fiction

Earth Landed Yesterday. Wisteria Lands Next Week

/ Wendy Cheairs / Leave a comment
Hello Readers!
Yesterday, Trial by Earth walked out into the world.
Next week, Wisteria Creed does the same.
I am thrilled. I am exhausted. I am already writing the next thing. This is fine. Everything is fine. The writing cave is absolutely on fire — metaphorically, thankfully, given that I write paranormal romance and an actual fire would be on brand in a way I’d prefer to avoid.
Let’s talk about all of it.
 Trial by Earth — OUT NOW
It’s here. Book three of the Richmond Academy series is officially in the world, and I could not be more excited for you to read it.
Shayla’s earth powers. Georgios’s Minotaur heritage stepping fully into the light. Darker twists. Higher stakes. The pivot point of a five-book arc that has been one of the wildest, most rewarding things I’ve ever written.If you’ve been waiting — wait no longer.
 Grab Trial by Earth now
And if you’re joining us — here’s the full series so far:
 Trial by Fire — Book one. Available now and on Kindle Unlimited.
 Trial by Sea — Book two. Out now and on Kindle Unlimited.
 Trial by Earth — Book three. Out now and on Kindle Unlimited.
 Trial by Air — Book four. Pre-order open. End of October 2026.
 Trial by Spirit — Book five. The finale. December 2026.
Five books. One year. Three down, two to go.

 Next Week — Not Your Maniac Pixie Dream Girl
One week. Seven days. I am not calm.
Wisteria Creed — half-Pixie, half-Sidhe Fae, graveyard-shift radio host, firm policy against being anyone’s idea of harmless — is almost ready to meet you properly. Book one of the Not As Written series lands next week, and I have been looking forward to this one for a long time.
Slow-burn romance. Found family. A protagonist who refuses at every turn to be what the story expected her to be. A Wendigo situation that turns out to be considerably more complicated than advertised.
If you haven’t pre-ordered yet — now is the time.
 Pre-order Not Your Maniac Pixie Dream Girl
And already in progress — Not Your Book Boyfriend, book two of the Not As Written series, coming November 2026. Wisteria finally has the life she fought for. New Avalon is about to send someone perfect to watch over her. Perfect is not what it looks like. More on that soon.

Let Me Tell You What Two Simultaneous Series Actually Looks Like
People sometimes ask how I manage it. Two series. Multiple release dates. Editing one book while drafting another while a third is literally releasing this week.
Here is an honest answer: it looks like a lot of open tabs, a very strong coffee habit, and a writing cave that has started to feel less like a room and more like a permanent state of being.
Trial by Air is deep in editing right now — book four, out at the end of October — while I am simultaneously in the trenches of Trial by Spirit, the final book of the Richmond Academy series, targeting December. Meanwhile, Wisteria releases next week, and Not Your Book Boyfriend is due in November.It is a lot. It is genuinely, objectively a lot.
And I love every chaotic, deadline-stacked, manuscript-juggling minute of it. Something about having this many stories alive at once makes the writing cave feel electric. Every project feeds the others in ways I didn’t expect. Writing Wisteria’s found family in San Diego makes me think differently about Shayla’s found family at Richmond Academy. Drafting Trial by Spirit’s ending makes me more intentional about how I’m building the Not As Written arc.
Busy is good. This busy — the creative, deadline-driven, living inside-multiple-worlds kind — is the best kind there is.

Still Promoting — Anthologies Worth Your Time
 Once Upon A Fairytale — Pre-order now for $0.99. Dark fantasy fairytales, original stories, and my contribution Half-Coin Promise — two best friends, a split coin, and a promise that holds the whole story together.
 Seasons of Magic: Summer — Out now. My story The Flames of Lammas is inside — emotional, transformative, and the kind of magic that lingers.
 Pre-order Once Upon A Fairytale for $0.99
 Grab Seasons of Magic: Summer
From the Writing Cave — Home Improvement Edition
The shoulder is working well enough now that I have rediscovered an entirely new category of things that need doing around the house.
This week: a toilet. Next up: a bookshelf that needs a backing, probably this weekend. Normal household things. Mostly normal. The kind of things that pile up quietly while your arm is out of commission for several months and you’ve been pretending not to notice them.
The desert is still warm but there is a distinct feeling in the air that fall is negotiating its arrival. I am welcoming it. I have left the porch light on. Fall, whenever you are ready, the door is open.
Thank you for being here through the busiest summer of my writing life. It has been quite a ride. The best kind.Happy Reading,
Wendy
P.S. Trial by Spirit — the final book of the Richmond Academy series — is being written right now. I am in the trenches of Shayla’s ending. Five books, one year, one story that has meant more to me than I knew it would when I started. December is coming. I’m not ready and I’m writing it anyway.
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A Small Town Romance
I hope you enjoy this small-town sweet romance. When you’re finished, please leave a review. Reviews help other readers find the book.Nate Wilder comes home to Cedar Hollow ahead of schedule — his tour officially over, his war anything but.
Widowed and quietly unraveling, he carries a truth no one in town can see: that grief and guilt made him question his own readiness, and he walked away before hesitation could put someone else in the ground. No one knows. And he’d like to keep it that way.
When his sister — my best friend, Rachel — pulls me into the swirl of casseroles, pointed questions, and small-town speculation, I do what I’ve always done: I make lists. I manage chaos. I keep storms from taking people under.
But the storm that is Nate Wilder is harder to organize than I expected.
His late wife’s family is circling. The gossip is sharpening. And when the whispers about his loyalty, his stability, and what moving on is supposed to look like threaten to swallow him whole, Nate makes a proposition I never saw coming: a fake engagement — clean, practical, temporary — to quiet the rumors and prove he’s planting roots.
What starts as a contract quickly becomes the safest place either of us has had in years. As we plan a fundraiser that could rescue my struggling business and honor the past without being buried by it, the lines we drew begin to blur.
And somewhere between the lie we’re telling Cedar Hollow and the truth we’re afraid to say out loud, I stop being able to tell where the arrangement ends —and where real love begins.GET YOUR BOOK HEREImage descriptionGet your FREE copy of Darkness of My Soul Preview
Win the War.
Save your Soul.
Or Lose Everything Trying.

The world ending was the easy part, dealing with a demon cosplaying a human who thinks I’m going to be his queen, not so much.

Lynn The moment my mother died, he was haunting my dreams like some weird stalker. He claims there’s a tie between us, but all I know is that I need to take him out if I’m ever going to be free.

Kalerian She has no idea what she’s capable of. The power she has over this world and how I plan to use it. She’s been mine since the first life I saw her in. She just doesn’t know it yet. She thinks she can win, but I never lose.

Can I really save the world and fight my past or will I be consumed by it?
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I Got Best Friends, True Love, and Castles — Here’s What I Did With Them

/ Wendy Cheairs / Leave a comment
Hello Readers!

PT is done. I am free. The shoulder lives again.
I celebrated the only way that makes sense — by immediately going back to writing. Obviously.
It has been a big week, and there is a lot to share, so let’s get into it.
Brand New — Once Upon A Fairytale Anthology
Something new is available for pre-order, and I am so excited to tell you about it.
Once Upon A Fairytale is a dark fantasy fairytale anthology — original stories, not retellings — and it is exactly as delicious as that sounds. A prince imprisoned in a tower. A stolen child. A jealous enchantress. A mysterious hunter in the forest. These are not the fairytales you grew up with.Available to pre-order right now for only $0.99.
My contribution is called Half-Coin Promise, written under my W.M. Dawson pen name — and here’s how it came to be.
When I joined this anthology, the organizer rolled out story concepts for each author to work with. I got three: Best Friends, True Love, and Castles.I looked at those three things and knew immediately what the heart of the story had to be. Not the castles. Not even the love. The friendship.
Two girls split a coin and make a promise — find your own castle, and meet me at the gates when you’re done. That coin became the thread that runs through the whole story, keeping Elara and Lyric connected even as the world tears them apart. Labyrinths that feed on memory. Iron citadels wrapped in fog. A cursed valley that steals a musician’s voice. Separate roads, separate trials, one unbroken promise between them.
I wanted the friendship to shine all the way through — even the happily ever after. Because the best love stories, romantic or otherwise, are really about the people who walk alongside you while you figure yourself out.Half-Coin Promise is a fairy tale about the kind of love that doesn’t rescue you — it walks alongside you while you rescue yourself.
👉 Pre-order Once Upon A Fairytale for $0.99
Coming September 1 — Not Your Maniac Pixie Dream Girl
Three weeks. That is how long until Wisteria Creed officially arrives, and I am barely keeping it together.
If you haven’t met her yet — Wisteria is half-Pixie, half-Sidhe Fae, runs a graveyard-shift radio show, and has a very firm policy against being anyone’s idea of harmless. When a Wendigo tears through her San Diego neighborhood, she calls it in and gets Detective Trevor Gibson — the one cop in the city willing to take her seriously.
What follows is a reluctant partnership, a slow-burn romance, and a case that keeps getting worse in exactly the ways she should have seen coming. Someone has been capturing Wendigos. Studying them. And now that someone has decided Wisteria herself is the most interesting thing he’s ever found.
She has spent her whole life being told she is not quite enough. She is about to find out exactly how wrong that was.
This is the first book in a brand new series — paranormal romance with urban fantasy bones — and I cannot wait for you to meet her properly.
👉 Pre-order Not Your Maniac Pixie Dream Girl
Still Available — Seasons of Magic: Summer
Seasons of Magic: Summer is out now, and my story The Flames of Lammas is in there — emotional, transformative, and the kind of magic that stays with you.
If you haven’t grabbed it yet, it’s available now and will be around for a few more months. Don’t sleep on it.
👉 Grab Seasons of Magic: Summer
The Richmond Academy Series — The Final Stretch
Five books. One year. All happening right now — and the finish line is in sight.
🔥 Trial by Fire — Book one. Available now and on Kindle Unlimited.
🌊 Trial by Sea — Book two. Out now and on Kindle Unlimited.
🌍 Trial by Earth — Book three. August 25, 2026. Pre-order open — almost here.
💨 Trial by Wind — Book four. In editing. October 2026.
✨ Trial by Spirit — Book five. In second draft. December 2026. The finale.Yes. December. Shayla’s story ends this year. I have a lot of feelings about this, and I am processing them one chapter at a time.
👉 Start with Trial by Fire
👉 Continue with Trial by Sea
👉 Pre-order Trial by Earth — August 25
From the Writing Cave — A Free Woman
I am officially discharged from physical therapy, and I cannot tell you how good that feels.
Months of slow, stubborn, infuriating progress — and now I can move my shoulder almost entirely normally. A little soreness remains,s but I can work that out on my own, on my own schedule, without anyone making me do the thing with the resistance band. I am thrilled. I am grateful. I am free.The heat is still absolutely committed to being the heat — triple digits, relentless, personal — but I can see fall on the calendar from here. It exists. It is coming. I am choosing to believe in it the way you believe in something you desperately need to be true.
The writing cave, meanwhile, has never been busier or more alive—so many stories, so many deadlines, so much happening this year and into next. I wouldn’t trade a single sweaty, manuscript-covered moment of it.
Thank you for being here. For reading. For coming back week after week even when the desert is trying to end me. You are the best part of doing this.
Happy Reading,
Wendy
P.S. Trial by Spirit — book five, the final chapter of Shayla’s story — is in second draft right now. I am writing the ending of a series I have loved with my whole heart this year. December can’t come soon enough. And also I’m not ready. Both things are true simultaneously.
Image descriptionShe studies the stars while her love life crashes and burns.
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Amateur astronomer and recent Ph.D. graduate Eden Daniels has always been fascinated with the cosmos. Her father had told her how the stars watch over the earth though they are millions of miles away. Until an accident at work brings a pair of magical red high heels into her possession courtesy of a snarky fairy godmother, Eden never guessed how closely those stars watch.Her fairy godmother assures Eden that the red shoes will bring her every sexual fantasy to life. Eden scoffs at that idea…until the Orion constellation manifests as a very real, very naked man in her bed who claims to know her desires. The mythological hunter’s smile promises delivery and satisfaction.But her fairy godmother omitted a very important warning: that even mind-numbing pleasure comes with a price tag attached. And danger lurks behind every wish.GET FOR FREEImage descriptionLove is a shift of heart.
Get your FREE copy of Shaman
Don’t let the series number trip you up. Shaman is a standalone book. Its kick-ass FMC and swoon-worthy MMC will steal your heart. A druid straddles the line between light and darkness . . . Renleigh Rogan keeps to herself in her remote Montana cabin, tending her plants and honing her protection spells. Only occasionally does she indulge her shape-shifting abilities… Called to Scotland in the middle of the night to help heal a rogue warrior, her first instinct is to ignore the summons, but danger lies in disobeying a powerful goddess. A rogue is caught in a celestial tug-o-war . . . Jamie Lennox gave up the warrior community long ago, voluntarily fighting in the Morrigan’s rogue army. Cocky, and one of the most accomplished swordsmen in the community, he’s the perfect weapon for taking the warriors the Morrigan covets most. Yet when he loses a pivotal battle, she turns on him, leaving him injured and lost in a no-man’s land between good and evil, a place no warrior or rogue can exist for long. Luckily for him, a beautiful druid has come to his rescue, even if she’s saving him against her will. Two people are brought together by a force they never saw coming . . . The fact Jaime Lennox looks like a fallen angel has nothing to do with Renleigh’s decision to come to his aid. His sexy come-ons do not intrigue her either—not even a little bit. Nor does the mysterious past he hides. While the two of them spar inside an enchanted cottage in the Highlands, overhead, a celestial storm is brewing, one that will require each of them to decide what truly matters—their beliefs about themselves and each other or the truth that will set their love free.GET FOR FREE
Image descriptionSurvival in the Cracks of Empire
Get your FREE copy of Our Fallen Woman
What would you sacrifice to survive hunger?

A striking work of Irish historical fiction, Our Fallen Woman draws readers into a world shaped by hunger, faith, and impossible choices.

Set against the harsh aftermath of Ireland’s Great Hunger and the pull of emigration, this novel follows young Erin, a child born into poverty and heartbreak, whose life is altered by forces far beyond her control.

From the windswept shores of Galway to the unforgiving streets of Dublin, London, New York and beyond, her story unfolds alongside others caught in the machinery of empire, survival, and ambition. Lives intersect across class and continent, revealing a society marked by injustice, resilience, and quiet acts of sacrifice.

With elements of historical drama, romance, and crime woven through its pages, this is a deeply human tale of endurance and transformation. It explores what is lost when survival demands everything and what remains when faith, identity, and hope are tested to their limits.

Rich in atmosphere and emotional depth, Our Fallen Woman will appeal to readers of female-driven historical fiction who seek a story both intimate and sweeping, grounded in history yet alive with urgency.

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The Sun Is Trying to End Me — But the Books Are Thriving

/ Wendy Cheairs / Leave a comment
Hello Readers!
August is here and it is doing the most.
Trial by Earth is dropping at the end of this month. Seasons of Magic: Summer just landed on Saturday. Not Your Maniac Pixie Dream Girl is six weeks out. And somewhere in the writing cave, all five Richmond Academy books are in motion simultaneously, which is either impressive or unhinged — possibly both.Let’s talk about all of it.
Seasons of Magic: Summer — It’s Here!
Seasons of Magic: Summer dropped this past Saturday and I am so excited to finally have it out in the world.
My story in this anthology is called The Flames of Lammas — and it is a different kind of magic from my Magical Matchmaking contribution in Spring.Lara fled to Oregon to escape a man who nearly destroyed her — but starting over isn’t as simple as running away. Welcomed into a warm and powerful coven, she begins learning witchcraft and the sacred rituals of Lammas, hoping to release the pain and fear she left behind. Surrounded by newfound friendship, she finally starts to feel whole again.
But when her abusive ex tracks her down and demands she return, Lara’s fragile peace shatters.
With the support of her coven and the strength she’s fought to reclaim, Lara must face him under the rising flames of the Lammas bonfire. This time, she won’t run.
Because true magic isn’t about spells — it’s about finding the power within to set yourself free.
It’s emotional, it’s transformative, and it captured my imagination in a way I didn’t expect while writing it. I hope it stays with you.
👉 Grab Seasons of Magic: Summer
The Richmond Academy Series — All Five Books Are in MotionLet me paint you a picture of what August looks like from inside the writing cave.
Book three is releasing at the end of this month. Book four is in editing. Book five is in second draft. All five books in a single series, all in active stages, all happening this year.
I am fine. Everything is fine.
🔥 Trial by Fire — Book one. Available now and on Kindle Unlimited.
🌊 Trial by Sea — Book two. Out now and on Kindle Unlimited.
🌍 Trial by Earth — Book three. August 25, 2026. Pre-order open now — this one is almost here.
💨 Trial by Wind — Book four. In editing. Coming October 2026.
✨ Trial by Spirit — Book five. In second draft. The final book in the series.Yes, the final book. I’m not ready to talk about that emotionally but I am writing it anyway.
👉 Start with Trial by Fire
👉 Continue with Trial by Sea
👉 Pre-order Trial by Earth — August 25th
What’s Happening in Trial by Wind — A Tease
Since Trial by Wind is currently on my editing table, I want to share something about it — because something happened in this book that genuinely surprised me while writing it.
I had a plan. I knew where a certain dark secret was going and which character it belonged to. And then, somewhere in the drafting process, the story told me I had it wrong. A completely different character needed to carry this secret. The backstory, the lore, the way it ripples forward — it all made so much more sense the other way.
So I rewrote it. And it was one of the most fun rewrites I’ve ever done.I can’t tell you which character. I can’t tell you what the secret is. What I can tell you is that when you get to it, you’re either going to gasp or immediately flip back to look for the clues I planted. Possibly both.
Trial by Wind. October 2026. Watch for it.
Coming September 1st — Not Your Maniac Pixie Dream Girl
Six weeks out and the pre-order is live. Wisteria Creed — half-Pixie, half-Sidhe Fae, graveyard-shift radio host, firm policy against being anyone’s idea of harmless — is almost ready to meet you properly.
The cover is coming. The book is ready. September 1st is closer than it looks.
👉 Pre-order Not Your Maniac Pixie Dream Girl
From the Writing Cave (Send Help. And Ice.)
The desert has decided that August means business. We are back in the triple digits and the sun is doing that thing where it feels genuinely personal — like that level in Super Mario Brothers where the sun comes down trying to end you specifically. That is what stepping outside feels like right now. I am staying in. The cats are staying in. We have all made our peace with indoor life.On a significantly brighter note — PT is nearly over. I should know for certain next week, but the signs are very, very good. My shoulder is moving almost fully normally again, with just a few remaining hitches that I can manage with regular stretching. After months of this slow, stubborn thaw, freedom is right there. I can practically touch it. With my almost-fully-functional arm.I cannot wait.
Thank you for being here every week, for reading, and for following along on what has been the busiest and most exciting year of my writing life. You are very much a part of this.
Happy Reading,
Wendy
P.S. Five books. One series. Fire, sea, earth, wind, and spirit — all coming this year. Trial by Wind lands in October, and it has a secret in it that even surprised me while writing it. Trial by Spirit, the final book, is already in second draft. The end of Shayla’s story is being written right now. How are you feeling about that?
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 Theory Time — What Do You Think Is Coming in Book Three?

/ Wendy Cheairs / Leave a comment
Hello Readers!
We are a little over a month away from Trial by Earth dropping; the rain has finally shown up in the desert like an uninvited guest I am absolutely delighted to see, and the writing cave is running at full capacity.It’s a good week. Let’s talk about it.
The Richmond Academy Series — Where We AreFor anyone just joining us, here’s the full picture:
 Trial by Fire — Book one. Shayla arrives at Richmond Academy unable to control her spark and leaves something entirely different. Available now and on Kindle Unlimited.
 Trial by Sea — Book two. Shayla and Georgios face underwater trials, deepening secrets, and a mermaid heritage with a very inconvenient price tag. Out now and on Kindle Unlimited.
 Trial by Earth — Book three. Pre-order open now. Releasing August 25, 2026. And oh, do we need to talk about this one.
 Start with Trial by Fire
 Continue with Trial by Sea
 Pre-order Trial by Earth
Trial by Earth — Let’s Talk About Book Three
Here’s something I don’t think I’ve said out loud yet: Trial by Earth is the book I almost wrote second.
I had the water book and the earth book swapped in my original plan. But the deeper I got into this story — the darker twists, the weight of what happens to Shayla and Georgios here — the more I knew it belonged in the middle. Book three of five. The pivot point. The place where everything gets harder before it gets better.
And it is darker. I warned you I’d keep pushing these characters, and I meant it.
What makes this one different is the powers. We’ve seen Shayla’s fire. We’ve seen what water demanded of Georgios. Now we’re grounding — literally. Shayla develops earth powers in this book, and there is something about grounding energy, about roots and stability and what the earth asks of you, that hits completely differently against the chaos of everything happening around her.
And Georgios. His Minotaur powers come forward in a way we haven’t seen yet, and writing that side of him has been one of the most genuinely fun things I’ve done in this series. He’s been patient. He’s been steady. Book three is where we find out what’s underneath all that steadiness when it’s really, truly tested.
This is the middle of a five-book arc. If you know anything about five-act structure, you know what the middle means. Things shift here. Not everything shifts the way you’re expecting.
I have two questions for you, and I genuinely want your answers — hit reply:
 What do you think is coming in Trial by Earth? Theories, guesses, wild speculation — bring it all. I love seeing what readers expect versus what actually happens.
 What are you most worried about for Shayla and Georgios going into book three?
(I’ll just be over here, reading every reply, saying nothing.)
Last Call — Seasons of Magic: Spring
Seasons of Magic: Spring disappears at the end of July. That’s soon. If it’s been on your list, this is your official final nudge.
My story, Magical Matchmaking — clumsy witch, skeptical mundane man, love spell that goes gloriously sideways — is in there, along with a full anthology of magical stories. Still available on Kindle Unlimited.
After Spring comes Seasons of Magic: Summer, available for pre-order now and arriving August 1st. My contribution this time is quieter, more emotional — a woman reclaiming herself after everything. I’m proud of it in a different way than Magical Matchmaking.
 Grab Spring before it’s gone
 Pre-order Summer now
Coming September 1st — Not Your Maniac Pixie Dream Girl
The pre-order is live, and I am barely containing myself.
Meet Wisteria Creed: half-Pixie, half-Sidhe Fae, graveyard-shift radio host, and a woman with a very firm policy against being anyone’s idea of harmless. When a Wendigo tears through her San Diego neighborhood, she calls it in — and gets Detective Trevor Gibson, the one cop in the city willing to take her seriously.
What follows is a reluctant partnership, a slow-burn romance, and a case that keeps getting worse in exactly the ways she should have seen coming. Because the Wendigo wasn’t random. Someone has been capturing them. Studying them. And now that someone has decided Wisteria herself is the most interesting thing he’s ever found.
She’s spent her whole life being told she’s not quite enough. She’s about to find out exactly how wrong that was.
 Pre-order Not Your Maniac Pixie Dream Girl
From the Writing Cave
The rain arrived in the desert this week, and I cannot overstate how happy this has made me. We went from triple digits and suffering to actual clouds and actual rain and temperatures that feel like the atmosphere remembered we are living creatures with limits. I went outside voluntarily. It was a moment.The shoulder is doing so much better — and I may, fingers firmly crossed, be done with PT after my evaluation in August. I refuse to jinx it by saying more than that. But the idea of being free — truly free, arm working, PT behind me — is keeping me very motivated in the writing cave.
And the writing cave has been genuinely buzzing. So many projects, so much happening this year and into next. I am busy in the way that feels alive rather than exhausted, and I am grateful for every word of it.
Thank you for being here, for reading, and for replying when I ask questions. You make this worth doing every single week.
Happy Reading,
Wendy
P.S. Trial by Earth lands August 25th — and after that, we head into the wind. Book four is where Shayla finally gets to fly. Just thought you should know what’s coming.
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☕ No Big News. Just a Story I’ve Been Wanting to Tell You.

/ Wendy Cheairs / Leave a comment

Hello Readers!

Some weeks bring launches and cover reveals and big announcements.

This is not one of those weeks.

This week I’m pulling up a chair, making myself comfortable, and telling you something about a character who has been living rent-free in my head for months. Come sit with me for a minute.

The Books — Quick Catch-Up

In case you’re new here or just need a refresher:

🔥 Trial by Fire — Book one of the Richmond Academy series. Available now, on Kindle Unlimited, and the best place to start.

🌊 Trial by Sea — Book two. Out now, also on KU, and I put Shayla and Georgios through absolute chaos and I’d do it again.

🌍 Trial by Earth — Book three. Pre-order open now, releasing August 25, 2026. More on this one in the P.S.

📖 Seasons of Magic: Spring — Still available, still on KU, but not for much longer. Grab it while it’s here.

☀️ Seasons of Magic: Summer — Pre-order open now, arriving August 1st.

👉 Not Your Maniac Pixie Dream Girl — Pre-order open, releasing September 1, 2026. Cover coming soon. I promise I’ll make noise about it the second it lands.

Let Me Tell You About Wisteria’s Radio Show

Here’s something I haven’t shared before.

When I started writing Not Your Maniac Pixie Dream Girl, Wisteria Creed didn’t have a radio show. I was searching for something that would round out who she was — something that felt true to her without being obvious — and then I landed on the name and the concept and just kept pulling the thread.

Now I can’t imagine the book without it.

Long before Wisteria ever threw a punch at a Wendigo, she was already saving people. Just with a late-night playlist and a voice in the dark instead of a sword. The show started as a surface detail — something to play into the “Manic Pixie Dream Girl” idea the title is actively arguing against. But it became something else entirely. It became the one place in the whole book where she doesn’t have to perform, explain herself, or prove anything to anyone.

Just her, a microphone, and the music she can hear in every living soul.

That’s Wisteria. I love her enormously and I cannot wait to introduce you properly.

A Question for You

I’m curious about something and I’d love to hear from you directly.

What’s your favorite romance trope? Hit reply and tell me — slow burn, enemies to lovers, forced proximity, second chance, found family, grumpy/sunshine, something else entirely? I read every reply and I’m genuinely asking.

Bonus points if you tell me which one you secretly love but would never admit to in polite company. No judgment here. This is a safe space.

From the Writing Cave

The shoulder continues its slow and steady thaw, PT is going well, and I have tentatively been informed that the heat may — may — ease up by a few degrees sometime soon. I am choosing to believe this. I need to believe this.

The cats remain my faithful writing companions through all of it. They are warm, they are present, and they are completely indifferent to my deadlines in the most comforting possible way. Between them and the A/C and approximately seventeen open manuscript tabs, the writing cave is fully operational.

So many projects. So much happening this year and into next. I am busy in the best possible way and I wouldn’t trade it for anything — except maybe a mild afternoon. Just one. That’s all I ask.

Thank you for being here on the quiet weeks just as much as the loud ones. It means more than you know.

Happy Reading,
Wendy

P.S. Trial by Earth lands August 25th — and I’m about to get my manuscript back from my editor, which means the cover and blurb are almost ready to share. Almost. Stay close.

 One Cover Away From Losing My Mind (In the Best Way)

/ Wendy Cheairs / Leave a comment

Hello Readers!

Not every week brings a launch. Sometimes it’s just a good week to catch up, stock up, and get ready for what’s coming.

And what’s coming? A lot.

The Richmond Academy Series — Where Are We?

If you’re just joining us, welcome. Here’s the quick version:

Trial by Fire is book one — still available, still on Kindle Unlimited, still the best place to start Shayla’s story. 🔥

Trial by Sea is book two — out now, also on Kindle Unlimited, and if you’ve read it you already know what I did to these characters,

and I’m not apologizing. 🌊

Trial by Earth is book three — available for pre-order right now, releasing August 25, 2026. The manuscript is with my editor. The cover exists. The blurb is written. I am sitting on all of it with the patience of someone who has absolutely no patience. Soon. 🌍

Five books. One year. Shayla deserves a nap and so do I.

👉 Start with Trial by Fire
👉 Continue with Trial by Sea
👉 Pre-order Trial by Earth

Seasons of Magic — Last Call for Spring

Seasons of Magic: Spring is leaving at the end of July. If it’s been sitting on your to-read list, this is your nudge. It’s still available and still on Kindle Unlimited — but not for much longer.

My story, Magical Matchmaking, is in there. Clumsy witch. Skeptical mundane man. A love spell that goes exactly as planned, which is to say, not at all.

And right behind it: Seasons of Magic: Summer — available for pre-order now, dropping August 1st. A whole new season, a whole new set of stories, including mine. Different tone this time — more emotional, more transformative. I’m really proud of it.

Grab Spring before it’s gone. Pre-order Summer while you’re at it.

👉 Grab Seasons of Magic: Spring
👉 Pre-order Seasons of Magic: Summer

Something’s Coming — And I Can’t Stop Thinking About It

Not Your Maniac Pixie Dream Girl — my brand new paranormal romance series — is coming September 1, 2026, and the pre-order is nearly ready to go live.

I’m waiting on one thing: the cover.

The moment it lands in my inbox, I’m sharing it everywhere. This book has been living in my head for a long time, and Wisteria Creed — half-Pixie, half-Sidhe Fae, graveyard-shift radio host, absolutely nobody’s idea of harmless — is finally almost ready to meet you.

Watch this space. It’s going to be worth the wait.

From the Writing Cave (and the Backyard and Frontyard, Finally)

The desert is still doing what the desert does — which is to say, it is aggressively, unapologetically hot. For months the yard has been going feral while I watched from behind the glass with my frozen shoulder and my good intentions.

But here’s the thing about physical therapy finally working: eventually you get your arm back. And then you go outside and introduce yourself to the overgrown bushes that have been running the place unsupervised.

Progress has been made. The bushes have been reminded who’s in charge. I’m choosing to count this as a victory.

Grayson, my writing buddy and personal furnace, continues to be completely unbothered by any of this. He is in my lap. He is always in my lap. In January this is charming. In July, in New Mexico, at 100 degrees, it is a choice he is making — and I respect the commitment even as I suffer. The husband gets him at night. I have made my peace with this arrangement.

Thank you for being here, even in the quiet weeks. You’re the reason I keep showing up.

Happy Reading,
Wendy

P.S. Know someone who’d like this? Forward it their way. One referral keeps me writing. Seriously, that’s the deal.

July Is Bringing the Heat (So Are the Books)

/ Wendy Cheairs / Leave a comment

Hello Readers!

Welcome to July.

A new month, a stack of books, one very warm cat, and news I’ve been sitting on so long I may have pulled something. Let’s get into it.

Trial by Fire — Still Only $0.99

If you’ve been on the fence about starting the Richmond Academy series, the fence just got a lot cheaper to climb.

Trial by Fire is still on sale for $0.99 for a limited time — and it’s also available on Kindle Unlimited. This is book one of a five-book arc, all releasing this year, and it’s the best place to start.

Shayla’s story begins here. Don’t miss it.

👉 Grab Trial by Fire for $0.99

Trial by Sea — Out Now

She’s out in the world and I am still not over it.

Trial by Sea is available right now — on Amazon and on Kindle Unlimited — and if you’ve already read it, you know what Shayla and Georgios are up against. If you haven’t yet, what are you waiting for? The tide isn’t going to hold forever.

👉 Read Trial by Sea now

Trial by Earth — Available for Pre-Order

And here’s the news I’ve been barely containing.

Trial by Earth, book three in the Richmond Academy series, is officially available for pre-order. Release date: August 25, 2026.

I’m nearly done. The manuscript is so close to my editor’s hands I can feel it. The moment it’s out of mine, I get to share the cover and the blurb — and I cannot wait. Pre-order now so it lands right on your Kindle the day it drops.

👉 Pre-order Trial by Earth

Seasons of Magic — A Chapter Ending, A New One Beginning

Seasons of Magic: Spring is still available for $0.99 and on Kindle Unlimited, but it won’t be around much longer. If you haven’t grabbed it yet, now is the time.

My story in Spring — Magical Matchmaking — follows a clumsy witch whose very sincere attempt at finding true love goes exactly as sideways as you’d expect. It’s warm, it’s funny, and the mundane man who doesn’t believe in magic is absolutely going to regret that position.

And coming very soon: Seasons of Magic: Summer, available for pre-order now at $0.99.

My story this time is a different kind of magic entirely.

Lara fled to Oregon to escape a man who nearly destroyed her — but starting over isn’t as simple as running away. Welcomed into a warm and powerful coven, she begins learning witchcraft and the sacred rituals of Lammas, hoping to release the pain she left behind. But when her ex tracks her down and demands she return, Lara’s fragile peace shatters. With her coven beside her and the strength she’s fought to reclaim, she’ll face him under the rising flames of the Lammas bonfire. This time, she won’t run.

It’s more emotional than Magical Matchmaking, more transformative — and I’m really proud of it.

👉 Grab Spring for $0.99


👉 Pre-order Summer for $0.99

Something Entirely New — Coming September 1st

Okay. I’ve been keeping this one close to my chest, and I am done waiting to tell you.

I have a brand new series — paranormal romance with urban fantasy bones — and the first book is called Not Your Maniac Pixie Dream Girl, available for pre-order now with a release date of September 1, 2026.

Meet Wisteria Creed: half-Pixie, half-Sidhe Fae, graveyard-shift radio host, and a woman with a very firm policy against being anyone’s idea of harmless. When a Wendigo tears through her San Diego neighborhood, she calls it in — and gets Detective Trevor Gibson, the one cop in the city willing to take her seriously.

What follows is a reluctant partnership, a slow-burn romance, and a case that keeps getting worse in exactly the ways she should have seen coming. Because the Wendigo wasn’t random. Someone has been capturing them. Studying them. And now he’s decided Wisteria herself is the most interesting thing he’s ever found.

She’s spent her whole life being told she’s not quite enough. San Diego was supposed to be the place where nobody knew enough about her to have an opinion.

She’s about to find out exactly how wrong that was.

👉 Pre-order Not Your Maniac Pixie Dream Girl

From the Writing Cave (and the Thermostat)

The desert has fully committed to its bit. We’re talking high 90s to 100-degree days, and my household has reached unanimous consensus: we do not go outside. We live inside now. The A/C is not a luxury, it is a lifestyle.

The cats are in agreement — except for Grayson, my solo boy, who has apparently decided that the logical response to triple-digit heat is to climb directly into my lap while I write and radiate as much additional warmth onto me as physically possible. I ask him daily why he does this. He has no answer. He simply purrs and increases the temperature. Cat logic is a mystery I will never solve.

On a genuinely bright note: the frozen shoulder is thawing. Like, actually thawing. My PT said — and I quote — “looks like someone’s been doing their homework” — which is the most validation I have ever received from a medical professional and I am still thinking about it. I can move my arm properly again. I can write nearly a full day without my arm staging a protest. I am so happy about this that I wrote even more books, apparently.

[Your indie author book recommendations go here]

Thank you — truly — for being here, for reading, and for sharing these stories with the people in your life. This has been a big month and you’ve been a big part of it.

Happy Reading,
Wendy

P.S. Next month brings Trial by Earth, the Seasons of Magic: Summer release, and a new series dropping on September 1st. If you think this month was a lot — just wait.

So Many Books, So Little Desert Shade

/ Wendy Cheairs / Leave a comment

Hello Readers!

It’s here. It’s actually here.

Trial by Sea officially dropped this Tuesday, June 23rd, and I have been doing a very undignified happy dance about it ever since. Shayla and Georgios are back, the stakes are higher, the secrets are deeper, and I am so ready for you to read it.

👉 Grab Trial by Sea on Amazon | Read on Kindle Unlimited

But wait — a deal you don’t want to miss

Haven’t started the series yet? This week only, Trial by Fire is on sale for just $0.99.

That’s book one of a five-book arc, all releasing this year, for less than a cup of coffee. Shayla’s story starts here, and trust me — you’ll want to be caught up before the tides really turn.

👉 Grab Trial by Fire for $0.99 — this week only

From the writing cave

Trial by Earth — book three — is nearly done. I’m talking almost-ready-to-hand-off-to-my-editor nearly done, which means I am very close to being able to share the blurb and the cover with you. I’ve been sitting on both and it is taking every ounce of restraint I have.

August can’t come soon enough.

And speaking of things I’ve been sitting on… I have a surprise.

I’ve been quietly brewing a brand new trilogy. It’s Fae and human, it’s unexpected, and the first book is called Not Your Maniac Pixie Dream Girl. The series name is still coming together, but the book itself? Coming along beautifully. The moment the cover is finished, it’s going up on Amazon — and I cannot wait to drop this one on you. More details coming this fall.

Yes, I know. So many books. The writing cave has been running at full capacity.

Seasons of Magic — one ending, one beginning

Seasons of Magic: Spring is winding down, so if you’ve been meaning to grab it, now is the time. Once it’s gone, it’s gone.

The good news? Seasons of Magic: Summer is right around the corner — available August 1st, 2026, and available to pre-order right now. A whole new season, a whole new collection of magical stories, including a new one from me.

👉 Grab Spring while you still can


👉 Pre-order Summer now

On the home front

Physical therapy continues to be, as I’ve taken to calling it, an experience. The frozen shoulder is improving — slowly, stubbornly, on its own schedule and absolutely nobody else’s. I’ve made peace with the timeline. Mostly.

Meanwhile, the heat has fully arrived in the desert, and my household has made a unanimous executive decision to stay indoors with the A/C. The cats are in full agreement. We are all operating at minimum necessary movement until further notice.

Thank you for reading, for sharing, and for following along on this wild year of books. Truly — every one of you matters.

Happy Reading and the many books,
Wendy

Two Weeks Until Trial by Sea! 

/ Wendy Cheairs / Leave a comment

Hello Readers!

We’re officially down to two weeks until the release of Trial by Sea on June 23rd, and I couldn’t be more excited!

It feels like just yesterday I was sharing Trial by Fire with all of you, and now Shayla’s journey is continuing. Book 2 takes everything I loved about the first story and turns up the stakes. Shayla and Georgios are really put through the wringer this time, and just when they think they understand what’s happening around them, the tides shift beneath their feet.

Meanwhile, I’ve been hard at work on Trial by Earth, which releases this August. The manuscript is coming together beautifully, and I’ve already started preparing for Book 4 in the Richmond Academy series. Watching this series grow beyond my original plans has been such an amazing experience. I’ve also had the chance to see all three covers together, and they look absolutely stunning as a set. I cannot wait to share them with everyone.

And yes, if you think Shayla and Georgios have it rough in Trial by Sea… let’s just say I may have pushed them even harder in Trial by Earth.

For those who haven’t pre-ordered yet, here’s a reminder of what’s waiting for you:

Trial by Sea


The Phoenix has risen… but the tide is coming in.

Shayla thought the worst was behind her. After surviving her first year at Richmond Academy, she’s no longer the girl who can’t control her spark. She’s a Phoenix Guardian in training, stronger and more steady than ever.

But as her relationship with Georgios deepens, so do the complications.

Georgios has secrets of his own—secrets tied to a mermaid heritage that demands a price Shayla isn’t sure they can pay. When they are drawn into a series of deadly underwater trials, their trust is pushed to the breaking point.

With a charismatic new rival determined to come between them and the Academy’s dark secrets rising to the surface, Shayla must master her powers before they are extinguished forever.

Meanwhile, if you’re looking for something magical to read right now, Seasons of Magic: Spring is still available on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited.

My story, Magical Matchmaking, follows a clumsy witch whose search for true love leads her directly into magical chaos—and into the path of a very handsome mundane man who doesn’t believe magic exists at all. Unsurprisingly, things don’t go according to plan.

And coming soon is Seasons of Magic: Summer!

This anthology features a whole new collection of magical stories, including my newest contribution. While it’s very different from the lighter romantic fun of Magical Matchmaking, I’m excited to share it. This story follows a woman learning how to embrace change and accept an entirely new life she never expected. It’s a little more emotional, a little more transformative, and a story that really captured my imagination while writing it.

Outside the writing cave, summer has officially arrived here in New Mexico. Thankfully, we’ve actually seen some rain lately, which has cooled things down and made the heat far more manageable. I’m grateful for every cloudy day and every drop of rain. It’s still warm, but not quite the scorching temperatures we’re used to, and I’m definitely not complaining.

As always, books remain one of life’s brightest spots. I’ve gathered another collection of exciting new releases, recommendations, and book deals from other authors for you to explore below.

Thank you for reading, supporting indie authors, and sharing stories with friends and fellow book lovers. Every reader makes a difference, and I appreciate each and every one of you.

Happy Reading,

Wendy

Welcome to June! 

/ Wendy Cheairs / Leave a comment

 New Books, New Adventures, and What’s Coming Next

Hello everyone,
Welcome to June, everyone!
I can’t believe we’re already halfway through the year. It feels like just yesterday I was sharing the release of Trial by Fire, and now we’re only a few weeks away from the next adventure.
Trial by Sea releases on June 23, 2026, and I am so excited to share Book 2 of the Richmond Academy series with you. I’ve been hard at work finishing up Trial by Earth, which will be released in August 2026, and it will be heading off to my editor soon. Even more exciting, the cover is nearly ready to share!I absolutely love how this series is coming together. Watching Shayla and Georgios grow from Trial by Fire through Trial by Sea, and now into Trial by Earth, has been such a rewarding journey. What started as a smaller project has continued to grow, and I’m thrilled to be spending so much time in the world of Richmond Academy.
If you haven’t pre-ordered yet, here’s a reminder of what’s coming in Trial by Sea:
The Phoenix has risen… but the tide is coming in.Shayla thought the worst was behind her. After surviving her first year at Richmond Academy, she’s no longer the girl who can’t control her spark. She’s a Phoenix Guardian in training, stronger and steadier than ever.But as her relationship with Georgios deepens, so do the complications.
Georgios has secrets of his own—secrets tied to a mermaid heritage that demands a price Shayla isn’t sure they can pay. When they are drawn into a series of deadly underwater trials, their trust is pushed to the breaking point.With a charismatic new rival determined to come between them and the Academy’s dark secrets rising to the surface, Shayla must master her powers before they are extinguished forever.
Perfect for readers who love supernatural academies, elemental magic, fated mates, and slow-burn romance.
Pre-order link- AMAZON
Meanwhile, Seasons of Magic: Spring is still available for only 99¢ on Amazon and through Kindle Unlimited.
My story, Magical Matchmaking, is part of the anthology. It’s a lighthearted romantic fantasy about a clumsy witch whose attempt to cast a spell for true love goes completely sideways—only to land her with a very handsome mundane who absolutely refuses to believe magic exists. As you can imagine, things get complicated quickly.
And there’s more magic on the horizon!
Seasons of Magic: Summer is now available for pre-order, and I’ll have another short story included in that collection. I’m looking forward to sharing more details as we get closer to release.
Behind the scenes, I’ve also been editing several other stories that will be releasing later this year. Between Richmond Academy, the Seasons of Magic anthologies, and a few other projects quietly taking shape, my writing schedule has been wonderfully full.
As for real life… summer has definitely arrived here in the desert. The temperatures keep climbing, the sun seems determined to bake all of us, and I’ve become very good friends with air conditioning and staying indoors whenever possible.
The frozen shoulder saga also continues. PT is helping and hurting at the same time—which I suppose means it’s working? Every exercise feels like it’s simultaneously helping me regain movement while reminding me exactly how much movement I don’t have yet. One day I shall once again possess a fully functioning shoulder. I can almost see that glorious future on the horizon.Until then, I’ll keep doing the exercises, keep writing stories, and keep looking forward to the next release.
In the meantime, books remain one of life’s greatest bright spots, and I’ve gathered a collection of exciting new releases, recommendations, and book deals from other authors for you to enjoy below.
As always, thank you so much for reading, supporting indie authors, and sharing books you love.
Happy Reading,Wendy