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6/1/2018

Here's the scoop:

I'm releasing my first novel on June 30th 2018 called The Unmarked Girl. It is the first book of The YaraStar Trilogy, a fantasy series that explores the journey of YaraStar. Yara is an unmarked girl with unknown origins who lives on a planet where one's birthline markings determine those who are of light from those who are of darkness. Yara's search for meaning, purpose and a place to belong is the search within us all in a world filled with grey areas.

I worked on this novel for two years. It took longer than I expected mostly because I was not yet ready to be its vessel. There is a quote by Austin Netzley that resonated with me. He said that your level of success will rarely exceed your level of personal development. I definitely was not yet at the place I needed to be if I wanted to share Yara's story with the world. I consistently felt self-conscious at the thought of anyone ever reading my work. I also wasn't completely familiar with the book publishing world (Should I try to publish traditionally? Should I self-publish? What does ISBN mean and why is everyone debating if you need one to publish on Kindle?!).

I have never been one to dive into anything that I haven't extensively researched and...conquered. :)
So, I made two decisions:

I decided to understand everything I could on the publishing industry. I gathered resources, did online courses, spoke to some really smart people and invested into the power of applicable knowledge. I acquired an arsenal of local and international talented freelancers (from Trinidad to India) to provide everything from my book cover designs and exact illustrations of Yara (I knew exactly how she should look) to the copyediting of my writing to my portfolio photography. I studied the business of publishing and the breakdowns of royalty payments across avenues for revenue, territories and websites. Along the way, I went from being completely overwhelmed by how much I didn't know to being completely underwhelmed by the state of the publishing industry globally.
END RESULT: I didn't even bother to consider traditional publishing anymore by the time I was one week into my research. Instead, I opened by own company called Mark Made Group Ltd. through which I will be publishing and investing into all of my work (alongside other select projects). I am exploring some innovative and disruptive business models that I hope can enable many others to come. I plan to use my work as the proofs of concept so that I can test, monitor and improve the models over time.
I decided to start a blog on my instagram using my #PeekbyJF hashtag (meaning: take a peek and see what I see). I decided against a formal means/ website at the time because I had only one purpose: to train myself to express personal thoughts in public forums. I figured, if I could get myself to be open with my real, constantly-evolving views, perhaps I could get myself to be open with my massive, imaginary worlds. I committed to this for two years and I don't think I will ever stop. There is something that is very freeing about allowing your soul to be naked and vulnerable. It has redefined what strength is for me. I can tell you this much: being armored and walled-up doesn't equate to being strong... it just means you have strong defenses.
END RESULT: I eventually got over the anxiety of personal thought-posts even though I push my own limit sometimes (and still have to take a deep breath before pressing "share"). As to finally being open with my massive, imaginary worlds... I'll let you all know how I feel post-book-release (screams inside). (:

Success for me in this journey isn't about the book sales (don't get me wrong - those would definitely be GREAT). It isn't even about whether anyone likes the book or not (even if I do hope it resonates with many of you). For me, the success of this has been in finding fearless authenticity within myself. Writing Yara's story has been the most painstaking, the most life-changing, and the most beautiful period of time that I have ever spent on any work in my lifetime. I have finally gotten to live days where every single part of it is fueled by my passion. I don't know where this journey may lead on the outside but I know where it has led me to on the inside. In finding Yara, I found all of me... and for that, I am grateful beyond words.

I'd love to keep you posted on The Unmarked Girl's release. If you'd like that, make sure to subscribe for updates. You can also contact me with any queries or comments that you may have.

Thank you for stopping by!

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The Unmarked Girl is now available on Amazon (Kindle & Paperback)

I appreciate you being here...

Jeanelle Frontin

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