“A young woman’s initiation as a witch brings her past back to haunt her in this contemporary fantasy novel…Bobe conjures up an appealingly relatable heroine…Humor lightens the novel as well. Meanwhile, the magical elements are all the more thrillingly strange and wonderful, sometimes deeply unsettling. The satisfying ending will leave readers hooked and hoping for more of Sela’s story. An entertaining, engaging blend of millennial romance, occult fantasy, and witch-chick lit.”
-Kirkus Reviews
“With an initially brisk pace that settles into a steady simmer, author Melissa Bobe takes a cauldron of familiarity and nonetheless brews it into something undeniably engaging and entertaining that is sure to keep readers turning the page…The accessible, organic prose of Nascent Witch acts as a foundational soil, channeling an ability to bring the magic of its scenarios and scenes to life with dazzling bursts of colorful descriptors that feel natural amidst the more earthen language.”
-The BookLife Prize Critic’s Report
“Bobe’s debut is a cute and charming novel about a young witch just doing her best and is also filled with romance and found family…A perfect read for fall.”
-Booklist
“Bobe’s motley collection of short stories delivers drama, weird creatures, and horrors. In the opening story, ‘Fins,’ a woman gradually develops gills and a tail…This is just one of a handful of genres that Bobe expertly tackles…The theme of family ties the diverse tales together, from a cabal of witches with secrets in their past to the fractured unity of a father, sons, and daughter whose matriarch has left them. The author excels at driving readers toward unexpected turns…It all culminates in a doozy of an ending. Bobe’s vibrant metaphors…only strengthen this inventive, creepy collection. Eclectic tales take readers through jolts, inspired moments, and endless awe.”
-Kirkus Reviews
“Bobe delivers a series of endlessly engaging tales of mystery and humanity centered in fantastical scenarios, each voraciously readable and wonderfully conceptualized…sure to hook the reader with verve…Bobe succeeds in weaving a powerful mystery throughout her tales that imbue the material with an enduring vivacity. [Her] characters jump to life in short order, each selected with care to lead their individual story, and with enough space left between for the reader to inhabit all their own.”
-The BookLife Prize Critic’s Report
INDIE AUTHOR PROJECT EXPERT SESSION: INDIE AUTHORS AND LIBRARIES
In her capacity as 2024 Indie Author of the Year, Melissa presented an Expert Session for the Indie Author Project titled “Indie Authors and Libraries: A Perfectly Bookish Match!” The recording of the session is available here.
LIBRARY JOURNAL DAY OF DIALOG: WORLDS BEYOND
Melissa was one of the authors on the “Worlds Beyond” panel at the 2025 Library Journal Day of Dialog. She was very excited to have the opportunity to sit alongside celebrated authors Louis Sachar, Marie Lu, Michelle Wong, and Oliver Darkshire, and to have such a delightful librarian moderator as Ashley Rayner. The recording of the panel is available to view here.
WHISPER HOUSE PRESS: COSTS OF LIVING INTERVIEW
Editor Steve Capone, Jr. and Melissa chat about her story in his horror anthology Costs of Living, along with what books they’re both reading and how they found themselves writing in the genre. The interview, courtesy of Whisper House Press, can be found here.
INDIE AUTHOR PROJECT: INDIE AUTHOR OF THE YEAR ROUND TABLE
Melissa was very honored to be part of this amazing panel of Indie Author Project’s winners of the Indie Author of the Year Award, which included writers Amy Rivers, Jami Fairleigh, Pascuala Herrera, as well as IAP founder and judge Mitchell Davis. The panel’s lively discussion can be viewed here.
URHI Q&A: BENEATH THE NEEDLE
As part of their pre-release series for The Needle Drops…Vol. 1, the delightful folks over at Urhi Publishing interviewed Melissa about her terrifying little flash fiction, “Bits.” The interview is available here, and Urhi’s page on “Bits” is here. “Bits” is also the first story of the final section of Electric Trees.
WRITTEN WORD MEDIA
On August 3, 2021, Melissa’s interview with NewInBooks regarding the release of her short story collection Electric Trees went live on the Written Word Media site. You can read the interview here.
AUTHORS ON THE AIR GLOBAL RADIO NETWORK WRITERS SHOWCASE
Melissa was interviewed by the delightful H. M. Gooden for an episode of the Writers Showcase podcast and the episode aired on March 5, 2021. The audio of the interview is available via Apple podcasts here.
88 CUPS OF TEA
In September 2019, Melissa had the opportunity to appear as a guest on her favorite podcast for writers, 88 Cups of Tea. Her interview was attached to the end of Jason Reynolds’s episode, and Melissa couldn’t have been more thrilled to get to share radio space with one of the writers she most admires. You can listen to the full episode here.
BEFORE WE GO BLOG
During Indie April 2020, Melissa’s novella Sibyls was featured by fabulous book blogger Beth Tabler as a part of her #IndieSpotlight series. You can read the feature and check out the rest of Beth’s amazing book blog here.
Melissa Bobe 