Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have been creating lyrics and poems for as long as I can remember. As a teenager, I would write poetry as a means of escapism. “Life in Old Thoughts,” is my first published works with poems I wrote from my early teenage years to a couple I wrote recently in 2020. Writing was always such an intimate endeavor to me and while I was ecstatic to share my works with close family and friends when I wrote them, I am beyond touched to have the opportunity to share these works with anyone willing to venture inside my world.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
“Life in Old Thoughts” came to me as I was creating the manuscript for my book. Working with so many of these poems I had written nearly two decades ago, truly proved to me that there was still life in the old thoughts I had onced forged on paper so long ago.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
My most unusual writing habit is the spontaneity of it all. I can be focused on a task and have a thought that I just need to write down and it takes on a life of it’s own.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Going through the publishing process, anyone brave enough to follow their dream and create their own masterpiece is a huge influence to me. It is daunting and beautiful, just like life is. More specifically, I’ve always been drawn to the works of Edgar Allan Poe.
What are you working on now?
Due to my spontaneous writing nature, my work is always ongoing. But I am excited for what the future holds and look forward to add more to world.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
So far, word of mouth has the been the best method. I have been blessed to have a strong support system around me and if even one person can take any solace or hope from my works, then that’s all that matters to me in the end.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Push forward. No matter what life throws your way, there is always something greater to be had. And never be ashamed of your work.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
For this I turn to one of my favorite songs written and performed by Mariah Carey. There is a lyric that goes, “If you believe in yourself enough / And know what you want / You’re gonna make it happen.” It also feeds into my long held belief that energy follows thought. Just believe you can do it and make it happen!
What are you reading now?
Currently I have gone back to “To Selena With Love“ by Chris Perez. I have read it before and just love the casualness of it. Almost as though you are having a conversation with an old friend.
What’s next for you as a writer?
Next is to forge ahead. It’s easy to get caught up in life, being a full time mom, wife and dispatcher. But as long as I can keep writing spontaneously, there will always be life in old thoughts.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
“Artemis Fowl” by Eoin Colfer
“The Da Vinci Code” by Dan Brown
“Edgar Allan Poe: Complete Tales and Poems” by Edgar Allan Poe
“The Mists of Avalon” by Marion Zimmer Bradley
Author Websites and Profiles
Mary Helen Trujillo Website