hold a launch party on July 11 at the Royal Hamilton Amateur Dinghy Club on Pomander Road in Paget.

“I am so excited,” she said “I invited everyone to come and join me for that. They can hear about the story and why I wrote it.”

With her debut book almost in the hands of readers, Ms Maxwell-Smith is already looking ahead to future stories that continue to highlight Bermuda’s unique culture and the enduring power of community.