,
Discover new books on Goodreads
See if your friends have read any of April Davila's books
April Davila

year in books

April Davila’s Followers (121)

member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
Suzanne
1,796 books | 461 friends

Amanda ...
1,012 books | 1,337 friends

Amy Ephron
74 books | 523 friends

J. Else
3,244 books | 288 friends

Sarah Ham
11 books | 17 friends

Amanda
2,344 books | 538 friends

Lisa Pineo
3,971 books | 162 friends

Lucia K...
696 books | 165 friends

More friends…

April Davila

Goodreads Author


Born
in Santa Rosa, California, The United States
Website

Twitter

Genre

Member Since
January 2010

URL


April Dávila is an award-winning author, speaker, and writing coach. Publishers Weekly called her debut novel, 142 Ostriches, a "vivid, uplifting debut" and the book went on to win the WILLA Award for Women Writing the West. Writer's Digest listed her blog (at aprildavila.com) as one of the Best 101 Websites for Writers and she is the creator of the Sit Write Here writing coaching program, helping writers quiet their inner critics, overcome writer's block, and edit more effectively.

She's a half-hearted gardener, occasional runner, and practicing buddhist living in Los Angeles.
...more

To ask April Davila questions, please sign up.

Popular Answered Questions

April Davila The first piece of advice I always give to aspiring writers is to just get started. Set aside a regular time and just do it. It might mean getting up …moreThe first piece of advice I always give to aspiring writers is to just get started. Set aside a regular time and just do it. It might mean getting up early (like, really early) or working on your lunch break, or writing on the bus, but if you wait to be inspired, the odds of finishing anything are pretty slim. Be okay with the fact that your first draft will suck and just get to it.
The second thing I usually tell writers is to go ahead and take the word "aspiring" out of their description of themselves. If you write, you're a writer. You don't have to wait for publication or awards or your parent's approval to call yourself a writer. Just write something. (less)
April Davila Hi, Jodi,
Thank you so much for reaching out. I have already finished the next novel and am working on getting it published. I'll keep you posted!
Cheer…more
Hi, Jodi,
Thank you so much for reaching out. I have already finished the next novel and am working on getting it published. I'll keep you posted!
Cheers,
April(less)
Average rating: 3.9 · 1,384 ratings · 362 reviews · 3 distinct works • Similar authors
142 Ostriches

3.87 avg rating — 1,316 ratings — published 2020 — 11 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating
Sit Write Here: 6 Mindfulne...

4.36 avg rating — 66 ratings — 3 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating
42 Stories Anthology Presen...

by
4.89 avg rating — 18 ratings — published 2024 — 5 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating

* Note: these are all the books on Goodreads for this author. To add more, click here.

Why Character Likability Is the Wrong Question

The current image has no alternative text. The file name is: Blog-Articles-Images-2026-4.png

When I was writing my first novel, I worried for months that my protagonist wasn’t likable enough. She was prickly. She made the same bad choice over and over. She kept her family at arm’s length even when they were trying to help. I kept asking myself: will readers stick with her?

I hear some version of this question from writers constantly. “I’m not sure my character is likable enough.” And what

Read more of this blog post »
 •  0 comments  •  flag
Share on Twitter
Published on September 30, 2026 08:31

Related News

Need another excuse to go to the bookstore this week? We've got you covered with the buzziest new releases of the day. To create our list, we...
38 likes · 10 comments
Dungeon Crawler Carl
April Davila is currently reading
by Matt Dinniman (Goodreads Author)
bookshelves: currently-reading
Rate this book
Clear rating

 
The Pirate Queen
April Davila is currently reading
by Ariel Lawhon (Goodreads Author)
bookshelves: currently-reading
Rate this book
Clear rating

 
A World Appears: ...
April Davila is currently reading
by Michael Pollan (Goodreads Author)
bookshelves: currently-reading
Rate this book
Clear rating

 

April’s Recent Updates

April Davila wrote a new blog post

Why Character Likability Is the Wrong Question

When I was writing my first novel, I worried for months that my protagonist wasn’t likable enough. She was prickly. She made the same bad choice over Read more of this blog post »
April Davila wants to read
The Wreck of the Mentor by Eric Jay Dolin
Rate this book
Clear rating
April Davila finished reading
Take Me with You by Steven  Rowley
Take Me with You
by Steven Rowley (Goodreads Author)
Rate this book
Clear rating
April Davila started reading
Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman
Rate this book
Clear rating
April Davila started reading
Take Me with You by Steven  Rowley
Take Me with You
by Steven Rowley (Goodreads Author)
Rate this book
Clear rating
April Davila finished reading
Whistler by Ann Patchett
Rate this book
Clear rating
April Davila rated a book it was amazing
The Chaperones by Amy Meyerson
The Chaperones
by Amy Meyerson (Goodreads Author)
Rate this book
Clear rating
April Davila is currently reading
The Pirate Queen by Ariel Lawhon
The Pirate Queen
by Ariel Lawhon (Goodreads Author)
Rate this book
Clear rating
April Davila wants to read
Failure Point by Rebecca Hodge
Failure Point
by Rebecca Hodge (Goodreads Author)
Rate this book
Clear rating
April Davila finished reading
The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones
Rate this book
Clear rating
More of April's books…

Polls



Time to vote for the October Members Choice Book! We didn't get 10 choices but have 7 - and some good ones to boot! Look them over and vote for your favorite!

Poll will remain open until close of day on Sept 15th.

 
  9 votes, 26.5%

 
  8 votes, 23.5%

 
  7 votes, 20.6%

 
  5 votes, 14.7%

 
  4 votes, 11.8%

 
  1 vote, 2.9%

 
  0 votes, 0.0%

More...

Topics Mentioning This Author

topics posts views last activity  
Ultimate Popsugar...: Week 15: 4/2 - 4/9 122 278 Apr 15, 2020 10:00PM  
The Reading For P...: What's On Your Monthly TBR-September 2020? 66 49 Sep 30, 2020 08:50AM  
Book Riot's Read ...: Task #10: Read a book that takes place in a rural setting 111 1344 Nov 20, 2020 09:46PM  
The Reading For P...: Deb's Digs 2020 29 40 Dec 16, 2020 12:58PM  
345436 Reese's Book Club x Hello Sunshine — 179226 members — last activity 13 hours, 26 min ago
Hey Y’all, We’ve been reading together for awhile and we don’t know about you, but we’re ready to hear your thoughts and opinions. This group is a pl ...more
No comments have been added yet.