April Garner writes fiction and non-fiction that explores the complexities of parenting, aging, and gender roles. She uses personal experience to connect with her readers when the tool is non-fiction. She describes her fiction as “coming-of-age,” no matter the official genre — literary fiction, thriller, or young adult.
She has published one novel, with another due out in fall 2026, several online articles, and many local magazines, which stubbornly remain in the dark ages of print-only. She also writes the newsletter, This Is Not What I Expected. Her debut novel, The Way It’s Supposed to Be, received a Writer’s Digest award for self-published e-books in 2023.
April lives in Austin, Texas, with her husband, two kids, two cats, and a bearded dragon.
The Well (Coming Fall of 2026)
Kat, a stalled writer living alone, is drifting through the middle part of her life in a cynical fog. But when a mysterious well materializes in her backyard, Kat discovers Alice, a spirit trapped within its depths. What begins as curiosity about the local legend of Mortis Manor becomes a terrifying journey through time as Alice reveals the dark history of her husband James and the sinister Doctor who destroyed their family.
But Alice’s story isn’t just about the past — it’s about Kat’s own buried memories of a night in high school when she and her friends played house in the abandoned manor, and only she emerged alive. As the boundaries between past and present dissolve, Kat realizes her connection to Alice runs deeper than she ever imagined.
Some secrets span lifetimes. Some debts must be paid across the ages.
A haunting tale of guilt, redemption, and the cyclical nature of time, where the sins of one life echo through eternity until a reckoning is served.
The Way It’s Supposed to Be
My debut (ahem! award-winning) novel is called The Way It’s Supposed to Be. It’s a story of someone who dares to question what her friends, family, and culture expect of her. Allie strikes out into the wilderness, leaving a bloody message for her fiancé, who, in his desperate and frustrating attempt to find her, is forced to confront his own subtle prejudices and assumptions about family. Allie and Mitch are both a mess, but events push them to try to reconcile their conflicting ideas about what each wants in life…
Available in e-book or paperback. If you order from Bookshop.org, a portion of your purchase goes to independent book stores.
Praise for The Way It’s Supposed to Be
I love that it spoke to questions about partnership and compromise but also what life should be about at the most fundamental level — what it might look like without the patriarchy and whether or not we’re obligated to participate in any of it. I read it in one sitting.
~ Ronda B.
I loved the subtle references to Central Texas and the coastal landscape of Texas. The author does an incredible job of developing the central characters. The book was captivating, leaving me with some deep introspection, being able to relate to trials and tribulations of both characters.
~ Geoff K.
I enjoyed the book very much, and it is not at all what I expected, which was good. It left me questioning my own assumptions about myself, our society, and life in general. Also, I couldn’t put it down!
~ Marlene C.
This book grabbed me from the beginning. The main characters’ stories — where they came from, how they got here, and their hopes for the future kept me pondering how such events shape where we are.
~ Katie S.