Making Illusions a Reality
Isabela Lugo is the teenage author of a fantasy novel she describes as “an entertaining and thrilling journey.” Photo credit Ann Maree Lugo
During the pandemic of 1918, while millions suffered across the globe, isolated artists created great masterpieces. Although the pandemic of COVID-19 has yet to fully subside, the artistic creations it has inspired are already coming to light.
Take fifteen-year-old Isabela Lugo. This former Jeffrey Trail Middle School student has just published her first novel, Illusions of the Desert, and is already at work on her second. Lugo describes her inaugural novel as a journey a group of girls take and the lessons they learn along the way.
“The characters are based on family members,” says Lugo, “and I drew on my personal experiences traveling.”
Although only in her teens, Lugo has traveled extensively. Trekking through Nepal, climbing Machu Picchu, sipping coffee in Paris, and eating pastizz in Malta are just a few of the real life experiences that inspired her to write about adventure.
Lugo, pictured in Valletta, Malta, has traveled extensively. Photo credit Ann Maree Lugo
“It’s made me appreciate the world a lot,” Lugo says of her travels. “I’m more observant because of it.”
When asked to name a favorite travel destination, Lugo cannot narrow it down to just one but mentions the architecture, culture, and food of Europe. Before COVID, Lugo had many other activities: wrestling, jiujitsu, and boxing, as well as baking (key lime pie is a favorite) and hiking.
“I really miss it,” says Lugo of jiujitsu, which was a pre-pandemic passion. “I’m a really competitive person.”
As with so many other Irvine students, Lugo enrolled in Irvine Virtual Academy, or IVA. A popular option for students who felt the hybrid class model wasn’t ideal, IVA allowed many students to safely learn from home. But what fills the time of an active, competitive, and intellectually curious student when not taking lessons online?
“I’ve always loved to read and write and I’ve always wanted to create a fantasy world of my own,” explains Lugo. “I didn’t know what the story would be when I started. I just knew I wanted to create that world for myself.”
Enamored with the Harry Potter series, Lugo created a world into which readers can immerse themselves.
“She has all the foundation there with her writing from going to school in Irvine,” says her mother, Ann Maree Lugo. “She wants to be a writer.”
Although only in the 10th grade, Lugo’s writing dreams are already becoming a reality. She is excited about her second novel, which is not a sequel of Illusions of the Desert, but a brand new world. While we are all somewhat trapped in our worlds as the pandemic’s restrictions linger, who wouldn’t want to take a trip to a fantasy world?
“I love the freedom of writing,” says Lugo, “to take the story wherever I want.”
Isabela Lugo recommends Illusions of the Desert for children in grades 4-10.
Bree and her friends embark on a seemingly harmless journey, in an effort to give their families a better life. What they do not know is that along the way, they will learn about what they are truly chasing. Not an extraordinary treasure, but an unforeseen trap. The desert through which they travel is supposed to be a barren isolated wasteland. However, little do they know that there are people living there trapped in time. When Bree is faced with an impossible task, will her bravery and selflessness save her friends, or will she crumble underneath the weight of her decision?