Trouble the Water ... The Movie!

My second novel, TROUBLE THE WATER, will be released next month. That's really good news. The even better news is that it's already been made into a movie! No, not really. I wish. Apparently, I do have a way with picking titles though. A documentary about a woman in New Orleans who videotapes Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath becomes the unlikely heroine in Trouble the Water - the Movie. Her story sounds familiar--a troubled woman (in her case, once a drug dealer) who finds that she is able to help others and discovers who she truly is in the process. This documentary just won the grand-jury prize for best U.S. drama at the Sundance Film Festival last month. It sounds terrific, and I hope I get a chance to view it. However, it's not based on my book. Oh, well.

Trouble the Water - the Movie, has something in common with my upcoming novel, TROUBLE THE WATER - the Book, aside from sharing the same great title. Both are about healing and God's grace and unlikely angels in the most dire circumstances. There's a whole lot packed into that name, Trouble the Water, taken from the lyrics of an African-American spiritual, "Wade in the Water."

My book, TROUBLE THE WATER, was a labor of love. It was inspired by my aunt. Though she passed away years ago, we co-authored this book in a way. Seeing it in print will be a dream come true for me, and I hope, to her as well...chapter 10 was adapted from her very own writings. Here's the * starred review * from Library Journal for TROUBLE THE WATER - The Book!

"The South Carolina Low Country is the lush setting for this poignant novel about two middle-aged sisters' journey to self-discovery. Strong female protagonists are forced to deal with suicide, wife abuse, cancer, and grief in a realistic way that will ring true for anyone who has ever suffered great loss. Seitz's writing style recalls that of Southern authors like Kaye Gibbons, Anne Rivers Siddons, and Sue Monk Kidd, and this new novel, which the publisher compares to Kidd's The Secret Life of Bees, surely joins the ranks of strong fiction that highlights the complicated relationships between women. Highly recommended."

-- Library Journal

Through the writing of TROUBLE THE WATER, I experienced much healing in my own life. I pray this effect is shared by my readers. And who knows? Maybe there will be another movie called "Trouble the Water" someday, only this time based on my book. It could happen. It could.

Gee, I just can picture it now :) Wonder who will play that cute Officer Simmons...