Charlotte of South Manitou Island

Charlotte Richards' carefree world turns upside down on her eleventh birthday, the day her beloved papa dies in a spring storm on Lake Michigan. Without the persistence of fifteen-year-old Seth Trevelyn, son of South Manitou Island's lightkeeper, she might never have smiled again. He shows her that life goes on, and so does true friendship. When Charlotte's teacher invites her to the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893, Seth signs as crewman on the Martha G., carrying them to Chicago. Together, Seth and Charlotte sail the waters of the Great Lake to the very portal of the Fair, and an adventure they will never forget. While there, Seth saves Charlotte from a near fatal accident. Now, seventeen and a man, he realizes his friendship has become something more. Will his feelings be returned when Charlotte grows to womanhood?

Donna adopted Michigan as her home state in 1971 when she moved from a small town outside of Rochester, New York. She began penning novels in 1982 while working full time for an electronics firm in Grand Rapids. She resigned from her job in 1984 following a contract offer for her first book. Since then, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Zondervan Publishing House, Guideposts, and Bigwater Publishing LLC have published her novels. Her husband, Fred, a former American History teacher, shares her enthusiasm for history. Together, they visit historical sites, restored villages, museums, and lake ports purchasing books and reference materials for use in Donna’s research. Donna has lived all of her life in states bordering on the Great Lakes. Her familiarity and fascination with these remarkable inland waters and her residence in the heart of Great Lakes Country make her the perfect candidate for writing Great Lakes Romances(R). When Mackinac and the Great Lakes Romances(R) series first launched in May 1989, the author and her husband and two dozen friends and relatives from Michigan, New York State, and Illinois visited Grand Hotel to celebrate, enjoying the Victorian ambiance and superb cuisine.