Description /Buy link takes you to Amazon. As an Amazon Associate I earn money from qualifying purchases.
Sarah Donati is an award-winning author that writes historical novels. A native of Chicago, Donati is a tenured professor of linguistics (University of Michigan). The author was drawn to linguistics because she had an appreciation for the importance of language.
Get notified when Sara Donati releases a new book at BookNotification.com.
Order of Wilderness Series
| # | Read | Title | Published | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Into the Wilderness | 1998 | Description / Buy | |
| 2 | Dawn on a Distant Shore | 2000 | Description / Buy | |
| 3 | Lake in the Clouds | 2002 | Description / Buy | |
| 4 | Fire Along the Sky | 2004 | Description / Buy | |
| 5 | Queen of Swords | 2006 | Description / Buy | |
| 6 | The Endless Forest | 2009 | Description / Buy |
Order of Waverly Place Series
| # | Read | Title | Published | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Gilded Hour | 2015 | Description / Buy | |
| 2 | Where the Light Enters | 2019 | Description / Buy |
Order of Sara Donati Standalone Novels
| # | Read | Title | Published | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Homestead | 1997 | Description / Buy | |
| 2 | Tied to the Tracks | 2006 | Description / Buy | |
| 3 | The Pajama Girls of Lambert Square | 2008 | Description / Buy | |
| 4 | The Sweet Blue Distance | 2024 | Description / Buy |
She remembers moving to Austria and realizing that people in Switzerland spoke a variety of German, which differed from the German people saw in books.
Additionally, Donati noticed the discrimination that language created. Eventually, her interest in the subject reached a fever pitch, driving her to pursue linguistics in graduate school.
Initially, a stint at a teacher’s college took the author to Austria. She stuck around for a year to teach grade school. She left for a spell to finish her undergraduate degree.
She also went to graduate school. But eventually, Donati’s dissertation pulled her back to Austria.
As a young scholar, it never occurred to the author that she would write novels for a living. The people that populated her academic setting held a low opinion of fiction.
But the author had an interest in frontier stories that she couldn’t shake. Donati was also tempted to write adventure stories fronted by strong female characters.
She finally sat down to write her first novel, unaware of what would happen once she finished it, if it would sell, or whether it would sit in her drawer forever.
To her surprise, not only did she secure a publisher, but the first book sold well. Even though she technically writes historical fiction, her publisher’s decision to categorize her books under the romance umbrella doesn’t bother Donati.
She only takes offense when people use ‘Romance’ as a derogatory term. The author doesn’t like people who trivialize the things women enjoy. She admits that her books have romance.
However, the adventure elements are far more prominent. Donati does a lot of research, and her readers can see the author’s hard work in the detailed descriptions she provides.
Her goal is to paint a clear picture of settings and events from previous eras that satisfy history enthusiasts while also educating newcomers. She understands that some people don’t have the patience for detailed historical fiction.
They prefer fast-paced stories, and she has encouraged them in interviews and discussions to find writers that appeal to their sensibilities. Donati does not expect every novel she pens to please everyone.
The people that like her style will find and enjoy her work. Her books are so long that some people don’t know where she finds the time to write them. Interestingly, Donati found that writing was much easier when she worked as a university professor.
The author had a full load of teaching responsibilities and a toddler at home, yet she finished her first novel in one year. Once she abandoned her teaching duties, writing became challenging because Donati’s life had no structure.
She had more time on her hands, yet she was getting less writing done. This showed her that busy people make for efficient writers.
Sara Donati Awards
Donati has won RT Reviewers Choice Awards.
Best Sara Donati Books
The author is married to a mathematician (University of Michigan). Donati’s best books include:
Into The Wilderness: 1792 found Elizabeth Middleton in a remote New York Mountain village. Elizabeth did not make the decision to leave her comfortable English Estate easily.
And when she set out to join her family, the last person she expected to encounter was Nathaniel Booner, also known as Between-Two-Lives to the Mohawk people, a white man in Native American garb.
Before she could find her footing, Elizbeth was caught in an escalating conflict.
Queen of Swords: Jennet was gone. Hannah Bonner and her half-brother Luke were on Jennet’s trail. Luke was determined to find his wife before more harm came to her. But the pair was too late.
Their rescue mission took too long. By the time they reunited, Jennet had given birth to Luke’s son. She had also left the baby in the arms of a stranger. But Luke and Hannah had come too far to give up.
They quickly discovered the identity of the baby’s new family, a powerful and unscrupulous Creole clan. To the Matriarch, young Nathaniel Bonner was her great-grandson, and she had no intention of giving the boy back.
When Does The Next Sara Donati book come out?
Sara Donati doesn't seem to have an upcoming book. Their newest book is The Sweet Blue Distance and was released on April, 2nd 2024.