Cinda Williams Chima is an New York Times bestselling author of the award-winning Heir Trilogy

The Heir Trilogy

The Heir Chronicles, a series chiefly aimed for the age group ranging 10 and up, was created by Ohio author Cinda Williams Chima.The first in the series, The Warrior Heir, was released in 2006. The American Library Association included it on their Popular Paperbacks list The second book, The Wizard...

 and Seven Realms series. She lives in Ohio with her husband, rocket scientist Rod Chima, and two sons Eric and Keith.

Her Heir Trilogy young adult contemporary fantasy series includes The Warrior Heir (2006), The Wizard Heir (2007), and The Dragon Heir (2008), all from Hyperion

Hyperion

-Computing:* Hyperion , an early portable computer* Hyperion Entertainment, a computer game producer* Hyperion Solutions, a business software company owned by Oracle* Hyperion, an IRC daemon previously used by the Freenode IRC network-In fiction:...

, with two more books forthcoming. Her Seven Realms series launched with The Demon King (2009), followed by The Exiled Queen (September, 2010) with The Gray Wolf Throne scheduled for August 30, 2011 (cindachima.com) .

Background

Born in Springfield, Ohio

Springfield, Ohio

Springfield is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Clark County. The municipality is located in southwestern Ohio and is situated on the Mad River, Buck Creek and Beaver Creek, approximately west of Columbus and northeast of Dayton. Springfield is home to Wittenberg...

 in 1952, Chima began writing in high school before stopping to focus instead on college. She has a twin, Linda. Her fortune-telling grandmother and the Celtic magical beliefs in her native Jackson County heavily influenced her writing. She graduated from the University of Akron

University of Akron

The University of Akron is a coeducational public research university located in Akron, Ohio, United States. The university is part of the University System of Ohio. It was founded in 1870 as a small college affiliated with the Universalist Church. In 1913 ownership was transferred to the City of...

 in 1975 with a BA in Philosophy

Philosophy

Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...

, and in 1981 received a post-baccalaureate in Nutrition

Nutrition

Nutrition is the provision, to cells and organisms, of the materials necessary to support life. Many common health problems can be prevented or alleviated with a healthy diet....

. She received her master's degree in Nutrition from Case Western Reserve University

Case Western Reserve University

Case Western Reserve University is a private research university located in Cleveland, Ohio, USA...

 in 1984.

Prior to becoming a novelist, Chima was a clinical dietitian and filled several clinical management and leadership roles at the Cleveland Clinic

Cleveland Clinic

The Cleveland Clinic is a multispecialty academic medical center located in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. The Cleveland Clinic is currently regarded as one of the top 4 hospitals in the United States as rated by U.S. News & World Report...

 and The MetroHealth System in Cleveland, where she directed the Clinical Nutrition Department and established the Diabetes Self-Management Program. Chima was also a freelance contributor to the The Plain Dealer (Cleveland, Ohio

Ohio

Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...

) and other local and regional publications, focusing on health-related topics and personal essays about family life.

From 2004-2009, she was an assistant professor of nutrition at the University of Akron before leaving to write full time.

When her sons were in their teens, she began writing again. Her efforts ended up becoming The Warrior Heir.

Awards and Honors

Chima’s books have received starred reviews in Kirkus and VOYA, among others. They have been named Booksense and Indie Next picks, an International Reading Association

International Reading Association

The International Reading Association is an international professional organization that was created in 1956 to improve reading instruction, facilitate dialogue about research on reading, and encourage the habit of reading....

 Young Adult Choice, a New York Public Library

New York Public Library

The New York Public Library is the largest public library in North America and is one of the United States' most significant research libraries...

 Book for the Teen Age, to the Kirkus Best YA list, and the VOYA Editors’ Choice, Best Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror, and Perfect Tens lists.

She was a recipient of the 2008 Lit Award for Fiction from the Cleveland Lit and was named a Cleveland Magazine

Cleveland Magazine

Cleveland Magazine is the largest monthly magazine focused on Northeastern Ohio, with a circulation of 45,000. It was founded in 1972. The inaugural April 1972 issue featured a young Dennis Kucinich, a frequent profile subject of the magazine...

 Interesting Person 2009. She has been active in the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) for more than five years.

Novels

The Heir Chronicles

• The Warrior Heir (2006)
• The Wizard Heir (2007)
• The Dragon Heir (2008)
• Unnamed 4th novel(2013)
• Unnamed 5th novel (2014)

The Seven Realms

• The Demon King (2009)
• The Exiled Queen (2010)
• The Gray Wolf Throne (2011)
• The Crimson Crown (2012)