Award-winning author draws inspiration from Aspen for new book

While award-winning author Aneasa Perez has only lived in Aspen for a short time, it’s already inspiring her next book.

“As soon as I got here, I had ideas for my second book,” Perez said. “I’m writing about how the community is loving and accepting. Here, no one has to hide who they are.”

Born in Trinidad, she grew up with her grandparents. Her grandfather in particular was incredibly religious, Perez said, and she was raised going to church. But she said that despite being part of that religious system, she experienced a childhood that she considers quite “dysfunctional.”

“I experienced a lot of rejection and loneliness,” she said.

At 15 years old, she moved to New York after her grandmother passed away, where she met her mother for the first time. And although Perez noted that it was difficult getting to know her mother as a teenager, she met many other people in New York that began to open her eyes up to what community could really be.

“When I came to New York, I experienced so many different cultures,” she said. “I realized that a lot of things were hidden to me — I grew up being very religious and not knowing a lot of love. When I started to experience the love of different people and different communities … I moved away from religion and closer to loving people and loving community.”

Perez’ first book, “The Great Exchange: Moving Away from Religion and Closer to God,” highlights her epiphany of what it truly means to love and accept.

“Religion isn’t defined by do’s and don’ts,” she said. “It’s defined by love, respect, and the way we care for one another.”

Perez is a winner of the International Impact Book Awards and a recipient of a Literary Titan Book Award. She most recently won an award as an author from P.O.W.E.R, Professional Organization of Women of Excellence Recognized, as a Woman of Empowerment 2025.

She recently moved to Aspen as a nanny, working for a couple, two fathers, whom she calls “the best people I’ve ever worked with.” She said that even in the short time that she’s been in town, she’s experienced a community like never before.

“That move changed my life and opened the door to new inspiration, healing, and creativity,” she said. “The natural beauty and close-knit community here in Aspen have deeply influenced my writing. It’s a place where everyone belongs, and no one feels different. The people are genuinely welcoming and embrace different identities. Everyone I see is treated with dignity and a sense of belonging.”

For her upcoming book, Perez said she is writing for those who have experienced rejection or loneliness, in order to inspire them to feel deserving and accepted.

“I really hope to honor the people who feel lonely, rejected, or unloved,” she said. “My story is their story — I found myself and my identity by writing for them. No matter what, they are loved, and they are valued.”

Perez said Aspen’s natural beauty also helps inspire her writing, and she makes it a point to write from everywhere she can in town. According to her, she can’t choose a favorite coffee shop because she loves them all, but she does have a particular fondness for being by the river and looking toward Red Mountain.

“The religious system had me very bound by a lot of rules of what you should do or shouldn’t do, or what is accepted and what is not accepted,” she said. “It didn’t give me freedom to really know people. In Aspen, you’re not judged, you’re loved. Here, nobody is a mistake.”

Perez is anticipating completing her next book by January 2026. She both self-publishes and publishes with Trilogy Publishing.