A Game of Memory

I just triumphed at a game of Memory with my five-year-old. Actually, two out of three games. Remember the one where you lay down cards, then turn them over one by one, trying to find a pair? The one with the most cards wins. Now, bragging about a win in a game with my five-year-old might sound like I'm desperate for a win. And I am, except the competitor is my husband and the game is Scrabble. But that's a whole different story.

In today's game of Memory, of course I could have let my daughter win. I could have. In fact, I'm guilty of doing that in the past when she was younger. But here's the thing. When we first sat down, she had the cards all laid out for us. As in, she put them precisely where she knew they were. This was not acceptable, so I reshuffled. When the game was underway, my daughter saw that I had two pairs already, specifically, the Blue Morpho Butterfly (this being a Diego game). This did not sit well with her at all. She wanted to find the blue morpho butterfly. She began to tear up, then erupted in an all-out fit. I told her (sweetly but sternly) to pull herself together, and she did somewhat. We ended the game in a tie, five to five. No winners, no losers.

Next game, we started out okay, but when it looked like I was getting more pairs than she had, she got consumed with it. Again. I told her that if she could just keep it together and not focus on how many I had, she could beat me. She lost her cool again. So I won, seven to three.

Game three. The heat is on. I'm wanting her to win. I am. Really I am. I get a pair, she gets a pair, then me, then me again. She's keeping her cool. She's doing great. Then wouldn't you know it, her little brother walks in after coming home from the barber shop and says, "Mommy's going to win" as he's looking at my hidden stash of pairs. Now, mind you, my daughter has just found a pair and she gets to go again. She has another turn. I know she knows where the blue morpho butterfly is because I just turned it over in the last move, but suddenly, she loses her focus. She gets concerned with how many pairs I have. Boom. Just like that. I win again.

Here's the good news. My daughter didn't cry in the third game. We did a post-mortem and discussed what went wrong. She realized she lost her focus when she became concerned with my cards. She knew it. She smiled. She understood. So I told her about an old high school English teacher of mine who used to say to me, "Focus, Nee-kol, Focus!" I told her that when I began writing years later, I could hear that English teacher's voice in my head, "Focus, Nee-kol," as I trudged on through to the finish line of my novels. I did it in that deep voice of his too. "So I say to you, Olivia, remember these words, Focus, Olivia, Focus! And when you keep your focus, you can do anything you set your mind to." That was a little something extra from Mommy.

All in all, looking back, I think my daughter might have been the big winner today. Because she learned the most important lesson of all. And I really think she got it. At five years old.

I tell you this today because we all lose our focus. Often we lose it by looking to see how many pairs the other guy has. Big mistake. Just do your best. Focus on playing your best game, and you might just find out that not only did you reach the finish line, but you won the whole kit and caboodle.

Gee, next time I better watch out, or my daughter might just cream me at Memory. Having young children, mine's not anything close to what it used to be.

A Post is a Post

Whoo hoo! I've posted something! Well, not actually here on this blog...but on another blog, and that counts, too. Right? Anyway, if you'd like to hear about the sweet angel I met this morning, hop on over to A GOOD BLOG IS HARD TO FIND and enjoy.

Oh, What a Lovely Name!

Well, it's been a while, but I've finally found a title for my blog, Occasional Murmurings. It took me this long because, frankly, I didn't know what kind of blogger I was going to be. It's like having a pet--sometimes you need a little time to see what name fits the pet's personality.

I have learned a lot about myself since beginning this blog. The first is, I would never describe myself as a "blogger." I have the utmost respect and admiration for people who blog daily, or weekly, for that matter. For me, it's fairly sporadic. I will list some news about my books or artwork and often some rantings about something or another--when the mood hits me and I have time. But mostly, I am an "occasional" poster. I know this about myself now.

And I'm okay with it.

Now, much to my agent's-publisher's-publicist's chagrin, I've learned that this is about the most I can do with my blog...if I am to meet deadlines-promote my books-and write more.

A happy medium, I'd say.

So, if you'd like to occasionally stop by to see what's going on in the Charleston literary scene or with my writing life, do stop by. No pressure. No need to check me daily lest I disappoint. If you're the casual blog-reader (as I would also describe myself), you might find my occasional murmurings just your style.

Interview on Faithwebbin.net

If you enjoy reading behind the scenes, you might like to read this Faithwebbin.net interview about my new book, Trouble the Water.

Good Southern Interview

I enjoyed my interview on the "My Friend Amy" blog. Take a look at my thoughts on creativity, healing and macaroni and cheese! Thanks, Amy.

CFBA Blog Tour

For the next couple of days, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is graciously posting reviews of my new book, Trouble the Water. There will also be some interviews. Thank you, CFBA, for helping get the word out about authors who write with the heart and soul.

The Best Review Yet

Not all are great. Some aren't even good. Next to Library Journal's, I have to say this is the best review, by far, of my new novel, Trouble the Water. It seems this reader really "got it." Thanks, Deena.

Enjoy the review on "A Peek at my Bookshelf."

Think you can't make a difference?

Do you ever think a single person can't make a difference? Think again. Our friend, Melissa Ruge, does behavioral therapy with autistic kids, specifically a boy named Ryan. Ryan's Bill was just passed so that insurance companies have to cover kids with autism. Before the bill? No coverage whatsoever.

Check out this segment on CNN airing today.

Melissa is the lovely pregnant lady teaching Ryan. I dare you to watch this and not be inspired by the power of one.

The Seven-Pound Book

If you'd like to read about the new seven-pound book I'm getting ready to write, hop on over to A Good Blog is Hard to Find.

Gulp. I'm always up for a challenge.

New Book Launch!

It's finally here! I'm pleased to announce the launch of my next novel, TROUBLE THE WATER. The official launch date is Tuesday, March 11, but sources tell me the book has been spotted just about everywhere. In fact, Barnes and Noble in Mount Pleasant Towne Center has a front window display!

It took a couple years to bring this book to life. The first nine to twelve months were spent writing the manuscript, and the next year was for editing, packaging and getting it ready to be published. As an author (or my mother) when you finally see your book on the bookshelf, you're reminded of the love, sweat and tears that went into it. Seeing your heart in trade paperback is a full-circle, wonderful moment. In other words, it's about time!

Like The Spirit of Sweetgrass, my second novel, TROUBLE THE WATER, was a labor of love. Though fiction, it was inspired (very loosely) by a beloved aunt of mine. Be sure to look for mention of the book in an upcoming issue of Southern Living Magazine!

From Southern Living Magazine
Literary Lowcountry
Hilton Head native Nicole Seitz sets her new novel in a Gullah community of the Sea Islands, where a wise elder helps two sisters come to terms with their troubled past. Inspired by the life and death of her aunt, Trouble the Water (Thomas Nelson, $14.99) is Nicole's second book, following The Spirit of Sweetgrass.

Trouble the Water Book Tour
(Events still being added):* Multiple events in this city
Beaufort, SC
Charleston, SC *
Charlotte, NC
Columbia, SC
Conway, SC *
Decatur, GA
Greenwood, SC *
Hilton Head, SC *
Marietta, GA
Mount Pleasant, SC *
Pawleys Island, SC
Savannah, GA

I hope to see my readers at these events! Check my website for specific dates, times and locations. As always, please let me know what you thik about Trouble the Water. I thank you, reader, for helping me to keep writing my heart.

God bless,
Nicole

Good News and Reviews

Well, my next book is barely out of the warehouse and things are getting ready to kick into gear. I'm excited to be heading to Columbia tomorrow for the SC Book Festival and speaking on a "Faith in Fiction" panel with authors Beth Webb Hart and Ann Gabhart. Then, off to Hilton Head Island (my hometown) to speak to the National Association of Principals of Schools for Girls (NAPSG). I guess I need to start eating my Wheeties.

The book has been garnering positive reviews!

ChristianBookPreviews.com calls Trouble the Water "a well-written, emotionally-involved novel that all women will want to read."

Library Journal gave it a *starred review* and says Trouble the Water "...joins the ranks of strong fiction that highlights the complicated relationships between women. Highly recommended."

Fresh Fiction calls Trouble the Water "A touching, inspirational and realistic look at dealing with death. The true value of love between siblings and the importance of the belief in God is strongly portrayed. This story is well-written and keeps the interest of the reader."

And Publisher's Weekly calls Trouble the Water "compelling."

I am looking forward to sharing my heart with my readers, old and new, with this book. My motto, as always: If just one person reads it and is moved by it, well, my job will be done. I suspect though that God has even bigger plans for the book and for all of us who follow our hearts to honor Him.

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...

My Friend, Red

My friend, Red Evans, author of On Ice, passed away last Sunday morning on January 13, 2008.

This bio was approved by his family:

"Thank you to everyone who wrote kind words to Red and his family during his illness.The crowning of his long and productive life in radio, television, and public relations was becoming a published author. With a shout of "Ah Scooby Do," his lead in as the DJ “Rockin’ Redhead,” he entered the Pearly Gates conjuring up thoughts for his first heavenly novel."

I honestly don't know what I can say to sum up a man who did so much in his life and meant so much to so many people. I met Red in my writers' group three and a half years ago when I'd just started writing The Spirit of Sweetgrass. I was writing my debut while he was writing his debut into the publishing world. My book came out in March 2007, and Red was at my book launch. His book came out in September 2007, and I was at his book launch. We cheered eachother on and shared in the joy of accomplishment.

Words can't describe what Red had grown to mean to me. He was honest in his critiques, he was always encouraging. He made you feel you might be on to something...to just keep going...the best was yet to come. He taught me to never give up.

I visited Red regularly in the hospital in December when his long and hard-fought battle with cancer was beginning to get the upper hand. I learned so much about him, about myself, about faith and life and death in those last weeks. One day in hospice, I asked Red if there was anything he'd ever wanted to do and had not done in his life.

He told me that at age sixteen he'd felt the call to ministry. He said he'd prayed and cried and prayed some more about it. Then a few years later, Red began his career in broadcasting as a radio DJ. He later became a TV news director and anchor man. He worked in Washington. He owned an antique business. He became an author. He had no regrets, but he thought he hadn't answered that call. I disagree.

I attended Red's funeral on Wednesday. Everyone there loved him. Everyone had been touched in a profound way by him. His son called him "the best dad in the world". His bride of fifty years had spent every day by his side, loving him. There were friends of Red's there from decades ago and friends who'd just come to know him. Last year, he found that the Internet could put him in touch with people he might ever meet in person. Those people now call him a friend.

If Red were here today, I would tell him he did have a ministry...a ministry of friendship. The call he felt from God so many years ago...he was faithful to it after all. He may never have stood behind a pulpit and preached the gospel, but Red Evans had a ministry alright...of encouragement, of truth-telling, of touching people's souls.

Red will always be special to me. I will always see those blue eyes cutting right to the core of me. I will always hear his jokes. He found humor in this world...even in it's bleakest moments. I am better for having known Red Evans. Today, Heaven is a better place. Much funnier, I imagine.

Here's to you, my friend. Save me a good spot, won't you?

Shortest interview ever!

Dee, over at Christian Fiction Blog, asked me an interesting question the other day:

What did you do for your spiritual life in '07 that also improved your writing?

Stop by her blog and see my answer!

By the way, for you writers out there, what did you do?

Calling All Book Clubs!

Win your copy of The Spirit of Sweetgrass!

If you are a member of a book club, you're in luck. Hop on over to Book Movement (www.bookmovement.com) and enter to win free books for your club. You can win copies of The Spirit of Sweetgrass and other books if you enter before January 15! Also, you can enter reviews and help support terrific novelists.

Thanks for your support, now go win some books! www.bookmovement.com

Heaven for the Holidays

The day after Thanksgiving, we were bombarded with cheery strings of lights, angels hanging from streetlamps, Santas showing up at shopping malls, and rampant thoughts of gift-giving. For most of us, the idea of buying presents fills us with joy. But for those of us who have grievers on our gift list, the idea of buying presents can fill us with dread. I know. I’ve been there.

Back in 1996, my family lost two of its cherished members. My grandfather died in September and three months later, just weeks before Christmas, my beloved aunt passed away unexpectedly. We were having what I now fondly refer to as “that terrible year”.

Some of you out there are having a “terrible year.” There’s no way to get around it. For the ones left grieving, the holidays are a difficult, often miserable few weeks. Yes, many times it’s good to go through the normal routine of giving and getting gifts, but sometimes it’s best just to spend time with family, trying to remember the blessings in life.

I will admit that I am horribly inadequate when it comes to giving sympathy. I have a hard time knowing what to say to a friend who is grieving or ill, let alone coming up with a gift! I imagine there are many of you who feel like I do. You want to console and inspire, but you don’t know how. Well, this feels a bit odd, seeing that it’s my book, but I’ll just say it. I wish I had written The Spirit of Sweetgrass a long time ago. I wish I had had it back in 1996 when my family was mourning the loss of our loved ones. It would have come in handy. It is because of that “terrible year” that I wound up writing my debut novel. You see, my eyes turned to Heaven for the first time in 1996. And they have not turned back down since.

I wrote The Spirit of Sweetgrass when I was expecting my son three years ago. Long story short, there were hospital stays, bed rest, and then an emergency birth where my son and I nearly lost our lives. We are both happy and healthy today, but I came home from the hospital with a renewed sense of purpose and the voice of my main character, Essie Mae, louder and more persistent than ever. She would wake me up in the middle of the night. I simply had to tell her story, that of sweetgrass and Heaven and family. I did not know why then. But I know why now.

Since The Spirit of Sweetgrass came out in March of this year, I have been blessed to meet readers. Readers are amazing people who love books as much as I do, and every time I speak to one of my own readers, I am fueled and inspired to keep writing. The reason I wrote The Spirit of Sweetgrass is simple. I know now that it was all about the readers. Take for instance Rhonda from Kingstree who read my book and approached me in tears at a book signing, thanking me for “bringing back” her beloved African-American nanny for just a short while. Then there was Heather, the bookstore manager who had miscarried the year before and was touched by a certain child character in my book. There was Cindy who had lost her husband to cancer and longed to sit with him like Essie Mae did her husband, Daddy Jim. But the one reader who amazed me the most, the one who showed me that God works in beautiful, mysterious ways, was a woman in Hilton Head Island who said she finished my book one day and the very next day her mother passed away unexpectedly. She thanked me for my depiction of Heaven since she’d never been able to imagine it before. She said now she could picture her mother in a better place. That was the most humbling, awe-inspiring moment of my writing life. That was my gift to her, and her gift to me.

There are many books this season that are inspirational, that may point eyes to Heaven and fill with hope. Just ask your local bookseller for suggestions. If you are looking for a gift for a loved one who is suffering, consider fiction. Sometimes, I’ve learned, fiction can say things you’d never be able to say yourself. And fiction allows the reader to go on a very personal journey. For those who are having a “terrible year,” I can’t imagine a better gift than the comforting thought of Heaven.

The Blessings of Meeting Readers

Last night, I drove home down the dark two-lane roads from Edisto Beach under a blanket-covered moon. I was tired, but I was fulfilled. You see, I was coming home from the quaint Edisto Yacht Club having dined and spoken with the Edisto Women's Club. Thank you, Gina, for inviting me and Nakia, a Mount Pleasant sweetgrass basket maker. The Edisto ladies learned about sweetgrass from an authentic source and then I told them about my journey to becoming a writer. I read from The Spirit of Sweetgrass and my upcoming novel, Trouble the Water.

Before we ate supper, the sixty or so ladies held hands in a large circle and one woman read a lovely prayer. In it, among other things she asked God that we not be 'self-seeking'. I remember this because, here I was, speaking about my books and having the Edisto Bookstore selling them after the talk. Wasn't that a bit self-seeking? I find it completely strange, this being a writer and selling things. I understand, of course, that if my books do not sell, a publisher will not ask me to write another book. But the business of books is daunting and uncomfortable to me, quite honestly. If I were to stand before those sixty women last night and try to sell them a book, I would have fallen on my face. And it would have done them absolutely no good.

So this is what I've learned: that prayer about 'do not be self-seeking' is important. I've found that if I do not seek my own gains, but instead, seek to share my journey, share what God has done in my life and let Him have the glory, I can speak much easier. The words flow. Yes, my books must be bought by readers, and I'm grateful that you do buy them. It allows me to continue writing, to continue doing what I feel I've been called me to do. We all have something like that in our lives. Often, we just don't know it yet or it hasn't been revealed to us. But it will come.

I suppose this is all to say that the people I meet when I talk or sign books is what this writing gig is all about. Here I am, sitting behind a computer in my house, alone, writing a novel. It seems solitary and short-reaching. But then, like last night, after I tell my story about hearing the call to write and telling about the near-death experience that brought me there, a woman, Sharon, comes to me afterwords with tears in her eyes and says the very same thing happened to her. She heard the same message. Or another thanks me for writing a book that allowed her to envision Heaven after her mother passed away--to picture her in a better place. It's these things, these non-self-seeking things that make me keep wanting to write. I truly believe that if I follow my heart, someone, somewhere out there will be touched by what I have to say.
This holiday season, try with me to not be self-seeking. It's not easy at all. You and I will be amazed at what blessings come back to us though when we simply do what's right for others.

I pray you have a wonderful, safe holiday season. Feel free to visit me at www.nicoleseitz.com and keep in touch.
Nicole

Books for Xmas!

Lowcountry Women Authors Holiday Book Signing
Presented by the Center for Women and Barnes & Noble of Mt. Pleasant

Over 30 fabulous Lowcountry women authors will assemble at one downtown location in time for holiday gift purchases. The public is invited to meet their favorite local authors, make purchases and have their books personally signed!

“The Center for Women wants to celebrate the wonderful women authors in our community whose talents contribute enormously to our quality of life,” said Jennet Robinson Alterman, Executive Director.

This special event will be held Sunday, December 2 from 2pm – 5pm at the Citadel Holliday Alumni House on the Citadel campus. Admission is $10 at the door and includes light refreshments. 20% of all book sales benefit the Center for Women.
Gift wrapping will be available.

For additional information, visit www.c4women.org or call us at (843) 763 – 7333.

The following local women authors will be there:

Joyce Coakley, Sweetgrass Baskets and Gullah Tradition
Stacey Crew, The Get Organized Guide for New Moms
Ruth Cupp, Portia Steps Up to the Bar
Carol Ann Davis, Psalm
Nathalie Dupree & Marion Sullivan, Nathalie Dupree's Shrimp and Grits
Linda Ferguson, Bird Missing from One Shoulder
Cathy Forrester, At Home-Charleston
Dottie Benton Frank, The Christmas Pearl
Mary Edna Fraser, A Celebration of The World's Barrier Islands
Nikki Hardin & Caitlin McPhilipps, PMS- Problems Men Started
Beth Webb Hart, Grace at Low Tide / Adelaide Piper
Josephine Humphries, Nowhere Else on Earth
Fran Hawk, The Story of the H.L. Hunley and Queenie's Coin
Trish Hutchison (co-author), Girlology/ Hang-Ups, Hook-Ups, and Hanging Out
Harriet McBryde Johnson, Accidents of Nature/ Too Late to Die Young: Nearly True Tales from a Life
Allison Keller, While You Were Away, Daddy
Sue Monk Kidd, The Mermaid Chair /The Secret Life of Bees / Firstlight
Ann Kulze, Dr. Ann's 10 Step Diet
Dorothy Perrin Moore, Island in the Storm/ Careerpreneurs
Susan Romaine, Cornices of Charleston
Nicole Seitz, The Spirit of Sweetgrass
Sue Shankle & Barbara Melton, What in the World Are Your Kids Doing Online?
Toby Smith, Goofy Things Girls Do To Get Guys
Sally Hughes Smith, The Circle: A Walk with Dementia/ Rosebud Roams Charleston
Shari Stauch, Precision Pool
Mary Caroline Walker, Managing Life with Kids
Andrea Weathers, Hermy the Hermit Crab Goes Shopping
Marjory Wentworth, Noticing Eden/ Despite Gravity
Mary Whyte, Alfreda's World / An Artist's Way of Seeing

Who Says Bookish Ain't Beautiful?

I stumbled across a photo taken last month at the Charleston Country Library after a panel discussion on Writing and Spirituality with Denise Hildreth, myself and Beth Webb Hart. Our lovely publicist who happens to be the SC Poet Laureate, Marjory Wentworth, was our moderator. She's on the left. And the little cutie in Denise's arms is Marjory's beautiful god-daughter. Click here to take a peek. Who says "bookish" can't be beautiful too?

A Good Blog is Hard to Find

A few weeks ago, I met some fellow Southern authors at the book festival in Nashville. Today, I'm pleased to say I'm a guest blogger on the "A Good Blog is Hard to Find" blog maintained by author Karin Gillespie. There's a saga involving my next book cover. If you're interested, jump on over and take a peek. There's a ton of amazing authors on her blog.