HI! I've been reading your blog for several months now and I would miss it, if you ever decided to sign off. I've read all of your books in the Wilderness series, as well as, Homestead. When I find an author that I like, I usually try to read related info and that search led me to your web site. Thank you for writing and posting. I enjoy the conversation.

hi, i picked up into the wilderness at the library, and have since read the rest of the books! (I especially liked fire along the sky... i can't wait for the sixth! thanks for exceeding my expectations - which were high - rather than disappointing) i googled your name, and this site came up and i check it out every so often. I'd be sad if the site ended, its nice to have contact w/ the person behind the book.

A friend recommended Into the Wilderness so when i saw it on the shelf in K Mart, i bought it. At the end of the book I nearly cried thinking you had ended before the babies were born but then l turned another page and there was the opening scenes from the next book. Also at the end of the book l saw that you had a website so I've been checking back here when l get on the net ever since. I also had to rush out and get Dawn on a distant shore and let me tell you the wait for the other rest of the books was torture. I actually wished that l hadnt discovered your books until the whole lot of them were written so i could just buy them all and not have the long wait between them. Um l guess you could say patience was handed out while i was holding the door.

Very inspiring rants and thoughts on your weblog. Though I prefer a less controlled style of writing, I come back to your blog regularly just to hear your voice :-).
I don't remember, where I found your blog...(never read one of your books, I can't find them in any bookstore here)

I read "Into the Wilderness" ages ago ... really loved it. I didn't realise that it was part of a series till I started seing the others in bookshops ... life events have meant that I wasn't able to read the others for awhile ... but I read "dawn" last year and then was very pleased to see "fire" in a bookshop a few months ago. I've only just realised this year that having websites is something that some authors "do" so before I was able to buy "fire" I thought that I would type your name into Yahoo and see what came up.... so here I am at this site. I came looking for "sweetings"/"spoilers" to "fire" until I could buy the book and now I have a look pretty much everyday. I enjoy reading your blog (and your other little bits and pieces such as reviews).... don't get rid of it. I've enjoyed all your discussions about writing, the books and general comments. Also, the fact that you are a Farscape fan does endear your site to me a little more as well! I can't wait for your new books to come out.

I read "Into the Wilderness" after reading about it on (if I remember correctly)iVillage. After that great book, I have read all of the others in the series. I found this weblog after searching for a website about you. I generally search for websites that have information about books that authors are currently writing. Your weblog is so much more, and very interesting. I really love all the books in the "Wilderness" series.

I'm a Google-slut. I had read the first three books and "googled" you one day and that's how I found the blog. My IT department visits it now I think because they wanted to know why my computer was hitting a certain site so many times a day.

I LOVE your blog because it's interesting and because I like that you've given up your personal time to connect with your readers. I really appreciate that you share the writing process with us, the different facets of your writings, and just your insight into writing, research and life.

You also got me started on the infertile blogs and none of my real life friends and family get it. I am totally hooked on so many blogs now and I've started my own blog and I'm writing more and I think my writing is actually starting to improve (unlike my grammar). And it's all because I googled your name.

For other authors that I like, some of them have web sites that get updated every other millenium and for some it's just their publishers web site. Now, that's fine because I understand people have jobs and a life and if you're blogging all the time, are you writing the next installment in the books I love? Remember, it's all about me.

But I really appreciate that you put yourself out there and you've shared a little of your expertise and yourself with the masses. I really appreciate that you've take time out of your busy life to do this and I've always been thrilled by this.

Oh, and you got me hooked on Farscape as well which is a very good thing!

I'd miss you but I'd understand. And I'd always have your books.

But I have to tell you, all my co-workers are highly impressed that a popular author has a blog and actually communicates with her readers. It's peaked even more interest in your writing.

My experience is similar to Jenniferanne's (whom I think I recognize from dooce's comment board?)

I had either read ITW or both it and DODS and then thought to google your name. The saralaughs.com website came up. At first, I didn't notice the weblog link on the bottom (or had time to search around). The next free time I had, I clicked the link and bingo! the rest is history.

I had never read ChezMis before I saw it on your site. I also bought Jennifer Crusie's "Welcome to Temptation" and Laura Kinsale's "Flowers From the Storm" from a comment you posted once.

And I was just going to email you in a week or so to find out if it is okay to link to your blog (when I get my own blog up and running).

I encourage my family and friends who have read your books to check your blog... but I don't think they understand (yet) the joy of reading weblogs.

1. My youngest sister (fabulous fine arts student who encourages feminism) gave me your ITW for my birthday, along with Allende's Daughter of Fortune. That'd be two years ago. Unfortunately for me, I read Allende first. Why?!? I didn't have a good time with that book. There were too many unexplored regions, I think. And I think "regions" is the word. Generally an unsatisfying read. For some reason, no - for this reason: 'Oprah's Book Club' was stamped on Allende's book cover - I thought that your book was also recommended by Oprah. Talk about judging a book by its cover!

Having a queasy, "not another woman must free herself," feeling when I thought about reading your book, I put it off. Again, I ask why?!? It sat on the bedside table, it fell off the bedside table, it got dusted off and made it to a proper bookshelf. Then I was needing something new to read. My favourite Harlequin authors weren't publishing that month, or something mystical happened, and I picked up ITW off my bookshelf. I think I may have been waiting to find out if I was pregnant, actually.
And then, wow, couldn't put it down. Called my sister, chastized her for not telling me about it - but hey, guess I trained her well, baby sister won't tell eldest what to do. So I bought the next book, and the next, (how lucky I felt to have put off reading ITW by two years). And then the waiting set in for Fire Along the Sky. Unfortunately, money being what it is, I must wait to purchase or leave it on my Christmas list at the moment.

Something you said (or ranted about? nah. one can't rant too much about grammar) made me aware of the overuse of exclamation points. Also - your writing on this blog has made me self-conscious about having loaned out the ITW, Dawn and Lake to my next sister down. I should have bought more copies. She's a farmer's wife, and I hadn't realized how little time she gets to read with three boys under 6. So baby sister who gave me the original has not read the follow-ups yet. Smells like a Christmas gift! I also buy quite a lot of books at Value Village/Salvation Army stores. You've made me think twice about my crimes...

5. Googled you to find out more about the series after I read Lake. Got sucked in to the blog after tooling around the site reading your reviews and snippets. Very impressive depth and openness - but thankfully not too open. Who knows, you may stop, I mean, we all have lives. But you would be sorely missed. Your writing would be even more eagerly anticipated, oh, that, and your Farscape boosterism.

I took things backwards, I guess -- had never heard your name when a Wise Friend pointed me to the first Farscape essay on your blog. So I sent you a fan-letter about your take on FS before knowing anything about your books. ("Smart Women Who Love Farscape" has become a fabulous category of people in my life.)

Have since read all your fiction and have "English with an Accent" on my waitlist. I check your blog every day or so because I like how you think AND as a bonus you link me to all kinds of good stuff that I wouldn't run into otherwise. I now blush every time I use an exclamation point in your presence, but I'm afraid my lifelong used-books habit is too deeply entrenched for shame to cure.

I always send you a silent blessing when you take days or weeks off from the blog because, a gal needs a life and you need to put your energy where it matters most. But I'm always happy to see you back on the air.

Hi,

I found the website at work; I'm a librarian. But first, I'm a reader and I absolutely love your series. I have just read them all again after reading Fire along the sky in September. I am at a loss now what to read. All the characters are still focused in my thoughts and their stories remain brilliantly strong with each reading. Although I have them here with me at work, except for the times they are checked out by other fans, I must now go and find them to have at home.

I was following trails from an issue of Quilting Arts, and googling on Rosina Lippi got me here. A Farscape essay caught my eye and I figured if you loved both of my own guilty pleasures, then I should explore your blog. The Daniel Day-Lewis Last of the Mohicians is one of my favorite movies, so I was pretty much pre-sold on the concept and enjoyed Into the Wilderness. I used to inhale historical fiction as a kid, but now I have to read so much for my job that I'm slow when it comes to novels. But your other wilderness books are in reserve for the next time I have a sick relative or a big storm or something else that breaks my routine and gives me sitting-around time. I did pick up Homestead, partly because my mother's family came from that same part of Switzerland and I was curious, and really enjoyed it.

My attention span is pretty much gone by evening, and most of my favorite TV is off the air [sob]; it's become my ritual to unwind by wandering around the internet, starting from a few favorite pages and clicking from there. If I'm online at all, I check your blog. Anyway, thanks for all that enjoyment.

1. Did you read one or more of my books before you found your way to this weblog?

No.

2. Had you ever heard of my books before you found your way to this website?

No.

3. If you found your way here never having heard of me or the books, have you since read one or more of them?

Yes. Into the Wilderness which I loved and have recommended to others. (Although not with much success so far.)

5. How did you first find this site?

At the time you were writing your series on sex scenes a number of blogs linked here. I followed them and was impressed by the blog. Then I got your book out of the library read a few chapters, realized I was hooked, and bought ITW for my camping trip.

Yes, I had been introduced to your "Into the Wilderness" before I found your website. If I find something (an author, movie producer, ideas) that I really like, I look for more info on the internet. So, after reading your books, I decided to look you up on the web and see what came up - that is how I found this site.

I visit your blog virtually everyday, looking forward to your insights on writing, story development, or whatever you have to say. And of course, any snippets of information on the upcoming Wilderness series books.

1. Yes
5. I Googled for "Sara Donati". I think I was trying to find out when your next book was coming out- but that was a year or so ago, so I'm not positive.
I first discovered your books because someone on a Diana Gabaldon message board recommended "Into the Wilderness"; I got myself a copy and found that I actually preferred it to Diana Gabaldon's books (though I do still have a soft spot in my heart for her, too). I enjoy your blog immensely- it's much more intellectually stimulating than most of the "Mommy blogs" I read daily.

No, for questions #1-3. As for #4... I think I'll go with D. I'm not sure. I'm way more likely to look through your books if I find myself wandering a bookstore after reading your blog, which is not that uncommon a thing. Not sure if I'd buy one but I did enjoy the snipets you posted from your writing. So, I guess I lean toward a yes on the book buying. =/

#5: I found your site from the 'Making Light' blog with links to the sex essays. But in general I just really like interesting blog things so I hung around and lurk. =D

-Diana

1. Did you read one or more of my books before you found your way to this weblog?

No.

2. Had you ever heard of my books before you found your way to this website?

No.

3. If you found your way here never having heard of me or the books, have you since read one or more of them?

Not yet, but I'm looking forward to reading them now.

4. I'm living in London (the British one), and I need to find if your books have been published here. Also, I'd like to get them in Spanish for my mom. (I'm a grad student, so these relatively straightforward tasks will take me for ever and ever).

5. How did you first find this site?

Via Making Light.

I read half of Into the Wilderness (bought it in paperback) last year and then finished it on a long trip to the beach by listening to the unabridged audiobook (from the public library). I then bought Dawn on a Distant Shore in paperback and also checked out the unabridged audiobook from the library so I can listen while driving. Some days, I sit in the car and listen! I plan to buy Lake in the Clouds in paper and Fire Along the Sky in hardback. I found your website and blog by googling Sara Donati. Thank you so much for all you write.

No, no, no, B, and through Storiopathy which I got via Making Light.

I read the first three books in the Wilderness series before finding this site sometime in early 2004 (I think).

I found this site by doing a web search for Sara Donati. I enjoy your blog very much and try to check in at least weekly to see what's going on. Your series on writing sex scenes was superb and I've checked back on that several times and recommended it to others.

I came to your blog via Making Light and the writing of sex scenes, liked the conversation and decided to hang around for a bit.

Hadn't read or heard of your books (had to check Amazon to learn that yes, they are available in the UK).

No promises, but not only am I more likely to buy / read your books now that I know they exist, it's also usually the author's voice that draws me into a book, so the blog has to have a positive effect there.

I picked up Into the Wilderness at the library years ago. About 1 year ago I decided to re-read it, but couldn't remember it's name. The only thing I could remember was a name similiar to Bonner(Bonnet,maybe). So I googled the word Bonner/Bonnet and came up with a book website like Amazon, which had a snippet from ITW. After finding the name of the book and the author, I did a search on Sara Donati and found this blog. I have been a faithful reader of the series and this blog ever since. I also have read some of the recommended books.

A good friend of mine recommended your books to me. After reading the first one I googled your name online and found this website. It is now on my favorites list and I drop by almost everyday. I have read all of your books and cant wait for more. I especially like when we (the readers) are given the opportunity to interact or respond in some way. The contests are loads of fun and so are your book reviews. Which reminds me, how was the Margaret Elphinstone book (Voyageurs) ? You mentioned it a while ago and I'd love to hear your opinion. Also, I love the Farscape stuff and because of this blog I am a Farscape addict. So please dont sign off! Best wishes and happy writing
-Carolyn

1. Yes, I had just finished ITW and was so excited to find an excerpt from the next book in a tantalising couple of pages at the end that I couldn't wait to find out when DOADS would be published. More specifically, when would it make it to NZ..?
5. So I did a search on the net on Sara Donati, found saralaughs and have been checking in daily ever since.
I was sorry to see the discussion forum closed down. I never registered as I have only a half hour opportunity to log onto the net in my lunch break at work and figured if I got into the discussion forum I'd never get anything else done!
While I'm here, a comment from Charlotte reminds me...
When I read the back cover of ITW, I was immediately drawn further by the connection with Last of the Mohicans. (Fear not, I would have read ITW regardless). While the Daniel Day-Lewis film was only loosely based on the novel, I didn't mind so much as when this happens in other movies because it was so beautifully filmed and the story so convincing, but mainly because I can still hear in my head exactly the way that Daniel D-L says to Cora under the waterfall "... I will find you". I utterly believed him. And having read ITW, that is how I see the relationship between Nathaniel and Elizabeth; no matter what occurs, they are never going to give each other up.
Well, really Sara, I could go on all day about your books. I am sure other people tell you the same thing, but get me together with someone else who has read the books and it's at least an hour before anyone can pause for breath. The characters are as alive to us as people in the next room.

Okay: I found your blog a couple of weeks ago, justpost NaNoWriMo, probably via a thread that involves Making Light.

Historical fiction hasn't been a bag of mine, but I'm in a constant effort to catholicize my various tastes, so, sure, I'll look up you stuff.

1. Yes
5. I had picked up the latest Gabaldon book in the library a few years ago, liked it, and bought the whole series. Somewhere along the line your name came up in her recommendations. So I tried Wilderness from the library, liked that, and bought the whole series. Note: I don't buy a book that I don't want to keep and reread numerous times. Time evolved, I retired, got an internet connection at home, fiddled some with Google, and found your website. My more significant interests in both sites are finding out the status of your latest novel, your comments on novel construction, and your recommendations of other authors.

Question and/or observation: There must be a clue in Jennet's 7 of swords, Q of swords of where she's going. I think I know, having read Prarie. However, a Google on Tarot cards made my morning somewhat surreal, but offered nothing more than a picture of her personality, which you had drawn out already. So... Can you reveal a clue to the clue?

I honestly can't remember if I'd read ITW before I got here. I think I must have, and I was Googling you to find out which book came next before I went back to the store. It was definitely a Farscape post that made me stay.

Read and totally loved, as in was madly obsessed with, Into the Wilderness. Did an internet search and found you here. Continued to hang around for the work-boredom relief and Farscape re-indoctrination - you linked to robyn's Farscape fanfics and I just had to start watching again. Through you, also discovered getupgrrl at Chez Miscarriage and then through her discovered dooce, who is now my absolute favorite person on the web. So, basically the fact that I can't get through the day without my daily dose of dooce is all your fault.

I came to this blog in a roundabout way (through a Farscape related blog), not having heard of your work. Several other people on my LJ friendslist had read your work, and in fact list Into the Wilderness as a book they read annually. I've subsequently read the books and enjoyed them thoroughly, as have my mother and aunt, who have devoured them and are greedy for more;)

I actually live in Johnstown, NY (the slightly-less-than-glamorous modern version). When ITW first came out, our local newspaper featured it in their expanded, four section Sunday edition. As an archaeologist by education, a teacher by profession, and a lifelong reader by inclination, I thought that it looked like the kind of book that I NEEDED to have so I ran out and bought it. Since then, I've waited anxiously for each new installment. I'm sure that like many others that I must have Googled "Sara Donati" to find out when the next book would be out and ended up here but I can't honestly remember! I did not originally read the blog but, once I did, I was hooked. It gives me interesting and thought-provoking things to consider during my day no matter what topic is being discussed. I like that.

I read Into the Wilderness & Dawn on a Distant Shore years ago. This year I re-read them and then read Lake in the Clouds. I re-read books often, especially when the books are from a series.

After I finished Lake in the Clouds, I found your web page. How, I don't remember. If it was not from the back of the book I googled your name. I often google the names of authors I like, especially after I have read a great book and I am still in the warm fuzzy phase. That feeling of oh-that-was-so-awesome-have-they-written-anything-else or when-is-their-next-book-coming-out-I-need-it-now!

(I have since read Fire in the Sky.)

I went looking for information about you on the web after I had read your books. I began to read "Lake in the Clouds" first. I tend to be attracted to books by their covers. I do some pastel painting. The picture on the cover fascinated me and when I read the synopsis I had to buy it. I read about halfway then I needed to know how it all began, so I went out and found the first two, read them and then finished 'Lake in the Clouds." I have not yet read "Fire in the Sky" yet but shall buy it as soon as the normal size edition comes out. The large version is too big to carry in my bag. I read on the way to work and coming home. I also find the information and discussions about the crtaft of writing really useful. I write a bit, but only for myself. The stories are there in my imagination. Thank you very much for your blog. I read it nearly every day and love it.

Yes, I had read your books several times before I found this site. As to how I found it, well being anal as I am, I regularly check author websites to see when news books will be coming out, after all, I dont' want to miss one, do I? I found your weblog through your webpage and now find myself checking in often.

I picked up "Lake in the Clouds" first. When I discovered it was a part of a series, I went and bought the rest and somehow discovered your website with discussions before your weblog was created. Kept losing my password for the discussion site then our PC at home got stuck by lighting and i stopped the discussion groups. I sometimes ask you questions about your characters but don't always get a response. I'm curious and would like to know things such as, will we find out what happened with Strikes the Sky, Hannah's husband. She goes to ask Otter or Manny I believe in Fire in the Sky but it stops there. I need some closure on him -- their relationship was very intense. Your books are just so very enjoyable to read and I forget they are not real people -- all the while, I imagine in my head while reading how a particular chapter would appear in a movie and look forward to all 5 books coming to the big screen or mini-series. So, to answer your curiosity, I started going to your website to find out if I had all the books, started participating in the discussion groups because I had questions about the characters or storyline, fell out of interest in that. Now I go to your weblog to find out the status of your next book and maybe to ask a question or two. It's just too long to wait for Queen of Swords -- write faster!!!!!

I found this site googling for sex scene advice! It has since become one of my regular reads while trying to slog thorugh this first novel I'm attempting. Your advice has been excellent and your entries very interesting, and so I did pick up Homestead, but have yet to read it. I'm so consumed with this book I'm writing that it been very difficult to read or even watch telelvision without my mind wandering back to a scene I've written or need to write. I would find this frustrating if I didn't suspect that it is probably a good thing--as opposed to writer's block anyhow (knocking on wood). But once my first draft is finished, I plan to take a long-ish, wonderful reading break.
Either way, you have a loyal reader in me, and let me just say thank you for taking the time to share with all of us. I think it is quite generous.

1. No. 2. No. 3. No. 4. Probably won't read your novels (although I will likely feel very guilty about that, but I'm just trying to be realistic considering the height of my to-be-read pile.) 5. Found you through the link to your sex-scene-writing series on Making Light. I'm sticking around because of your voice, your openness and your generosity in sharing with us your observations and experiences as a teacher and a writer. (Strange that with the prominent sex-scene-writing rank, I'm one of the few males commenting. Maybe a couple of the other ambiguously-monikered folks are guys, too.)

1. No. I have been reading your blog for several months knowing that eventually I WOULD get around to reading at least one of your books.
2. Yes, I had heard of your books before I started reading the blog. They were being recommended to me on a pretty regular basis in a group I am in. I have now finished Into the Wilderness and really enjoyed it, and am halfway through Dawn on a Distant Shore with Lake in the Clouds here ready to go. Once I discover a writer I like I tend to read all there stuff, and then sit around impatiently waiting for the next book to come out!
5. I found this site because whenever I am interested in books I google the author and see what I can find, and made my way here. I had your site saved in my favourites for months before I even got around to reading ITW.
Thanks for taking the time to do this when you can.

Question #1~Yes, though i read DOADS first... then ITW, and impatiently waited for the last two works in the BoNNeR series to be published.

Question #5~ Actually through you, from our former YaHoO site, which i miss, especially the reading of your work and GReAT people.

i now spend my extra monies introducing people to your work, and have purchased about 9 complete sets of all four of the Bonner series books for friends and family who have not read your work yet. Make that 10 complete sets, i just THoUGHT of another GReAT BiRTHDaY gift to send to a friend. LOVe your WORK, LOVE your BLOG, just WiSH i had more time to read iT. You TRULy AMaZe me with your writing, BoOKs, BLOG and ALL.

WiSHiNG you and yours a vera SaFe and HaPpY HOLiDaYz. Canno wait for MORe SUNLiGHT myseLF and here i LiVe in FLORiDa.

(i think i will make bookmarks with your site and info on them to send to friends... i do not know WHy i did not think of that before... ToO MUCH to DO..... ToO LiTTLe TiMe.)

Keep UP the GReAT work that you do.

Nope; Nope; Nope; Other-might read them some time; I found out about you via Teresa Nielsen Hayden's weblog. Just earlier today, in fact, via a thread on writing sex scenes. Thanks, I can understand your grudging respect for Jemima along with understanding that being in her head is hard work. All best, always,

Nortius Maximus

hi sara

i've just found your site this evening and hadn't heard of your books previously. i've bookmarked your site which means i'll check back at least fortnightly, if not more often. your books sounds interesting so i'll probably check one of them out from the library in the first instance and see how it goes.

i found your site googling the very generic "storytelling" because i'm struggling with a project and need to revisit the "there are only 3/5/8/33 stories in the whole wide world" sites for some clarity and boundaries right now. the link that came up was something about a list of the desirable qualities in a fictional character. it reminded me of my tendency to fall head over heels for fictional characters :) the first being sorenson carlise (spelling could be off) from margaret mahy's "the changeover". aaaah. swoon. :)

cheers
angela

Angela -- thanks for stopping by. I'll have to have a look at your Sorenson. He's on my list.

Responding to your questions: I just discovered your weblog site today even though I have had your name in my favorites since I read the first book. This refernce showed up with Google. I have read all the books twice and listened to all the books on audio tape.

I found Wilderness after reading all the Gabaldon Outlander series. Her comments about the Wilderness book were on the jacket and that was enough to recommend it, She writes through the senses; a characteristic you share. I have clear images of your characters in my mind. Your descriptions of settings are detailed enough to create pictures but do not clutter the story.

When I'm "living" (reading) your stories, your characters stay with me long after I've closed the book. I own them all and knowing that they are as close as my bookshelf when I need a friend, is comforting. Sounds pathetic to name book characters as "friends" but it speaks to your skill as a storyteller to make them so alive.

Thank you for your imagination, your perserverance, and your interest in your readers.

Now that I've found this site, I expect to become a regular visitor. I'm a Farscape fan also but am not sure of the connection. I guess I'll find out.

Hello - I first found Into the Wilderness at a book sale and enjoyed it a lot. I did an aol search on Sara Donati after I finished it to find out if there was another book coming along. I was very happy to learn that Dawn was forthcoming. I have been happily reading about Elizabeth and Nathaniel ever since! A few days ago I finished Fire Along the Sky and am now concerned that the last few pages foreshadow the death of Elizabeth with the birth of the long-awaited daughter. I am hoping, however, that I am wrong! This would be dreadful - I like Elizabeth a lot. Also, I am a reader of Diana Gabaldon's work and was pleased to see the conection between the two series. Thanks for writing such wonderful stuff!:)

After reading Gabaldon's Outlander series, I was distressed in waiting for her 6th book. A friend recommended your series - and omigosh, your characters are so much deeper and warmer and truer... If only I could express myself in such a manner... So...I've found a new favorite writer. Keep up the great work!

I read Diana Gabaldon's books. Once I was done those I asked someone at the bookstore what else was as good, while I waited for her next book. She handed me the first of your books and I was not dissappointed. I tracked your official web page down and from there got a hold of this 'blog' - which I have to say, is a lot of fun to read!

1. No.
2. Nope.
3. No. I did read your essay "Mother Tongues and Dissenting Daughters" though. I thought it was super interesting
4. Multiple choice.
(b) I actually want to read one of them, just haven't got around to it.

5. I was actually studying for my English final exam when, just to clarify, I looked up "difference between story and plot" on google. Your site had an ample and accurate answer.