About
Phyllis Wheeler set a goal at age 13 to write a children’s book. But it didn’t happen quickly! Life threw in lots of delays.
She’s written for daily newspapers, worked on airplanes as a mechanical engineer, worked as a publisher and editor, and raised four children, doing some homeschooling along the way. Now, finally, she’s writing award-winning time-travel fantasy tales for kids and teens.
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Award-winning author and Jesus follower Phyllis Wheeler has done a little bit of many things. After studying English in college, she worked for five years as a newspaper reporter. Then 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 a small press for five years, winning several awards.
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 is a finalist for the prestigious Selah Award. Book 3 was published in 2024, and Book 4 arrives in 2025.
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 !
Interviews
Listen to a 2025 podcast interview on the Bookworthy Podcast.
Listen to a 2025 podcast interview on Ice Cream With Authors.
Listen to a podcast from Ye Olde Dragons Library. Look for Season 3, Episode 27.
She’s got more to say in this 2023 blog interview.
Speaking, Teaching
Download a high-resolution photo here.
Phyllis gives talks on storytelling and the author life. Contact her to book an outing!
ind out more about my awards and interviews!
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 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 in Pre-Teen, Mature Issues 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
