Briefly…
Phyllis Wheeler writes stories for kids and teens. Her popular award-winning books feature strong families, faith and a moral compass. She’s written for daily newspapers, worked on airplanes as a mechanical engineer, worked as a fiction book publisher and editor, and raised four children, doing some homeschooling along the way. She and her husband live in St. Louis.
Want to Hear More?
Award-winning Christian author Phyllis Wheeler has done a little bit of many things. After studying English in college, she worked for five years as a newspaper reporter, first of several careers. She went back to school and became a mechanical engineer working in aerospace for seven years.
During her next career as a homeschool mom, she created and self-published a computer-programming curriculum (focusing on fun projects for kids) that won many first-place awards. She picked up her childhood goal of writing a children’s book and learned a lot of writing craft. With a friend she operated Castle Gate Press for five years, winning a Selah Award.
Her debut middle-grade novel published in 2021 and won a Moonbeam Award and an Purple Dragonfly Award. Since then she has been creating a chapter book series, time-travel fantasy adventure for kids 8-11. The first book in this series, The Dog Snatcher, won a Purple Dragonfly Award, and in addition was a finalist for the prestigious Selah Award for Christian Fiction.
Book 2 was a finalist for the prestigious Selah Award. Book 3 was published in 2024 and was long-listed for the Realm Award. Book 4 arrived in 2025, a finalist for the Cascade award from Cascade Christian Writers Association.
In 2025 she also published two picture books about Roland, an adventuresome duckling looking for God.
Phyllis is available for school visits. She likes to teach about storytelling to a variety of ages. She lives in St. Louis with her husband, keeping tabs occasionally on their four grown children.
Get the prequel to her chapter book series, a short story, when you sign up for her newsletter at https://www.phylliswheeler.com/join-my-newsletter!
Speaking, Teaching
Download a high-resolution photo here.
Phyllis gives talks to schools and other groups on storytelling and the author life. Contact her to book an outing!
Links to Interviews and Awards
2026 spring: Spring 2026 issue of Clean Fiction Magazine contains a full-page review of Secret of the Lost Dragons by Phyllis Wheeler. Magazine available to those who pay at https://www.sunsetvalleycreations.com/cleanfictionmagazine or, clipping stored here: https://www.phylliswheeler.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/PhyllisWheeler-Spring2026-2-scaled.png
2025 Winter: Winter 2025 issue of Clean Fiction Magazine contains a full-page review of The Dog Snatcher by Phyllis Wheeler. Magazine available to those who pay at https://www.sunsetvalleycreations.com/cleanfictionmagazine or, clipping stored here: https://www.phylliswheeler.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/PhyllisWheeler-Winter2025-2-scaled.png
4/2025 Cascade Christian Writers Cascade Award Finalist: Children’s Chapter Books, Return of the Cave Lion, Phyllis Wheeler https://cascadechristianwriters.org/2025-cascade-award-finalists/
8/2025 Midwest Book Review, August, review of Return of the Cave Lion by Phyllis Wheeler, review by Diane Donovan https://midwestbookreview.com/mbw/aug_25.htm
9/2025 Midwest Book Review, September, Review of Roland Looks for God by Phyllis Wheeler, review by Susie Housley https://www.midwestbookreview.com/cbw/sep_25.htm
3/12/2025 Podcast Interview with Bookworthy Podcast, Valerie Fentress. https://www.valeriefentress.com/post/bookworthy-chats-with-author-phyllis-wheeler
3/03/2025 Round two “long list” contenders for the Realm Award, Realm Makers Expo, Phyllis Wheeler for Search for the Hidden Throne, https://www.realmmakers.com/2025/03/03/realm-awards-2025-round-2-contenders/
2/27/2025 Podcast Interview on Ice Cream with Authors Podcast. https://icecreamwithauthors.buzzsprout.com/2437556/episodes/16596622-episode-9-author-visit-with-phyllis-wheeler
2025 Readers Favorite five-star review of Return of the Cave Lion by Phyllis Wheeler https://readersfavorite.com/book-review/return-of-the-cave-lion
2025 Readers Favorite five-star review of Roland Looks for God by Phyllis Wheeler https://readersfavorite.com/book-review/roland-looks-for-god
2025 Readers Favorite five-star review of Roland Runs from God by Phyllis Wheeler https://readersfavorite.com/book-review/roland-runs-from-god
2024 Lucy’s Library, review on Youtube of my Guardians of Time series. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpRMIvQLhPY
2024 VoyageSTL Magazine article, interviewing Phyllis https://voyagestl.com/interview/rising-stars-meet-phyllis-wheeler-of-saint-louis-missouri-usa/
2024 Selah Award Finalist for Secret of the Lost Dragons in 2023 in Chapter Books category https://www.facebook.com/TheSelahAwards/posts/pfbid02hA1Qpx5BxbHixGciQwgVP39r975hJzXXA7dD3HC6rdtWzjSxgtj2kLK5bfFdMrowl
2023 Readers Favorite five-star review of The Dog Snatcher by Phyllis Wheeler https://readersfavorite.com/book-review/the-dog-snatcher
2023 Lorehaven review of The Dog Snatcher by Phyllis Wheeler https://lorehaven.com/reviews/the-dog-snatcher/
2023 Ye Olde Dragon’s Library Storytelling Podcast, interview with Phyllis Wheeler by Michelle Levigne https://www.buzzsprout.com/2099813/episode_players/13863550-season-3-episode-27-storytellers-episode-chat-with-author-phyllis-wheeler
2023 Selah Award Finalist for The Dog Snatcher by Phyllis Wheeler for 2022 in Middle Grade category https://www.blueridgeconference.com/2023-selah-award-finalists/
2023 New Classics Study Guides three interviews of Phyllis Wheeler https://www.newclassicsstudyguides.com/phyllis-wheeler/
2023 Interview on author Jill Chapman’s blog, of Phyllis Wheeler https://authorjillchapman.com/meet-author-phyllis-wheeler/
2021 Moonbeam Award for Phyllis Wheeler with The Long Shadow https://moonbeamawards.com/blog/2021-medalists
2017 Castle Gate Press won a Selah Award in the speculative genre with Cruel Messenger by Timothy Ayers. Castle Gate Press was a partnership between Phyllis Wheeler and Suzanne Hartmann that closed in 2018. https://www.facebook.com/TheSelahAwards/posts/congrats-to-the-2017-selah-awards-winners-brmcwc2017-the-selah-awards-winnersgen/670424423152519/
2011 Motherboard Books / Phyllis Wheeler receives Practical Homeschooling Magazine’s Readers Choice Award for Computer Science in 2011. https://www.prlog.org/11713002-motherboard-books-commemorates-eighth-anniversary-with-award.pdf
