by Admin | Nov 7, 2018 | Weeia
My favorite one to date
The third installment in the Weeia Marshal’s series is where the novels really seem to hit their stride.
Danni Metreaux is finally in her element as the Paris Marshal, she knows the city, it’s weeia residents and has gotten the hang of having a partner. Smells Like Weeia Spirit starts off with some unexpected guests. A Syrian mother and her two children have come to Danni seeking asylum, unsure of the protocol she houses them in her old apartment despite her bosses orders. Soon after that a weeia healer calls saying that someone has died under mysterious circumstances. To top it all off, a pushy headmistress calls and demands the marshals help with some weird incidents occurring at her elite weeia school. Danni and Sebastian can’t catch a break, there is hardly any down time (although they do find some time for some delicious french cuisine). As if they didn’t have enough on their plate there are odd reports of other weeias acting strange and showing off their superpowers in public. Are all these events related? Can Danni keep her boss and her conscious happy? Is the solution to their problems right under their nose?
A wonderful installment and honestly probably my favorite one to date. Elle Boca goes above with her descriptions of Paris, the food, and their culture. Truly a pleasure to read and contains a nice little mystery.
Erin Cataldi, librarian and reviewer
See original post on her website at http://barbarianlibrarian1.blogspot.com/2017/04/smells-like-weeia-spirit.html
Click to buy Smells Like Weeia Spirit (The Weeia Marshals Book 3)
by Admin | May 31, 2018 | Weeia
On May 19, 2018 Sally’s Cafe and Bookstore featured Gypsies, Tramps and Weeia on Smorgasbord – Variety is the Spice of Life. Below, with her permission, is a copy of the feature. Thank you, Sally!
Click to enlarge
Sally’s Cafe and Bookstore – New on the shelves – Gypsies, Tramps and Weeia (The Weeia Marshals Book 1) by Elle Boca
Posted on May 19, 2018 by Smorgasbord – Variety is the Spice of Life.
Delighted to welcome Elle Boca to the cafe and bookstore with The Weeia Marshals Series.. Beginning with book one.. Gypsies, Tramps and Weeia….
About Gypsies, Tramps and Weeia
Sworn to protect the secrets of their race, marshals are trained to police Weeia hiding among humans. After completing her advanced marshal training, Danni is blown away by her new plum assignment to Paris. But, all is not well in the City of Lights; the offices are a shambles, her boss is apathetic, and her predecessors died under mysterious circumstances; it’s almost like somebody doesn’t want the law there. Despite that she risks her life in the seedy underworld of gypsies and tramps to search for a missing Weeia man.
One of the reviews for the book
Fun Tale By Angela Kay on December 21, 2016
Gypsies, Tramps and Weeia started out with the examination of a young Weeia girl, Danni, who needs to pass in order to become the next level marshal. Weeia is creatures who appear like humans at first glance, but should they gather in a crowd, they’d stand out too much from distinctive features. They possess special powers for the purpose of protecting both humans and Weeia.
When the story opens, we find that Danni’s family makes it hard to build a name for herself. Aside from a couple of faithful friends, Danni is basically paying for the sins of her family. She wants nothing more than to prove that she’s worth a second glance. She finds that chance in her first assignment: Paris.
Having never been to Paris before, I felt as though I was right there. The idea of having the first assignment in Paris can make anyone walk in an excited daze. However, Danni’s excitement is short-lived when she arrives at a dirty apartment, her boss doesn’t care to meet her and she’s stuck trying to orient herself in a new, strange place. But that won’t last for too long–soon, she will be swept up in an adventure of a lifetime.
The plot was well thought-out, characters three-dimensional. I truly enjoyed this fantasy story because it was different than most that I’ve read. There were a few problems in the editing but still didn’t keep me from becoming immersed in this wonderful tale of Gypsies, Tramps and Weeia.
Read the reviews and buy the book: https://www.amazon.com/Gypsies-Tramps-Weeia-Marshals-Book-ebook/dp/B01A01R5SI
And Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Gypsies-Tramps-Weeia-Marshals-Book-ebook/dp/B01A01R5SI/
Other books by Elle Boca
One of the reviews for Unelmoija: The Dreamshifter (Weeia #1) on Goodreads.
Feb 25, 2014 Nicholas Rossis rated it Five Stars.
I don’t know what I expected when I read Unelmoija, the Dreamshifter. Probably another coming-of-age, young adult story. Instead, I was treated to an endearing, rich tale, expertly written, with many twists and surprises that made me finish it in a single weekend, unable to put it down. Boca’s writing is sharp and witty, much like Amy, her lovable heroine. It’s hard to believe this is her debut novel, first in the series.
I loved the clearly defined characters, and particularly how she avoided using a cliched “good vs. bad” approach to them. Her nuanced descriptions add much to the story, as does her constant mentions of food that reminded me of Camilleri’s books.
I’m now off to read the next book in the series, the Mindshifter…
Read the reviews and buy all the books: https://www.amazon.com/Elle-Boca/e/B00HRCBEYK
And Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Elle-Boca/e/B00HRCBEYK
Read more reviews and follow Elle on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7499807.Elle_Boca
About Elle Boca
Elle is the author of the Weeia urban fantasy series about superhumans. The Unelmoija series is set in Miami. In the Garden of Weeia, a novella, is set in Portland, Maine, and her newest Marshals Series is set in Paris, France. Growing up the only child of a monkey mother and a rabbit father she learned to keep herself entertained and spend time reading.
Weeia:
Unelmoija Series Miami urban fantasy – Unelmoija: The Dreamshifter, Unelmoija: The Mindshifter, Unelmoija: The Spiritshifter, Unelmoija: The Timeshifter, Unelmoija: Paradox
Portland, Maine urban fantasy novella – In the Garden of Weeia
Marshals Series Paris urban fantasy – Gypsies, Tramps and Weeia, Weeia on My Mind, Smells Like Weeia Spirit
Connect to Elle Boca
Author website – https://elleboca.poyeen.com/
Twitter – https://twitter.com/elleboca
Thank you for dropping in today and please help spread the news about Elle’s books.. thanks Sally
Author Sally G. Cronin, host of Smorgasbord Invitation, lists the work of fellow authors on her virtual bookshelf. She has written short stories and poetry since a very young age and went ‘Indie’ in 1998. She combined her retraining as a nutritional therapist with her love of writing in her first book Size Matters, which tells the story of her journey from a very overweight 24 stone – 330 pounds to a slimm-ish and healthier individual.
See the original post on her website at https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2018/05/19/sallys-cafe-and-bookstore-new-on-the-shelves-gypsies-tramps-and-weeia-the-weeia-marshals-book-1-by-elle-boca/
by Admin | May 31, 2018 | Unelmoija
I recommend it to readers looking for fast-paced urban fantasy that isn’t reliant on tweaks to common supernatural creatures for it’s sense of freshness
Unelmoija: The Spiritshifter by Elle BocaBoca continues her exploration of a world neither quite our own nor populated by well-known supernaturals. Mixing easily recognisable concerns with political intrigue and mystical powers, she provides a fantasy thriller that offers significant threats without challenging plausibility.
This novel is the third in Boca’s Weeia series. There are mild spoilers ahead.
Aligned with, if not a leading force in, the Youth for Change movement, Amy accompanies Duncan, Kay, and a couple of other friends to a gathering of the Weeia. However, when Loi—the husband of an acquaintance—is found dead, her foray deeper into Weeia society takes on a more dangerous air. Loi’s power was allegedly to unlock the powers of other Weeia, offering a possible solution to the issue of most young Weeia not developing a power; when a previously powerless Weeia manifests his power shortly after meeting Amy, she realises she might have the same gift. The Weeia Elders claim Loi’s death was natural causes, but Amy isn’t so sure. If someone did kill him because he could unlock powers, then should she hide that she might be able to do the same? Or offer Youth for Change the possible solution to their biggest issue?
The novel opens with Amy and a couple of other characters standing over Loi’s dead body, followed—almost immediately—by an Elder arriving to take charge. Although the narration and conversations that occur after Amy and her friends are ushered out do fill in gaps, the lack of any context for the opening image both leaves readers without a reason to care that Loi specifically is dead and—while it does evoke confusion—diffuses the reader’s attention with unnecessary questions such as ‘where is Amy?’ and ‘why is she involved?’ As such, readers might feel somewhat distant from what, to the characters, is potentially a brutal murder.
Once past the initial scene, Boca provides a better balance of context and mystery, adding a desire to uncover the truth to the any continuing interest in Amy’s life that the reader has carried over from previous books. With both Amy’s investigation and the threats against young Weeia growing more complex as the book proceeds, readers who forgive any initial lack of immersion are likely to find their decision rewarded.
However, further moments in which the order of things is odd do occur throughout the novel. On several occasions, Amy narrates that a man speaks then mentions the man’s name a few lines later, or mentions a person doing something then describes their appearance later in the scene; while a single incidence might create a feeling that Amy had been so caught off guard her rational mind took a moment to catch up, repeated delays in identifying people she’s familiar with (including Duncan) weakens the tension by suggesting any missing information might not be significant and might be provided in a few lines.
As with the previous volumes, this novel introduces new aspects of Boca’s world and metaphysics. Viewed through the lens of Amy’s unfamiliarity with Weeia society and the relative rarity of the new powers and events, this feels like more like the mention of things that had always been there than the addition of new things to support a further book.
Amy herself continues to be a sympathetic protagonist. She is proactive rather than reactive when faced with a possible threat to either herself or Weeia as a whole, and her improved understanding of her abilities is counterbalanced by a very plausible set of uncertainties in both what that means and whether she can actually use it effectively.
The supporting characters, reoccurring and new, display a similar balance of ability or understanding, and complexity of character. This depth of personality provides a pleasing human note to the wider plot.
Overall, I enjoyed this novel. I recommend it to readers looking for fast-paced urban fantasy that isn’t reliant on tweaks to common supernatural creatures for it’s sense of freshness.
Dave Higgins, speculative fiction author
(see it and other reviews on his website at https://davidjhiggins.wordpress.com/2018/02/16/unelmoija-the-spiritshifter-by-elle-boca/)
by Admin | Mar 6, 2018 | Elle Boca
Fussy Librarian Author Q&A – click to enlarge
The Fussy Librarian matches ebook readers with authors. They recently profiled yours truly in an editorial author Q & A. Below is the interview, with their permission (thank you Sadye!):
Book-marketing experts are fond of emphasizing the importance of a well-written, engaging blurb.
In the case of urban-fantasy author Elle Boca, though, it was her bio that drew us in.
That isn’t a knock on her two series, which both center on superhumans called Weeia and which have garnered their fair share of positive feedback.
It’s just that we’ve never heard someone describe herself as “the only child of a monkey mother and a rabbit father.”
Want to know more about Boca? We sure did …
SADYE: So, what kind of a childhood does one have with a monkey mother and a rabbit father?
ELLE: Rather intense and confusing, right? I can’t speak for all the children of monkey mothers and rabbit fathers.
Perhaps it’s filled with a yearning to connect with and understand people; a love of books and learning, music and art; and a deep thirst for exploration and travel.
SADYE: When did you start writing, and why?
ELLE: In one way or another, I have been writing most of my adult life.
I began writing fiction about five years ago when I finally had the courage after a story popped up that I wanted to share.
SADYE: What has been the most rewarding part or parts of being an author?
ELLE: It’s the joy of knowing readers like the characters, settings, and stories. Every single time a reader finishes a book and tells me he or she enjoyed it, I feel rewarded. That is the main reason I keep writing.
There are so many wonderful books, talented authors, and fellow indies who place their hearts and souls in their work. For a reader willing to wade beyond the same old bestsellers, it is challenging to find a book to read from an unfamiliar author. That someone takes a risk and picks up my book is a big vote of confidence.
That she or he dedicated time, attention and emotional energy to reading my book is a huge reward. And readers who read all of my books fill me with immense joy.
Each of those readers — especially the ones who take the time to tell their friends or rate or review the books — makes my day even if I don’t find out until weeks or even months later. I feel a particular sense of reward when fellow authors tell their followers about my work or read my books.
When someone makes a comment that tells me she or he paid attention to the details of the story, the cover, the Weeia abilities or origins, and the settings, it makes me jump with joy.
SADYE: What has been the most challenging?
ELLE: Finding an audience. Based on reader reviews and ratings, people who read my books like them. Getting the books in the hands of those people is the hardest challenge.
SADYE: How do you come up with the actual words Weeia and Unelmoija?
ELLE: The idea for Unelmoija sort of popped into my head. I kept thinking about it until it gelled into something solid enough to describe in writing.
That was the birth of Unelmoija: The Dreamshifter, the first book of the Weeia superhumans five-book series set in Miami. Like the story, the concept of the Weeia people came to me.
The meaning of Unelmoija (it’s a real word) is revealed in that series. Spoiler alert: It refers to one of the most important superhuman abilities of the main character.
That is how I came up with the main character’s name, pronounced Ooh-nell-moh-yah.
SADYE: Where are the Weeia headed next?
ELLE: At the moment, we are following the adventures of Danni, the head marshal of the secret Weeia offices in Paris. Next is An American Weeia in Paris, book four of the Paris Marshals Series. Stay tuned.
* * *
Learn more about Elle Boca on her website, where her books can also be purchased, and follow her on Twitter.
See the interview on the Fussy Librarian website at http://www.thefussylibrarian.com/blog/author-qa-elle-boca/
The Fussy Librarian matches ebook readers with the genre of books they like and also their preferences about content. Do you only read mysteries without profanity, violence and sex? Read just memoirs and gory horror novels? No problem. You can sign up to receive bargain books, which must meet review standards, or only free ebooks at thefussylibrarian.com. We enjoy introducing readers to authors through our Q&A series as well. Writers who’d like to be featured can contact Sadye.
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