Welcome to donnyseagraves.com

 

I’m glad you’re here. My name is Donny Bailey Seagraves. I’m an American author of books for children and adults. I’m also a native of Athens, Georgia and for many years lived in the nearby small town of Winterville, the rural North Georgia setting for my first published children’s middle grade novel, Gone From These Woods, published by Penguin Random House. For more information about Gone From These Woods, scroll down or go here. Wondering how I got published by Penguin Random House without an agent? Read my article in The Writer Magazine.

 

 

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More About Gone From These Woods

Nothing has been the same for Daniel Sartain since that morning in the woods when Uncle Clay went down. Mom tries to hold the family together with her comfort and love. Mrs. Hardy, Daniel’s guidance counselor at school, offers a sanctuary in her office as she tries to help Daniel survive after losing his role model and best friend. At the same time, Daniel’s alcoholic father, Clay’s older brother, makes a tragic situation worse. The memory of that cold morning in the Georgia woods – and most of all the hurt – will stay with Daniel forever. But somehow, he must find a way to go on . . . for Uncle Clay . . . and for himself.

In Gone From These Woods, author Donny Bailey Seagraves, an Athens, Georgia native, deftly illustrates the culture and tradition of the American rural South and how one boy must learn to navigate this world.

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"A dramatic story, and Seagraves sets it up effectively . . . a useful introduction to the devastating truth that an unintended and momentary mistake can change lives forever."
-The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
-The Bulletin of the Center for Children's BooksRecommended
"Depicts a realistic portrayal of grief from a youth's perspective . . . Boys will take interest in Daniel's internal superhero-vs.-villain battle."
-Kirkus Reviews
-Kirkus Reviews
"Understanding or coping with an accidential death is seldom so directly connected to real responsibility or the need to make peace with such a mistake. Seagraves shows the best way for support to be given as well as how hard it is to forgive."
-School Library Journal
-School Library JournalCarol A. Edwards, Denver Public Library
"The dynamics of the Sartain family are well-developed and genuine as a result of Daniel's authentic first-person narration. Seagraves' debut should leave readers weighing death, guilt and forgiveness."
-Publisher's Weekly
-Publisher's Weekly
"This is a story that will remain in your head and heart, after you turn the last page . . . It will leave the reader with a deeper understanding of life's painful moments and how a person summons the wisdom to handle them."
-Gail Langer Karwoski
-Gail Langer KarwoskiAuthor
"It's unfortunate that the counselor crafted by author Seagraves for this novel isn't available to every young person suffering from an emotional trauma. Mrs. Hardy offers Daniel the right amount of comfort and understanding to help him reach out for healing . . . Good stuff here."
-Joan Broerman
-Joan BroermanAuthor
"This is Donny Bailey Seagraves' first published book and after you read it, you're going to read everything she publishes . . . Ms. Seagraves captures rural Georgia to a tee and you'd think she actually was an eleven-year-old boy, the way she describes him and expresses his emotions."
-Laurel Rudolph
-Laurel RudolphAuthor
"There is a lot of complexity in this coming-of-age novel. Sensitive younger readers will be drawn in by Daniel's story, which can be likened to a more emotional twin of Gary Paulsen's Hatchet."
-Booklist
-Booklist
"Donny does a masterful job of creating characters, especially young Daniel Sartain and his grieving family . . . To have written a book of such moral weight and complexity . . . is a magnificent achievement."
-Philip Lee Williams
-Philip Lee WilliamsAuthor
"In the space of the first two pages, I found myself completely caught up in deliberating, as I imagined Daniel was, about hunting and Clay and Dad and living beings . . . I wanted only to read and read."
-Jane Penland Hoover
-Jane Penland HooverWriter and Writing Coach
"While the intended audience is middle-grade students, the book's authentic Southern voice and richly detailed characters offers universal appeal."
-Mary Jessica Hammes
-Mary Jessica HammesJournalist, Writer & Blogger
"How refreshing to find a novel that young people can read that doesn't contain wizards or fantastical creatures who may or may not help kids learn to successfully navigate our complex modern world."
-Jude Cowell
-Jude CowellArtist, Astrologer, Blogger
"When I was in elementary school, I read your book, "Gone From These Woods," and it has stuck with me. It was my first favorite book and I still think about it to this day, and I'm now 22. Thank you so much for writing such an amazing book that has stuck with me all these years."
-Jaden ScottYoung Reader
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About the Author

Donny Bailey Seagraves

Donny Bailey Seagraves is an American author living in Athens, Georgia, USA. Her debut middle grade novel, Gone From These Woods, was published by Penguin Random House. For many years, she has been a freelance writer with publication credits in numerous regional and national newspapers and magazines. When she’s not writing, Donny works in her business, Junebug Books and Collectibles, which she founded in 1998. To find out more about Donny, visit her About me page, Bio page, FAQs and Press Kit.

Got questions or comments for Donny? Send a message.

"Every well-written book is a light for me. When you write, you use other writers and their books as guides in the wilderness. Everything I write comes from my childhood in one way or another."

-Kate DiCamillo
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Read Previously Published Work
by Donny Seagraves

Read Donny’s Breakthrough article in The Writer Magazine about how she got published by Random House without an agent.

Read Donny’s Athens Magazine article about the late Harriette Austin, beloved writing teacher.

Read Donny’s Athens Magazine article about the oldest rodeo Bronc rider, Harry Hancock, a native of Athens, GA.

Read Donny’s Chicago Tribune article about Brenda Mullis, who went from Winterville, GA abused wife to studying to be a Methodist Pastor. 

Visit the Books page to find out about Gone From These Woods and other books by Donny Bailey Seagraves coming soon.

Other Books by Donny Bailey Seagraves

Coming soon: Finding Fiction in Your Own Backyard

Coming soon: Athens Writes

Coming soon: Spelling Bee

Coming soon: Cooking Southern With Annie D: A Seagraves Family Cookbook

Read My Latest Blog Posts

How I Won the Aqua Typewriter

September 18, 2020 No Comments

How I Won the Aqua Typewriter Back in the 1960s, developers built a new shopping center at the corner of Lexington Highway and Cherokee Road in my hometown of Athens,

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Interview With Literary Agent Jill Corcoran

September 15, 2020 No Comments

SCBWI SpringMingle 2013 Blog Tour: Agent Jill Corcoran SCBWI SpringMingle 2013 Blog Tour: Agent Jill Corcoran by Donny Seagraves | Jan 24, 2013 | authors, Blog Book Tour, Conferences | 4 comments Today I have the pleasure of hosting

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Interview With Darcy Pattison

September 15, 2020 No Comments

Interview With Darcy Pattison Author of The Book Trailer Manual by Donny Bailey Seagraves by Donny Seagraves | Aug 30, 2010 | authors | 1 comment My guest on Winterville Writer today is Darcy Pattison, author of 19

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