FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Carolyn McBride, carolyn@carolynmcbride.com

Hypoluxo, FL, October 23, 2025—Carolyn McBride’s debut novel, The Cicada Spring, has been recognized as the Runner-Up winner in Women’s Fiction in the 2025 PenCraft Book Awards. The PenCraft Book Awards winners, selected from a diverse pool of talented writers in both traditional and independent publishing, represent exceptional creativity and literary excellence.

Since 2017, the PenCraft Book Awards have been conducting literary competitions to foster an appreciation for storytelling and serious writing. This year’s competition was daunting, with 1,350 book entries to compete against, showcasing an impressive array of talent across numerous genres. Each entry brought something unique to the table, making the judging process both challenging and exhilarating.

McBride’s heartwarming novel takes readers on a poignant journey of second chances and resilience through the eyes of a female boat captain as she navigates a crossroads in midlife, finding solace and strength on the shores of the Potomac River.

Katie Young is embracing her role as an empty nester, with a new marriage and a thriving career in Miami. But life, like the shifting tides, has other plans. After the tragic loss of her mother, Katie returns to the family’s Virginia river house, finding solace as she navigates the Potomac on her dad’s old boat.

New dreams are sparked when Katie reconnects with friends around the beach bonfire, and an encounter with a handsome marine scientist puts her on a surprising course. But when development threatens a protected eagle’s nest, Katie finds herself fighting for a future she never dared to imagine. As the lovelorn cicadas emerge from decades in the dark, will Katie find her forever love?

The Cicada Spring is the first in the Potomac Shores series. The Cicada Spring: A Potomac Shores Novel, by Carolyn McBride, is available everywhere books are sold online in paperback (ISBN: 979-8-9902958-0-3), ebook (ISBN: 979-8-9902958-1-0), and audiobook (Retail ISBN: 979-8-8751262-4-6).