XAVIER SCHWINDT · EPIC FANTASY AUTHOR

Character-Driven Fantasy That Hurts & Heals.

Xavier Schwindt writes character-driven epic fantasy and speculative fiction about hard choices, real consequences, and hope you have to earn. Read a complete story free.

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CURRENT PROJECTS

Xavier’s Writing Progress

Cardinal’s War

First Draft

To Burn The Dark

Final Draft

Right now: editing The Gentle War · reading Iron Gold by Pierce Brown.

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This Bleeding Light — a short story by Xavier Schwindt
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FREE TO READ

Six free stories. Start anywhere.

No sign-up required. Each is a complete story and the fastest way to see whether these worlds and characters are for you.

Heavy Lies the Crown, a free fantasy short story by Xavier Schwindt Heavy Lies the Crown Midwife of the Dead, a free dark fantasy story by Xavier Schwindt Midwife of the Dead The Forest Without Trees, a free science fiction story by Xavier Schwindt The Forest Without Trees Work of the Hands, a free short story collection by Xavier Schwindt Work of the Hands Memorium, a free mythic fantasy story by Xavier Schwindt Memorium This Bleeding Light, a free epic fantasy story by Xavier Schwindt This Bleeding Light

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Xavier Schwindt, epic fantasy author
THE AUTHOR

The writer behind the work.

Xavier Schwindt writes character-first epic fantasy and speculative fiction about creation, hard work, and hope under pressure. He founded Crownling Entertainment, lives in Colorado, and reads constantly. His stories offer more than escape. They leave you with something to carry back into your own life.

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FROM THE PAGE
Everything wanted to begin again.
Midwife of The Dead
FROM THE JOURNAL

Essays and the reading life.

Notes on craft and story, plus an honest log of everything Xavier reads.

Essay · July 23, 2026

Why I Write Dark Stories

Why Xavier writes dark fantasy with hard choices, real consequences, and hope that has to be earned.

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Essay · May 28, 2026

Why Stories Matter

Stories are not meant to change what people think. They are told to change what we are able to see. On the window analogy, worldview, and why fiction carries a weight that arguments never can.

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Reading Log · Updated 2026

What Xavier Is Reading

An honest, running log of every book Xavier reads this year, with ratings and short reviews. Fantasy, litRPG, craft books, and more.

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NEW HERE?

A few good places to begin.

Character-driven epic fantasy and speculative fiction about hard choices, real consequences, and hope that has to be earned.

Yes. You can explore six complete stories in the free story library. BookFunnel handles delivery and helps you open the story on your preferred device.

Start with This Bleeding Light for epic fantasy, or take the spoiler-free story quiz for a recommendation based on your mood.

Not yet. Xavier’s novels are still in progress, and the writing trackers above show where they stand. The free stories are complete and available now.

Crownling Entertainment is the independent creative and publishing company Xavier founded to make and release his stories.

Xavier lives and writes in Colorado. You can learn more on his author page.