Coming soon: Ocean State Novel #2
A girl vanishes. A beach town keeps its secrets.
July 1979: twelve-year-old Christina Grove vanishes from Bonnet Shores, Rhode Island. Her older sister Maddie blames herself for sending Christina alone through the woods and follows increasingly dangerous leads. Cricket Kelly investigates the beach town’s unsavory characters while confronting her own teenage trauma.
Twenty-one-year-old Diana González, just beginning her work with the Narragansett Police Department, joins the search. As neighbors from every corner of Bonnet Shores come together, Diana suspects a chilling possibility: the person responsible may be among those helping to find Christina. The mystery explores lost childhood, female friendship, trauma, and redemption.
On sale November 3, 2026
The Ocean State novels
Each novel follows Detective Diana González at a different point in her career as she faces a new mystery in and around Narragansett.
I’m Donna Freitas, and I’m a Rhode Islander by birth. I grew up in Narragansett, went to Prout back in the 80s, and spent my summers at Bonnet Shores Beach. These novels are set in the places I’ve loved and lived; they take up the most important topics that have shaped my adult life, and every one of these mysteries revolves around women and girls, and the women who’ll do anything to make sure they find justice.
Now is the perfect time to begin the series . . .
Book two · November 3, 2026
In 1979, twelve-year-old Christina Grove vanishes from Bonnet Shores. Her sister Maddie and neighbor Cricket pursue their own leads while a young Diana González joins the search—and begins to suspect that someone helping the town may know what happened.
Learn more & preorder ↗
Book one · Available now
A New York Times Best Mystery Novel of 2025
When a Rhode Island mother disappears and leaves her baby behind, her closest friend must decide what to reveal about a confession Lucy made before she vanished.
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No matter the stage of your work, from conception to publication, whether you are working on a novel, a memoir, or even your dissertation, my coaching and consulting services are the bridge to help you move to the next chapter (literally).
I’ve taught and supported writers for 10+ years both in academia and privately. In that time I’ve helped countless people complete, edit, and publish their novels, memoirs, non-fiction and young adult books, and academic publications, too.
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From writers I’ve worked with
“Working with Donna was like taking a masterclass in fiction. Donna is committed, consistent, and a true friend by your side.”Amy B. ScherAuthor of The Unexpected Afterlife of Salon Rose
“She made the editing sound—and feel—easy. More importantly, she was able to help me know when to let go, stop writing, and send it out.”Emi NietfeldAuthor of Acceptance
“I credit Donna Freitas with the fact that my book is out in the world rather than cast away, unfinished, in a drawer somewhere.”Molly MillwoodAuthor of To Have and to Hold
“She will brainstorm with you about character, plot, dialogue, argument, or critique, and then zoom out to offer big-picture solutions to narrative momentum or clarifications on its purpose.”Carlene BauerAuthor of Girls They Write Songs About
Speaking
Whether you’re looking for a speaker at your university or organization, I can help your community start and sustain vital conversations using my extensive research on college students, as well as give lectures on the art and craft of writing.
Book me as a speakerAbout Donna
With the publication of Wolves of Summer in November 2026, Donna officially launches the Ocean State Novel Series—mysteries rooted in the Rhode Island coast where she grew up. The first novel, Her One Regret, was released by Soho Crime in November 2025; it was a November Book of the Month selection and named a New York Times Best Mystery Novel of the Year.
Donna has written more than twenty-five books of fiction and nonfiction for adults, young adults, and children, including Consent: A Memoir of Unwanted Attention and the book club favorite The Nine Lives of Rose Napolitano, translated into 22 languages.
She has taught creative writing in MFA programs and loves working one-on-one with writers on novels and memoirs. Donna has visited more than 200 colleges and universities across the United States to speak about her research on students, sex and relationships, sexual violence, identity, and social media. She also speaks about the craft of writing.
Donna divides her time between the US and Barcelona. When she isn’t reading, she’s probably eating or cooking.
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