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Helen M. Pugsley

Goodreads Author

Born

in The United States

Website

https://helenmpugsley.com/

Twitter

nelehjr

Genre

Fantasy, Young Adult, Fiction

Influences

June Wilson Read ...more

Member Since

August 2016

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/nelehjr

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Helen M. Pugsley comes from a small town of twenty in eastern Wyoming but currently resides in Laramie. She has been writing since she was a child of four and has published three novels titled War and Chess, Tales from the Gishlan Wood, and The Tooth Fairy. When she’s not writing, she wanders around aimlessly in search of fruit.

Helen M. Pugsley currently boasts three published books, with more patiently waiting in a trunk she uses as a coffee table. Helen enjoys a small community of readers, and like-minded creators, on Patreon, as well as frequenting open mic nights at local independent coffee shops. Most recently, Helen was able to collaborate with the University of Wyoming Art Museum, and Write Time at the Center: UW's Creative Writing C Helen M. Pugsley comes from a small town of twenty in eastern Wyoming but currently resides in Laramie. She has been writing since she was a child of four and has published three novels titled War and Chess, Tales from the Gishlan Wood, and The Tooth Fairy. When she’s not writing, she wanders around aimlessly in search of fruit.

Helen M. Pugsley currently boasts three published books, with more patiently waiting in a trunk she uses as a coffee table. Helen enjoys a small community of readers, and like-minded creators, on Patreon, as well as frequenting open mic nights at local independent coffee shops. Most recently, Helen was able to collaborate with the University of Wyoming Art Museum, and Write Time at the Center: UW's Creative Writing Club, to have her poetry shown in answer to the MENA gallery installation. In 2025 she had a piece published in Amaranth Publications' Vultures anthology. Throughout 2022-2024 Helen had work featured in the Laramie Plains Museum newsletter: Mansion, Wyoming Writers, Inc. 50 Years of History and The Deserted Zine. She was awarded the Wyoming Arts Council Professional Development Grant/Career Advancement Grant to host book signings at Wyoming libraries and bring people back through the doors after Covid-19. Helen held these events in March 2022. She was selected for the WyoPoets scholarship in 2021 and had her six-word story, “I wanted to be a novelist,” published in Midway Journal’s July 2020 issue. In 2019, her poem “Constellation” was published in Madness Muse Press’ Magazine, Environmental Issue. Helen has had the privilege of writing devotionals for the American Baptist Churches of the Rocky Mountains newsletter and has been featured in newsletters from Wyoming Writers and WyoPoets. Her haiku “Where Do You See Yourself in Five Years” was published in Teen Ink Magazine’s April 2015 issue. Before aging out, Helen M. Pugsley (aka nelehjr) reached Diamond status on the site. In 2013, she won Honorable Mention for her flash fiction story in Scholastic’s Art and Writing Awards and again won Honorable Mention in the Scholastics contest in 2014 for her poetry. In 2012, she won an honorable mention in the Famous Poets annual contest and had an article about her summer camp experiences published in the camp’s newsletter. Helen M. Pugsley also holds second and third place awards in Wyoming Young Authors from grade school.

Helen loves to travel! She has held a total of twenty-one book signings to promote her books and has traveled extensively throughout North America just for fun. She’s immensely proud of the fact she was able to take herself to Mexico and Hawaii alone, but her farthest trip away from home was to Scotland with some friends. ...more

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Helen M. Pugsley’s books

Average rating: 3.34 · 29 ratings · 16 reviews · 6 distinct works • Similar authors

	War and Chess 3.43 avg rating — 14 ratings — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Tooth Fairy (Changeling Sisters, #1) 3.36 avg rating — 11 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Tales from the Gishlan Wood: A Collection of Stories from the World of War and Chess (The Gishlan Series Book 2) liked it 3.00 avg rating — 4 ratings — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Take It From the Young Punk 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Adrift 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Outrunning the Night 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Helen M. Pugsley's Blog

Be The Weird Kid God Made You and Watch Your Career Bloom

One day, I had the good fortune of playfully referring to myself as “Daddy” and my followers as “Kitten Whiskers.” The next I woke up to about 200 more Kitten Whiskers. Across platforms, I’d say I have roughly 2,000 people interested in what I’m trying to do.

For reference I grew up in a village of 20, I went to school in a K-12 student body of about 100 students or so, the

Series by Helen M. Pugsley

Changeling Sisters (1 book)
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Helen M. Pugsley (Goodreads Author)

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Helen is Currently Reading

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Mistborn: The Final Empire (Mistborn, #1)

by Brandon Sanderson (Goodreads Author)

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Aug 11, 2026 09:47AM

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Orkney Folk Tales

by Tom Muir

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Jul 12, 2026 07:14AM

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Fields of Asphodel (Underworld Myths)

by Callie Rowland (Goodreads Author)

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Helen’s Recent Updates

Helen Pugsley and 78 other people liked Julie G's review of The Slave Dancer: "Back in 2020, while doing a Kids Read Across America project with my daughters, I discovered a book called Water Rat. It's an outstanding, swashbuckling coming-of-age story set at sea that never received the attention it deserved and went promptly ou" Read more of this review »
Aug 25, 2026 01:45PM · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Slave Dancer by Paula Fox. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Slave Dancer by Paula Fox <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Helen Pugsley wants to read The Slave Dancer by Paula Fox	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Aug 25, 2026 01:45PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Slave Dancer by Paula Fox. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Slave Dancer by Paula Fox <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Helen Pugsley wants to read Nero (Alliance, #1) by S.J. Tilly (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Aug 23, 2026 03:11PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Nero by S.J. Tilly. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Nero by S.J. Tilly <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Helen Pugsley is on page 148 of 385 of The Knight and the Moth: I like this one so much I bought it in paperback while I was still reading it on Kindle. The Knight and the Moth (The Stonewater Kingdom, #1) by Rachel Gillig (Goodreads Author) progress:	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Aug 16, 2026 09:42AM · like · see status · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Helen Pugsley wants to read Burning Daylight (Defying the Stars, #1) by Emily McIntire (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Aug 15, 2026 03:22PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Burning Daylight by Emily McIntire. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Burning Daylight by Emily McIntire <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Helen Pugsley wants to read Logbook for Grace: Whaling Brig Daisy, 1912-1913 by Robert Cushman Murphy	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Aug 13, 2026 11:33AM · like
Helen Pugsley is currently reading Mistborn: The Final Empire (Mistborn, #1) by Brandon Sanderson (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Aug 11, 2026 09:47AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Helen Pugsley wants to read The Marsh King's Daughter by Karen Dionne (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jul 31, 2026 11:24AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Marsh King's Daughter by Karen Dionne. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Marsh King's Daughter by Karen Dionne <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Helen Pugsley rated a book it was amazing Another double text by K. Angel (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Met K. Angel in Laramie. Lovely person. They allowed me to read a copy of this book via email. Very nice.
Jul 31, 2026 08:13AM · 1 like · like · see review
Helen Pugsley liked Crystal Odelle's review of Another double text: "Another double text leaves no doubt we are our bodies of text / shivers / and caught breath. Angel tells a tender story of a you & I searching for selves through formal play in sex and language. A sharp examination and a homecoming, Another double te" Read more of this review »
Jul 31, 2026 08:13AM · see review

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Helen’s Quotes

“Life isn't finding shelter in the storm. It's about learning to dance in the rain.”
― Sherrilyn Kenyon, Acheron

3341 likes

“Since I'm not dead yet I can talk back.”
― Amy Tan

tags: autobiography, the-opposite-of-fate

1 likes

“Why would any writer in her right mind ever consider making a movie instead? That's like going from being a monk or a nun to serving as a camp counselor for hundreds of problem children.”
― Amy Tan, The Opposite of Fate: Memories of a Writing Life

tags: autobiography, funny

2 likes

“[D]on't ever apologise to an author for buying something in paperback, or taking it out from a library (that's what they're there for. Use your library). Don't apologise to this author for buying books second hand, or getting them from bookcrossing or borrowing a friend's copy. What's important to me is that people read the books and enjoy them, and that, at some point in there, the book was bought by someone. And that people who like things, tell other people. The most important thing is that people read...”
― Neil Gaiman

tags: books, libraries, library, reading

2891 likes

“The things that I love about you aren't going to go away when you go on your book tour, and they're not going to go away when you go on your mission. I'll still be here, and I'll still be thinking about all those things. I'll still be working on being a better person, a better friend, a better son. I'll still be wondering what it would be like to be a better boyfriend for you. And you will be on your mission, thinking about how much you wish your weren't gay.”
― Christina Lauren, Autoboyography

tags: first-love, heartbreak, hurt, lgbtq, lgbtqia, teen, ya, young-adult

59 likes

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