Jeanelle Frontin is an award-winning author, researcher, creative technologist, and entrepreneur. Her journey into authorship began with The YaraStar Trilogy, a fantastical coming-of-age epic launched in 2018. The first book in the series, The Unmarked Girl, won the 2019 CODE Burt Award for Caribbean Young Adult Literature, received a coveted starred review, and was named one of Kirkus Reviews’ Best 100 Indie Books of 2019. It also featured on a select list of the five Best Indie Middle-Grade & YA Books of that year. The trilogy follows Yara, a girl born without the markings that define light from darkness on a distant planet, as she navigates her identity, purpose, and belonging in a world defined by polarities. For Jeanelle, Yara’s search mirrors a universal quest for meaning within the grey areas of life.

Since then, Jeanelle has published five books in five years, including her deeply personal memoir, And She Called It Worship, and her latest new adult fantasy, The Order of Ja’el. She continues to explore the power of storytelling through fiction, nonfiction, and multimedia, with new works always in development.

Jeanelle is also the Co-Founder and CEO of Mark Made Group Ltd., a Caribbean-based company operating at the intersection of entertainment, technology, and the arts. Its mission: to help visionary humans and purpose-driven projects leave a meaningful mark on the world. With experience spanning public and private sectors, Jeanelle recognized the outdated frameworks holding back creative entrepreneurship. Through Mark Made, she pioneers innovative, cross-sectoral strategies that empower creators to thrive in the evolving global landscape.

While much of Jeanelle’s work is rooted in the creative industries, she is also deeply involved in science and technology. Her academic background—BSc (Hons) in Electrical and Computer Engineering and MSc (Dist.) in Project Management—is matched by her continued commitment to lifelong learning. In 2023, she completed MIT’s Applied Data Science Program (with an AI focus). These skillsets also inform her research and consulting work, and fuel the development of novel systems and tools across creative and technological domains. Now, Jeanelle is pursuing her PhD in Engineering and AI at Victoria University of Wellington (New Zealand) under a full scholarship attached to an MBIE Smart Ideas grant.

Together with her husband, Jeanelle also forms half of the conceptual music duo Dechode Mode, where they co-write, sing, and produce genre-blending music. Their debut EP The Triquetra of Love was featured in Caribbean Beat (March/April 2022), the in-flight magazine of Caribbean Airlines, and their music is available across all streaming platforms.

Jeanelle currently resides in New Zealand, where she lives with her husband (creative partner and fellow visionary), Kevin Licorish, and son, Alyxander (the Great). Originally from the beautiful twin-island Republic of Trinidad & Tobago, she believes every human being should experience these islands at least once in their lifetime.