April Davila - Author

Writing

Taking A Moment To Celebrate

November 23, 2009

I finished my first draft on Tuesday. It weighs in at 247 pages, and I almost can’t believe I did […]

Two Pages

November 16, 2009

On Thursday I drove to Beverly Hills for my meeting with the Fancy Hollywood Agent (FHA). His office was buzzing […]

Enter: Fancy Hollywood Agent

November 9, 2009

“The Feathered Tale of Talula Jones” is my thesis project for USC’s Master of Professional Writing program. It’s been an […]

A Large Red Drop Of Sun

November 2, 2009

As it turns out, the best teacher I’ve had on the topic of avoiding cliché was my high school art […]

Never, Ever, Go Back

October 26, 2009

Usually I write like a shark – always moving forward, never stopping. To stop would be death. If in the […]

Research Or Procrastination

October 19, 2009

Whenever I hit a wall with my writing I feel a powerful urge to go out to the desert to […]

Of Deadlines And Cookies

October 12, 2009

I have heard many writers say that they love deadlines, that they don’t sit down to write unless they have […]

Davila’s observant prose conjures the drama of sun-scorched days and the calm of cool painted evenings as it chronicles the struggles and rewards of a rugged life in the vast Mohave.

— Yvonne Puig, Author of “A Wife of Nobel Character”

An engrossing and original tale of love, betrayal, and extremely large birds, April Dávila’s 142 Ostriches is a novel that blooms like springtime in the California desert. Fiercely independent, brave, and tender, Tallulah Jones is a heroine for our time.

— Seth Greenland, Author of “The Hazards of Good Fortune”, Author of “The Hazards of Good Fortune”

April Davila has made the rare thing: The perfect meeting of plot and character. A hurtling adventure of family intrigue helmed by a heroine for the ages, Davila’s novel will make your heart swell as big as an ostrich egg, and then hatch it.

— Katie Williams, Author of “Tell The Machine Goodnight”

Davila’s utterly unique novel nails the Zeitgeist… With unsentimental acuity, her narrator confronts the intangible covenant foisted upon her.

— Rita Williams – Author of “If The Creek Don’t Rise”

Anyone who has ever felt the insistent tug of Somewhere Else… will find something of themselves in these fine pages.

— Mark Sarvas, Author of “Memento Park”

I’ve never read a coming of age story quite like Dávila’s. It’s about a rugged existence, but with prose so gorgeously written that you can’t help but see the beauty in the world she’s built.

— Erin La Rosa, Author of “The Big Redhead Book”

A twisty, warmhearted story of family, community and fate, a thoroughgoing delight.

— Janet Fitch, Author of “Chimes of a Lost Cathedral”

Vividly imagined and deeply felt, “142 Ostriches” is an utterly absorbing tale of an intrepid young woman coming of age in the California desert. I loved Davila’s big-hearted debut about land, family, and the ties that bind. Highly recommended.

— Lindsey Lee Johnson, Author of “The Most Dangerous Place on Earth”

A story told with depth and beauty about the many things we inherit from our families. Davila’s characters are familiar, yet unforgettable.

— Wayétu Moore, Author of “She Would Be King”

142 Ostriches is unlike anything I’ve read before. In Davila’s skillful hands, the desert comes alive and the ostriches are as compelling as the human characters. Tallulah herself is a memorable, strong-willed protagonist.

— Amy Meyerson, Author of “The Bookshop of Yesterdays”