Heather Fawcett is a writer of middle grade, young adult, and adult fiction, based on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. She is best known for her adult cozy fantasy and romantasy novel, Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries.
Biography Fawcett has an undergraduate degree in archaeology and a master's in English. Before writing full time, she had worked as an archaeologist, photographer, technical writer, and in theater.
She maintains a Substack where she writes about books she's read and her creative process.
Career Fawcett's first published works were for middle grade readers, starting with Even the Darkest Stars, the first in a duology, in 2017. In 2023 she released The Grace of Wild Things, a character-driven fantasy retelling of Anne of Green Gables.
Her adult debut, Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries, raised her profile, and was nominated in the Locus Awards and the Mythopoeic Awards. It was written as both the beginning of a series and a standalone novel, with further books dependent on reception. She has since released two additional books in the series, Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands and Emily Wilde's Compendium of Lost Tales, and a fourth and fifth are planned. The series was nominated in the 2026 Hugo Awards.
The novels are written in an epistolary format, primarily from the perspective of Emily Wilde, a professor at the University of Cambridge who studies the fae. The setting is an alternate history Edwardian era, where women have been admitted to university study and some, like Emily, have earned professorships.
In 2024, she signed a deal with Del Ray for the adult fantasy Agnes Aubert's Mystical Cat Shelter and two additional books. The idea for Agnes originated before Emily Wilde, but Fawcett has said that it didn't fully mature until she read an article about Montreal and its population of street cats.
Published works Short stories "The Fairy Gaol", Beneath Ceaselesss Skies, 2011 "A Labyrinth of Honeybees", forthcoming, July 28, 2026
Young adult fiction Even the Darkest Stars (2017) Published by Storytide, an imprint of Harper Collins. Even the Darkest Stars, 2017 All the Wandering Light, 2018
Standalone Wondrous, Random House/Disney, forthcoming, October 2026
Middle grade Ember and the Ice Dragons, Balzer & Bray, 2019 The Language of Ghosts, Balzer & Bray, 2020 The School Between Winter and Fairyland, Balzer & Bray, 2021 The Grace of Wild Things, Balzer & Bray, 2023 The Islands of Elsewhere, Rocky Pond Books, 2023 A Galaxy of Whales, Rocky Pond Books, 2024
Adult Emily Wilde (2023) Published by Del Ray. Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries, 2023 Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands, 2024 Emily Wilde's Compendium of Lost Tales, 2025 Emily Wilde's History of Dark Faerie, forthcoming, January 2027
Standalone Agnes Aubert's Mystical Cat Shelter, Del Ray, 2026
Reception Fawcett's middle grade works have been well received by reviewers, who highlight her depiction of familial relationships as well as deeper cultural concerns such as environmentalism and diversity. The Nerd Daily reviewed The Language of Ghosts, calling it "[h]eartfelt, sweet, and action-packed". Noting that it began slowly, they overall found it an appealing read for both middle-grade and adult readers. In a starred review, Kirkus called The Grace of Wild Things "magical, witchy, and thoroughly successful homage to a classic."
Her adult fiction has also been well received. Kirkus called Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries "somewhat uneven" but recommended it for fans of cozy fantasy. Publishers Weekly described the novel as "slow-moving but atmospheric", complimenting its "extensive faerie lore and lush descriptions of the wintry setting". BookPage described the novel's world as "cozy and threatening, allowing her to explore sentimental themes without being maudlin and delve into dark and deadly magic without dwelling for too long on its horrors".
Agnes Aubert's Mystical Cat Shelter was generally positively reviewed, though Kirkus was more critical, calling the worldbuilding and plotting "a bit sloppy", but complimented Fawcett for her understanding of "the complicated but rewarding relationship between humans and cats." Library Journal named the novel its Pick of the Month, praising its slow-burn romance and saying, "[t]he cats are charmingly underfoot every step of the way, and the magic is destructive and seductive."
Awards YearWorkAwardCategoryResultRef2019Even the Darkest StarsManitoba Young Readers' Choice AwardsNorthern Lights 2021Ember and the Ice DragonsSilver Birch AwardsFiction Manitoba Young Readers' Choice AwardsSundogs 2022 The School Between Winter and FairylandOntario Arts CouncilChildren's Book Ruth & Sylvia Schwartz Children's Book AwardsYoung Adult/Middle Grade The Language of GhostsManitoba Young Readers' Choice AwardsSundogs Silver Birch AwardsFiction 2023 Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of FaeriesGoodreads Choice AwardsFavorite Fantasy Libby Book AwardBest Romantasy The School Between Winter and FairylandManitoba Young Readers' Choice AwardsSundogs Rocky Mountain Book Awards Fiction The Grace of Wild Things Cybils Award EMG Speculative Fiction 2024Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of FaeriesLocus AwardFantasy Novel Mythopoeic AwardsAdult Literature Emily Wilde's Map of the OtherlandsGoodreads Choice AwardsFavorite Fantasy 2025Emily Wilde's Compendium of Lost TalesGoodreads Choice AwardsFavorite Romantasy The Islands of ElsewhereManitoba Young Readers' Choice AwardsSundogs The Grace of Wild Things Vermont Golden Dome Book Award - 2026 Emily Wilde Hugo Awards Best Series Emily Wilde's Compendium of Lost TalesAurora AwardsNovel
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