Wendy Coakley-Thompson (born Wendy Cecille Thompson on December 27, 1966 in Brooklyn, New York), is a mainstream fiction author. Coakley-Thompson's work is part of emerging millennial contemporary African-American literature. Coakley-Thompson's fiction addresses themes and issues concerning interracial relationships, race, racial identity, and people of mixed race.

Coakley-Thompson has a BA in Speech and Theater (Broadcasting) from Montclair State College in Upper Montclair, New Jersey; an MA in Communication Arts from William Paterson College in Wayne, New Jersey; and a PhD in Education (Instructional Design, Development, and Evaluation) from Syracuse University in Syracuse, New York.

Coakley-Thompson's dissertation, written in 1999 in partial fulfilment of the PhD degree is entitled: The Use of Popular Media in Multicultural Education: Stressing Implications for the Black/Non-Black biracial student.

Though she lived in Montclair, New Jersey for over a decade, Coakley-Thompson was raised in Nassau, Bahamas. She was born to Bahamian parents, Frederick Oliver Wendell Thompson (1929–1982) and Marina Thompson (née Coakley).

In December 2006, Rainy Friday Films, a Chicago-based independent production company, optioned the film rights to What You Won't Do for Love, Coakley-Thompson's second novel. From February 2007 until October 2007, Coakley-Thompson co-hosted The Book Squad on WMET1160 with author Karyn Langhorne.