Rebranded: First Light Saga Books

It's official! My books are rebranded on Amazon as a linked series. They have new covers and some new content. 

For old fans, do not despair! Nothing good was removed or taken out, and not much has been added. A few continuity issues between book 1 and 2 needed sorting, and otherwise the only difference is a "bit of polish", as in improved proofing and formatting.

The old books covers had to go. No one liked them, not even me. They, as one reviewer complained, did nothing for the story. The new covers have so far had a great response in preview. I love them, I hope you do too. 

I originally proofread and edited my books when I was sick with Fibromyalgia and Endometriosis. Unfortunately, both illnesses give you brain fog, and my recollection of removing all typos and errors was not the case. The fact there were still errors has freaked me for years. I'm so glad it's done! I owe that in large part to my husband, who paid to have them properly proofread this time. :) I've added his name as "contributor" to both books, as a “Thank You”. 

The new Amazon series section has this up for series information: 

Book 1 of 2: FIRST LIGHT Book 2 of 2: WISDOMS OF THE LIGHT 

The lands of Sindorus are controlled by the militant Za-Har and their despotic leader, the Zah-Riel. For centuries, they have ruled through fear. No one is beyond their control.

 Or so they think…

 In this world without hope, where nature is dying and colour is a crime, an older power is awakening. From the far South, where the rebels continue fighting for freedom, to the North, where life is a constant juggling of lies and deceptions, their world is about to undergo an extreme transformation. And everything is interconnected. 

“You seek the truth, that is always the first step, and you see the colours. I’ve noticed that much more in the past months. Something has awakened you.” 

Trust the Light. 

What Readers are Saying 

‘A remarkable variety of issues and insight that is woven into an intricate tapestry of a story that has not one loose thread. Powerful, disturbing and yet beautifully inspiring.’

‘First Light is a story and a myth, an allegory and a prophecy. It is a story of the heart, of hope and courage.’ ‘the story's metaphorical layers have great relevance for the times in which we live. A wonderful read--one that people from ages 10 to 100 can enjoy and benefit from.’ 

‘The characters being so utterly vivid and the very idea behind the story being woven into a pattern, where at times you know exactly where the story is headed for, only to realize on the next page that you haven't got a clue, make this book a true page turner.’ 

 ‘What I like most about this book, which I also loved about the first book, is that it surprises you around every corner. You think you have something all figured out and then you get a few chapters on and suddenly all is not what it seemed.’ 

 ‘From the very first page you are taken on a journey immersed with completely believable characters who take root in your heart and won't let go.’  

 ‘Beautifully written, her poignant, memorable characters draw you into a tale filled with the struggle for freedom and balance. Satisfying to the mind, heart, and soul.’ 

‘Cracking read and well worth the wait’

VFA - Holo Earth and the Evolution of Awareness

I have another article up on the VFA (Visionary Fiction Alliance) page. :)

Holo Earth and the Evolution of Awareness

If Books had Soundtracks

If books had soundtracks, this would make up mine for Wisdoms of the Light.

 

I wrote my book to these songs, often repeated over and over for certain chapters or scenes. I don't want to add spoilers, but I think those who've read the book will guess enough if I add a few hints. ;) 

First and foremost... this is Evelah's song. I found the theme for her existence the first time I watched this.

https://youtu.be/V9Wvwl9NQ5g

Large chunks of the story were written to this...

https://youtu.be/tBgboVI42qA 

And this...

https://youtu.be/mAh--lH0H3U

 The South...

https://youtu.be/C3lWwBslWqg

Return to Amyth...

https://youtu.be/Dlr90NLDp-0 

The dark city...

https://youtu.be/vVrsaZGBvk4

Evelah's music...

https://youtu.be/03_ZzsHH2mA

 Love in the city...

https://youtu.be/8fgWs5mFmoM

 Broken hearts...

https://youtu.be/Dddrq61sq4U

... and misunderstandings...

https://youtu.be/myc_RViTHhY

 Fighting the darkness...

https://youtu.be/YDDkCiUhHCc

Idrith finds his power...

https://youtu.be/0Zv8uZ5FEsA 

Revelations, energy waves and endings/beginnings...

https://youtu.be/BaF0W6n0PZE

https://youtu.be/Ah3vTq2ZxYk 

https://youtu.be/y3nCkymyVHI

Visionary Fiction. Discover this interactive book Theme on iAuthor:

I've just been invited to join a new and very interesting book site.

Visionary Fiction. Discover this interactive book Theme on iAuthor:

Thoughtful Thursday ~ In Passing

A poem I wrote in 2010. (and yes, it is a true story)

In Passing

I passed by your bed
and wondered your story,
Tattoos and T-shirt
completely out of place
amongst the tubes and wires.
With arms so thin and eyes so tired,
watching the TV without seeing,
seeing me without watching
every time I passed through.
Watching you waiting…

I knew. Did you?

Did she know too?
I watched her pass through, with
rucksack and thermos, packets of snacks.
All the signs of the long term
traveller of wards and waiting rooms.
Holding herself together with
the busy brightness of a mother's love.

Others passed by too.

I saw them take turns
to hold your hand as you waited, and passed them
as they waited, in crooked huddles
over half cups of coffee.
Women talking; a man hiding
tears in a corner, as I passed through.

And I knew they knew too.

Though none of us spoke
in passing, in waiting.
Connected in such disconnection.
Brief greetings and smiles
in hallways, in passing,
and then they were gone.
Empty chairs.

Empty bed.

I passed by your bed
and wondered your story,
and wished you
safe journeys
in passing.

copyright the author Michelle Y Frost

Behind the Scenes with Bookmarks

The awesome and talented Gina Scarcella, of the blog Behind a Million and One Pages, has kindly allowed me to feature as a guest post author. Not only that... she's also made fantastic bookmarks out of my book covers. So cool!  

You can read my guest post here: Guest Post with Michelle Frost

The bookmark links are at the base of the page or you can link direct through these:

First Light

Wisdoms of the Light

Here's a taster. ;-)

Thoughtful Thursday ~ Sweet Comparisons

Twice this month people have compared my two books to Tolkein, saying that my first book, First Light, is like The Hobbit while the sequel, Wisdoms of the Light, is like Lord of The Rings. To have your writing compared to some of the greatest books ever written is incredibly sweet. I tear up every time I think about it. 

 

I first discovered The Hobbit in High School, when a very remarkable teacher opened my eyes and heart to a new and magical world. It was my first step into the world of Fantasy books written for adults rather than children. My Saga isn't quite the same type of Fantasy, no elves or dragons, but I think I did take that urge to write a "great quest" from Tolkein's books. Both First Light and Wisdoms of the Light share that much in common with Tolkein's ideas - they are stories about the personal quest as well the bigger struggle of Good against Evil.

First Light isn't a children's book, but it is a lighter, more humorous mystery quest. In that respect it does fit in rather nicely with The Hobbit. Although I don't think Idrith would qualify as being like Bilbo Baggins. Most times he's more like Smaug! ;-)

But there's no denying that Wisdoms of the Light felt like I was writing a great saga, just like Lord of the Rings. I knew, by the time I'd reached half way and was still no where near being finished, that it was going to be a big book! It's over twice the size of First Light and the story plot is equally heavy. Although it is, ultimately, a story of Good triumphing over Evil I wept a buckets writing some of the scenes in Wisdoms of the Light. Which is ironic, since the first time I ever wept over a book was when Gandalf falls to his death in Lord of the Rings.

I don't think Harmion quite matches up to Gandalf in mystery and power. Harmion is far more human, but it is rather nice to look at the seven members of the Septar and compare them to the little band who set out with Frodo. Both sets of friends are full of personal frailties and fears, but still determined to make their world a better place. All held together by the loyal love of friends and family.

I've Got it Covered

I was chatting to a friend about my book cover and I thought it might be fun to show how I made it, using a lot of different photos. 

Most of the photos I use are from a great place called morguefile. The sky is from Scotland, which is appropriate! I put that in first, changing the colours slightly, since this isn't a sky on Earth. ;-) Then I added in the "beam of light". It's actually made up of three white stripes, one wide and two narrow. I made the wide stripe partially transparent before I fused all three together and then added a white glow around it.

Then I added in the building dome. This has been altered and had the colour changed as well. 

Next was the park. The original photo had no grass, so that was taken from another photo.

I had to lighten it a little, as the printing comes out darker.

The only photo that was paid for, from a professional site, was the two models for the characters on the cover.As you can see, they had no clothes! I had quite a time finding a dress, but the man was easy. I already had a smashing jacket, worn by a facebook friend, Jesse. He's let me use his photos before, for my book video.

I also "removed" the woman's modern make up and had to find hair for the top of the man's head (another photo). The woman's dress I had to change the colour and add shadows. Here it is, half way done...

All in all the couple took five photos to create and the background took another five plus the light beam. A lot of work, but well worth it. I'm very happy with the end result. :-)

Walking on Sunshine

The reviews for Wisdoms of the Light have begun to trickle in. It's always exciting to hear what readers think, even the negative views are worthwhile, since they teach you where you went wrong and/or can improve. Only an egotist (or an idiot) is offended by criticism. Of course, I am meaning honest criticism as opposed to "sour grapes" or spite. That's something quite different. 

I'm putting up my favourite review of the moment. This one means a lot to me, since it comes from a talented young writer who knows her way around words. ;-)

*Whew* well... I officially have a book hangover. You know, when you read a book that's so incredibly good, and you finish it and suddenly your life seems empty, and you don't know what to do and everyone else around you is carrying on as if nothing had happened? Yeah. One of those.

I've been waiting for this sequel for a long time, and I can honestly say I wasn't disappointed. Wisdoms of the Light takes you on this twisty roller coaster ride emotionally and spiritually. Just like in First Light, you follow the lives of the characters so intricately that you feel involved, as if you were there with them, living it and breathing it. Michelle Frost has outdone herself! 

What I like most about this book, which I also loved about the first book, is that it surprises you around every corner. You think you have something all figured out and then you get a few chapters on and suddenly all is not what it seemed. That and the way the characters unexpectedly pull together and connections are formed where you don't see them forming.

In conclusion, from day 1 the book was glued to my hands and I only put it down when I really had to work, or, you know, to get 2 hours sleep. I highly recommend this book (and the first one!) to anyone who really enjoys a thoroughly good, can't-put-this-down read.

Tatiana L

Thoughtful Thursday ~ Visionary Fiction

For this week's Thoughtful Thursday I'm going to explain the new badge in my blog side bar. I have been accepted as a member of the Visionary Fiction Alliance.

My husband found the site while browsing the internet recently, and said, "This place reminds me of your writing." 

I went to take a look and liked what I found. The whole concept is very exciting and fits in perfectly with the reasons I write. The Visionary Fiction Alliance have a book store and a blog, with some excellent inspirational articles and book reviews.

Here's a quote from their home page, about the concept behind visionary fiction:

Visionary is a tone as well as a genre. The ‘visionary’ element can technically be present in any genre and set in any time.

Characteristic Features of Visionary Fiction:

• Growth of consciousness is the central theme of the story and drives the protagonist, and/or other important characters.
• The story oftentimes uses reincarnation, dreams, visions, paranormal events, psychic abilities, and other metaphysical plot devices.
• The plot [or story] is universal in its worldview and scope.

So in short, the emphasis is on our limitless human potential, where transformation and evolution are entirely possible.

How could I resist that? Their list sums up my books and short stories, even some of my poems.  I've never had a genre that all my writings fitted within before. Now I do - Visionary Fiction. I love it! 

Do check out their list of visionary books, movies and TV shows. I saw a lot of old favourites there, but also found some new recommendations.

Well...

It's finally time...

My long long awaited second book, sequel to "First Light", is finally up on Amazon stores worldwide. It went up as a kindle e-book, just before Christmas, but I've been waiting until the paperback was released before I made the formal announcement.

Quite a long journey, since I announced I'd finish writing it in July! Thanks to two bouts of bad flu the proof reading and editing took a lot longer than I expected. 

The sequel is called "Wisdoms of the Light" and it will soon be available in various Internet bookstores as well as all amazon stores and Createspace itself. I've sold two books and four e-books already. :-D And I've had my first review for "Wisdoms of the Light".

I received my proof copy yesterday. I was so exited I ended up chatting to the postman about it. :-D The cover for "Wisdoms of the Light" is made to match in with the new cover (and better edited!) version of "First Light". Here are the two books side by side....

There are pictures on both back covers, as well, but you'll get a better view of them via the amazon "see inside." ;-) "First Light" has Idrith on the back, "Wisdoms of the Light" has Harmion. The woman on the "First Light" cover is Daen. It's artwork I created for bookmarks that went to the LA book fair in 2010.

And who are the two people on the cover of "Wisdoms of the Light"? Ahhh... you'll have to read it to find out! ;-)

Done

At 11:55 today I wrote the last word of my last chapter of the book that is sequel to FIRST LIGHT. I looked down and saw the time on the edge of my computer screen and thought "that's a fun number." :-) Especially since today is the 7th of the 7th.

Now comes the less thrilling part of checking for errors, but hopefully it will be a real book fairly soon. It has been quite an adventure, more than I ever expected. I am DONE, in more ways than one! 

 And now I am going to leave my computer and go enjoy the sunny summer day out there.

See you soon! ;-)

Book News

Well, I'm on chapter 30 and the end is in sight... for me and the book! It has been such fun, but I'm living, eating and even sleeping the story. Yup, I'm dreaming I'm the characters! It's a bit weird, but interesting.

I've started thinking about covers, which is part exciting, part headache. For  FIRST LIGHT I totally hated the cover the publishers/printers chose and was thrilled when I was able to design my own for the kindle version...

But the problem with doing your own artwork is the limitations of what you are capable of. I used photos for this cover above, but that meant finding photos I could use that fitted what I was envisioning. Thankfully I have photographer friends as well as belonging to a place that shares photos for artwork,but even so the girl's face (Daen) is a patchwork of three girls (hair, face, eyes) plus some serious photo-shopping!

Book Writing Update

A quick update to that that I'm kind of on chapter 16 at this stage, "kind of" because I've realised I don't write in chronological order. With my first book I had written two chapters out in pencil in a notebook years before I actually wrote the book. They were the first chapter and the climax chapter, roughly chapter 20.

I thought I'd start at the beginning and work till the end his time, but once again I seem to work better if I get the main sections sorted first and then fill in the rest. It's a bit like flower arranging, I think. I put in all the large important features and then fill in with the minor stuff.

As you might guess by that vague description... I rarely arrange flowers! I far prefer to tweak and arrange words.

At the moment I'm managing to write between 1,800 and 2,800 words a day, which is good.  I stick on some music and I'm away. I write a lot better (and faster) if I have the right music to inspire me, it sets my fingers on fire. I have entire YouTube folders for
themes like; sad, tense, dramatic and romantic.

 

The only problem is that when I write that much in a day any energy for writing anything else - emails, blogs, etc, is used up and dried up. My "must reply" email list is alarming and growing. Household chores are suffering as well. I have not dusted in... a long time, but I simply can't do it all and at this stage the book has taken over my brain to such an extent that I'm not much use for anything anyway. Yesterday I left rice in water on the stove for 20 minutes and never turned it on.... ah well, at least I didn't put rice on a hot plate without water - that would have been worse!

glitter-graphics.com

At least my brain's on fire... not the house.



I'll leave you with the music I'll be writing to today. It's Citadels, by Galt Aureus. I'm also using another lovely song by them, for ...well, you'll have to wait for me to finish the book to find out about that one.  ;-)

The Write Stuff

I know I've been very quiet lately.It's partly because winter is a quiet time, but also partly because I am FINALLY writing that second book. The sequel to FIRST LIGHT.

I say "FINALLY" because the first four attempts were all scuttled by unexpected things - my dad went into hospital, then my mum-in-law died, then my computer went a bit crazy and lost half its brain and then I lost the use of my hands for almost a year.

I was beginning to feel a bit jinxed with that book! Then a friends said, "Maybe you can't get to write it yet because the timing is wrong." and I relaxed and stopped fretting. 

I'm happy to say that the timing seems to be right - I'm up to chapter six so far and it feels good. :)

 But it does mean that I have a new reason for missing out on writing, and reading, blogs.I'll try to rectify that, when I can, but at the moment - the book comes first!

Beata Femeros Mundi - by Matthew Yrigoyen

A while back I came across a lovely poem and recently I managed to make contact with the poet, Matthew Yrigoyen, who most graciously gave me permission to post his work here on this blog.

Watching her move through these golden moments,
the stride of Athena quivering in her limbs,
the whisper of Quan Yin trailing in her song,
the amber light of Beata Beatrix illuminating the
pace of her thought and the Grace of her gesture -
Shining through it all, a Crystal Spring,
glistening under fallen sacrificial leaves,
the Celestial Virgin shimmers,
raising up her Woman's flesh,
clarifying her Galactic Sight.
The greater her surrender in Carnal Wisdom,
the Priestess penetrating the mystery of elevated passion,
the more she assumes her Woman's power;
the more iridescent the snow of her heaving slopes;
the more gleaming is the foaming wave
caressing the edge of her ever widening shore -
The more we meet the Radiance of her Soul,
as she borrows even our Breath and spins it into Light.

'beata femeros mundi'
copyright of, the author, matthew yrigoyen

I recently posted cave paintings to illustrate the similarities between ancient animals and the endangered species at the Highland Wildlife Park. I thought it was apt to keep that theme going here, by posting a carved cave goddess - an ancient Venus to remind us of how ancient man saw the beauty of woman as mother goddess.... just as Matthew sees the beauty of the goddess in the woman.  

 The Venus of Laussel

New Book Trailer!

My book trailer is finally up on YouTube... after a month of computer crashes, software seizures and long hard work. 

It might seem strange that 3 minutes of video could take weeks and weeks of hard work, but every detail of clothing, hair, eyes, clouds, buildings... everything was created or altered in some form or another. It was a lot of work, but I'm really pleased with the results. I hope you enjoy watching it. :-)

I'm on Kindle

I know I've been very quite lately, in big part due to my hands, but also because I've been busy getting my book, First Light, ready to put onto Kindle.

The longest struggle has been creating a new book cover. Last time I had to go with the Printer/Publisher choice of this...

Dull "blaaah" cover. :( Back when this first came out I did my own artwork to create bookmarks and a YouTube video as advertising. At least here I had a chance to create something I liked.

This time I wanted something that really expressed what the book is about - the world and its people. So I worked on created a city that fitted the capital city and that took AGES, but I'm really thrilled with the results. I even got in the dock front (far right), where two of the main characters are destined to meet up. :-)

Then I added in the mountains, which are important, and the two moons, because they're fun and point out that this world isn't Earth, and then I added Daen's face, because she just brings it all together. The fonts gave me grief too. I forgot the fact that Amazon link pictures are thumbnails - on a thumbnail my first font vanished and my second became a blob. :-(

So... FINALLY, after months of slow and painful work, (painful thanks to my hands and my fusy arty perfectionism!) here it is, my new cover:

The actual book (writing) transference was... interesting. They tell you it's a case of take your word doc, save it as html webpage, send it to them, but inbetween lies a whole range of formatting and coding errors that can boil your brain! Hubby and I took two full days to get the manuscript completely error free. Then I had to wait as Amazon checks all the legalities, such as "do you really own this book?", "Do you have publishing rights?", etc.

Well... it is finally up, on ALL the Amazon Kindle stores from the America to France. :-)

I even have an author page!

I'm so thrilled, and so relieved all my months of hard work has finally reached an end. Now the equally hard, but more fun side begins - advertising! Amazon already has me connected to Shelfari, which was very nice of them. I want to update my YouTube video for the book with a new, better version, but I promise not to leave my blog so ghostly empty this time.

On my Way to L.A.

...
Not literally, alas, but I still have some exciting news to share - my book, FIRST LIGHT, is going to the...

You can find all the info about the festival by clicking on the logo picture above. :-)

I was invited to participate by Authors Den, who are putting on a book display as well as having book signings. My budget doesn't run to flying to America to spend a weekend signing books. :-\ So, I opted for the (way cheaper) deal of sending signed books and complimentary bookmarks. You can find my book listed here.

It took me weeks of trial and error to come up with a design to use for the bookmarks. I had lots of advice and encouragement from my friends and family, which helped a lot. I must say a particular thank you to my friend Betty, of Howling in Silence, who created original bookmark ideas for me to use as templates. My final bookmark back is pretty much exactly what she designed.

The bookmarks were printed by a local printer - Big Sky. They're an eco-friendly design and print service - they try to make as little impact on the environment with their printing as possible. We've used them several times over the years. They offer really good prices for top quality service. They prove that using recycled paper does NOT mean second rate products or printing!

Here's some pictures of the bookmarks. They aren't as clear as the pdf I sent the printers, but they do look better (and bigger) if you click on them.

Here's the bookmark front:
...and bookmark Back:

I wish I could be there on the 24th - 25th of April. It must be so exciting to go to a book festival and even more exciting when you're taking part, but at least I am getting this wonderful chance to take my book advertising further.

...

VERY Different! :-)

...
Well, after an entire day fighting with blogger templates and pages I finally figured a way to create the page I wanted... by placing a blog within a page.

Hopefully this has worked. Feedback would be appreciated! :-)

To find the link please click on "FIRST LIGHT BY MICHELLE FROST" , above-right of the world clock, and take the link from there.
...