Nicole Seitz - Author of Saving Cicadas, A Hundred Years of Happiness, The Spirit of Sweetgrass and Trouble the Water

"Nicole Seitz is a bold and imaginative storyteller, and Saving Cicadas is no exception. With the voice of an angel and an eye trained on the unseen in our midst, this story of one single mother’s struggle to survive will leave you awe-struck. Saving Cicadas offers a vivid depiction of divine intervention, and the lengths God will go to protect us and our loved ones from one of our most harmful adversaries – ourselves."

— Beth Webb Hart, author of Grace at Low Tide, Adelaide Piper, and The Wedding Machine

"In Saving Cicadas, Nicole Seitz paints an original story about love, families, and the power of choice in a surprisingly creative tale that will leave readers guessing until the end. She has written with purpose and passion about the things that are closest to her heart."

— River Jordan, author of Saints in Limbo, The Messenger of Magnolia Street, and The Gin Girl

"What a deeply moving novel! I literally could not put it down...I think the issues covered in the book (unplanned pregnancy, single motherhood, death, rebirth, abortion, adoption, etc.) are so relevant to our society. The choices...seen from a child's perspective, was illuminating. One of our main book clubs would absolutely love this novel and I plan on recommending it to them for their December read, as well as recommending it for December's Indie Pick."

— Valerie Jones, Fireside Books & Gifts, Forest City, NC

"Plotted as tightly as a murder mystery--brings tears to a grown man's eyes."

— Jim McFarlane, Fiction Addiction, Greenville, SC

Reviews and Buzz

From My V Magazine for Women, Richmond, VA
"Saving Cicadas is the kind of book that takes you by surprise. It comes across as a story of a family struggling to get through a crisis, and on the surface, that is exactly what it is. On the other hand, it is so much more...Touching on some poignant and difficult topics, Saving Cicadas is in turns tender and compelling. Harsh realities are viewed through innocent eyes, as well as innocent wonder in the power of faith brought to the eyes of the jaded and weary. This newest offering by Nicole Seitz is an engaging, thought-provoking and inspirational story that I highly recommend." Read full review.

— Reviewed by Brenda Seward, Simple Pleasures Books & Gifts, Ashland, VA

From The Romance Readers Connection
"...the dialogue is charming and the character development strongly depicting the Southern influence of the book’s South Carolina roots."

— Reviewed by Jeri Neal

From Star-News
"In 'Saving Cicadas' Seitz raises the stakes, with...a twist, worthy of Rod Serling or M. Night Shyamalan...be ready to hold onto your seat...a modern-day 'Uncle Tom's Cabin'...its message inspiring and comforting." Read full review.

— Reviewed by Ben Steelman, Wilmington Star News

From CBA Retailers +Resources Magazine
Fiction author Nicole Seitz has written another delectable story that's brimming over with comical family foibles that simultaneously stands in stark contrast to the life and death seriousness of her subject matter. Single mom Priscilla Macy learns she's pregnant again and is rightly distraught as she has her hands full with her 17-year-old special needs daughter, Rainey Dae, and 8-year-old daughter, Janie. On a sudden whim, Priscilla quits her job and takes the girls, along with her pernicious mom, Mona, on a road trip. Where they land is anyone's guess, but the greater surprise comes in not so much the location but in what spiritual insights the group discovers en route. Seitz's ability to capture emotion and the spirit of things is indeed otherworldly, and her readers will find this latest offering mesmerizing.

— Reviewed by Michele Howe, CBA Retailers +Resources Magazine, 11/12/09

From Southern Living
A road trip takes on special meaning for 8-year-old Janie. She, along with her sister and grandparents, joins her mother's quest to find her absent father. Janie doesn't uncover the answers she expects from the journey. But she--and all of the author's well-drawn characters--does find out about redemption and miracles.

— Reviewed by Wanda McKinney, Southern Living "South Carolina People & Places", December 2009

From Charleston Magazine
When eight-year-old Janie's single mother Priscilla becomes pregnant for the third time, she hits the road, kids (Janie and her mentally-handicapped big sister, Rainey) and parents in tow. The goal? At first pass, it's to track down her children's elusive father. But the mission transforms into something else—Priscilla discovering herself, peace, and even salvation for struggles past--when she finds her way back to her long-discarded hometown. While the sometimes epic road home—detailed mostly through Janie's eyes—may drag down the story, know that making it to the well-sprung zinger of an ending is plenty worth it. You'll be rewinding plot, dialogue, character presentation, and more to see if every word does indeed lead in airtight fashion to the finale. Resounding kudos to Charleston resident Seitz for penning a tale that spans Carolina towns, explores family ties, wrestles heart-heavy fare from abortion to the afterlife, and toys with magical realism.

— Reviewed by Melissa Bigner, Charleston Magazine, November 2009

From Charisma Magazine
"the book's message is powerful and thought-provoking"

From Fresh Fiction
Saving Cicadas
"An unusual and moving story of ultimate redemption told through the voice of a young child."

"I found her characters to be warm, loving and extremely tender. I thoroughly enjoyed the way she weaved her story around the very sensitive issues. For a fulfilling, heart-warming story, do NOT miss this novel. Even though it's a tear-jerker, you'll walk away feeling good after reading it. SAVING CICADAS has made me an avid admirer of Nicole Seitz."

— Reviewed by Kay Quentin, 11/13/2009, FreshFiction.com

From Library Journal
Seitz, Nicole. Saving Cicadas. Thomas Nelson. Dec. 2009. 320p. ISBN 978-1-59554-503-9. pap. $14.99.

When single mother Priscilla finds herself unexpectedly pregnant, she packs eight-year-old Janie and 17-year-old, special-needs Rainey Dae along with Poppy and Grandma Mona into the car and heads home to Forest Pines, SC. VERDICT For readers who enjoy Southern family stories and Seitz's other novels (The Spirit of Sweetgrass; Trouble the Water; A Hundred Years of Happiness).

— Tamara Butler, Christian Fiction in Brief, Library Journal, 11/1/2009

From Publishers Weekly
Saving Cicadas Nicole Seitz. Thomas Nelson, $14.99 paper (320p) ISBN 978-1-59554-503-9

This beguiling, inspirational family-first tale from Lowcountry native Seitz (A Hundred Years of Happiness) follows the revelatory and haunting journey of a single mother from South Carolina who discovers she's pregnant and needs to clear her head to plan her next step. Priscilla Lynn Macy quits her job and hits the road with her daughters, Rainey Dae, 17, who has Down syndrome, and Janie Doe, her precocious eight-year-old. Grandma Mona's in the backseat with her husband, “Poppy” Grayson. Janie's and Grandma Mona's perspectives on Priscilla's situation invigorate Seitz's folksy prose as Priscilla looks for Harlan Bradfield, Janie's dad, who took off one day on his motorcycle. The tribe ends up at the Macy ancestral home in Forest Pines, S.C., where Priscilla reconnects with her half-brother, Pastor Fritz Rosier, who helps her make peace with past mistakes and to decide about the future. Seitz has a gift for creating wonderful characters, especially the young girls, and while she's strident in her antiabortion stance, this tale's spooky sweet dénouement includes a magical twist about spirited little Janie that's marvelously memorable. (Dec.)