Tales of Elves

Fran Lozano has been captivated by the sociopsychological aspect of elfin societies, pondering not their veracity but their identities and symbolism. A native of the San Francisco Bay Area, Lozano, who spent her youth exploring the rural landscapes, earned her English degree from UC Berkeley and delved into her master’s thesis on “The Archetypal Role of the Female in ‘Lord of the Rings’.” If there is anyone who can lend credibility to a fictional race, it is J.R.R. Tolkien, the pioneer of fantasy literature.

After retiring from her 17-year tenure as the dean of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Gavilan College, Lozano, a former high school and community college English and film teacher, returned to writing about elfin adventures. Today, her muse is her grandchildren, and her readership extends to a broader audience of children and the adults who read to them.

“I’ve been writing sporadically throughout my life, and I had experimented with children’s books,” Lozano explained. “But it was after the birth of my grandchildren that I felt compelled to create a series for them.”

Drawing inspiration from her surroundings, Lozano, a resident of Corral de Tierra, ventured into the wilderness with her camera, reminiscing about her early nature explorations and seeking out places where elves might congregate and engage in their activities.

“While hiking,” she shared, “I contemplate the unseen little beings, pondering their identities and interactions. As a devoted Tolkien enthusiast, I am aware of the realm of possibilities and the elements that contribute to it.”

According to her, elves are not always eager to be discovered. And perhaps they shouldn’t be.

In December 2020, Fran Lozano published a captivating illustrated text called “The Vanishing Elves” for children in grades K-3. The story revolves around the elves who are being pursued by relentless seekers, but they eventually remember an old rhyme that helps them stay hidden and safe.

The series continues with more stories, each conveying a moral message. These include “Where to Look for Elves,” “The Christmas Elves Visit,” and “Autumn Elves.” Lozano’s most recent release, “The Elves and the Cloud Dragon,” was published in December 2023.

Lozano shared the inspiration behind “The Elves and the Cloud Dragon,” mentioning how the rainy weather at the beginning of the year brought about beautiful cloud formations resembling dragons. In this tale, the dragon encounters difficulties, and the elves step in to teach her how to overcome them. It is a captivating and thought-provoking story.

Fran Lozano’s journey as a creator began at the age of 8 when she started taking pictures with a Brownie camera, influenced by her uncle, renowned nature photographer Alfred Brousseau. Brousseau’s stunning images of wildflowers and the Sierra Nevada continue to be regarded as exemplary work. Lozano’s passion for photography and the natural environment, especially the mountains, serves as both inspiration and illustration for her writing.

She further pursued her interest in film studies, leading to a decade-long role at Gavilan College as a producer, videographer, and editor of the show “Art Is Essential” for GavTV 18. Through this medium, Lozano taught various film art classes and discovered numerous ways to engage her students.

While instructing English at Gavilan College, Lozano found the inspiration to create “Airborne: A Writer’s Textbook” (Houghton Mifflin 1996), aimed at enhancing students’ writing skills by guiding them through the writing process. After retiring, she authored and illustrated the children’s book, “Pizza Central” (Amazon 2020), featuring a grandmother who resolves all issues with her grandchildren by treating them to pizza. (She’s not the first to attempt this strategy.)

Subsequently, she delved into crafting her “elves” series.

“My elves tales mainly focus on locating them—assisting young readers in identifying where in nature the elves could be and what they might be doing. With the exception of my Christmas edition,” Lozano remarked, “we never actually discover them.”

During a recent trip to Iceland with a friend, Fran Lozano gazed out the window at the relentless gray of a cold, dismal day and remembered that Icelanders have a belief in elves.

“They refuse to construct roads in areas where elves are rumored to reside,” she noted. “It was delightful to envision a community of tiny individuals dressed in vibrant hues, tending to their fires and enjoying their warm meals. They’re benevolent little beings, at least in my stories.”

Perhaps Lozano is onto something, possibly even the foundation for her upcoming book in the series, “Elves of the Eternal Winter.”

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