Cinda Williams Chima – the bestselling fantasy author – to appear at Pyrkon!
16 April 2026
Cinda Williams Chima is a writer that needs no introduction! She is the author of bestselling series that have been igniting the imagination of readers around the world for years. Her books, full of magic, intrigues and expressive characters, have won crowds of loyal fans and have become a permanent part of the canon of contemporary youth fantasy literature. Which is why we are all the more happy to share this news – Cinda Williams Chima will visit Pyrkon during this year’s edition of the Convention! This is a unique opportunity to meet the author live, hear about the backstage of her work and dive even deeper into the worlds she created!
Cinda Williams Chima and her work
Cinda Williams Chima, author of the New York Times and USA Today bestsellers, almost repeated her first year of school, because she often daydreamed. A few years later, in junior high, she got into trouble for writing a novel during lessons. However, it was her love of books that led her on the way from school difficulties, through obtaining a higher education (as the first person in the family), to working at a university and becoming a bestselling writer.
Her youth urban fantasy series The Heir Chronicles includes the novels The Warrior Heir, The Wizard Heir, The Dragon Heir, The Enchanter Heir, The Sorcerer Heir.
The youth high fantasy series The Seven Realms includes the titles: The Demon King (2009), The Exiled Queen (2010), The Grey Wolf Throne (2011) and The Crimson Crown (2012). The series The Shattered Realms, set in the same world and depicting the fate of a new generation of heroes, includes books: The Flamecaster, The Shadowcaster, The Stormcaster and The Deathcaster.
Her Viking dilogy The Runestone Saga began in November 2022 with the novel Children of Ragnarok, and ended with the book Bane of Asgard (2024). The series takes place in the Midlands after Ragnarök and combines Norse mythology and witchcraft motifs with sword and axe fighting, draconian travel, romance and ruthless politics.
Currently, the author is working on a historical fantasy novel for adults, the protagonists of which are the witches of the Appalachians.
Chima’s books have received distinguished reviews, among others, in “Kirkus” and “VOYA”. They were included on the Booksense and Indie Next lists, recognized as youth’s choice by the International Reading Association, included in the “New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age” list, included in the list of the best YA books by “Kirkus”, as well as in the Voya Editors’ Choice, Best Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror and Perfect Tens lists. They appear on numerous school reading lists in various US states and have won the South Carolina Teen Book Award and the Ohio Teen Book Award. Translation rights have been sold to many countries around the world.
Cinda lives in North Carolina with her husband and dog Loki, who definitely prefers fetching to reading.
Why do readers love Cinda’s books?
Cinda Williams Chima’s work has gained immense popularity thanks to her skillfully combining an epic momentum with an accessible, immersive narrative. Her books attract readers primarily with expressive, multidimensional characters who mature in front of the viewer and have to face difficult choices, often balancing between duty and their own desires.
Extensive political intrigues and conflicts between realms also play an important role, giving the story depth and making the plot go beyond the classic adventure story.
The author creates rich, coherent worlds full of her own rules, stories and magical systems, and at the same time makes sure that they are accessible and engaging. The relationships between the characters are also important – friendship, loyalty, betrayal and subtly conducted romantic themes are elements that complement the main plot axis. The whole is complemented by a dynamic writing style, based on a change of perspectives and skillful building of tension, which makes her novels difficult to put down.
It is this balance between epic scale and emotional closeness that makes Cinda’s books reach both younger and older readers.
A meeting with Cinda Williams Chima is a unique opportunity to hear about the process of creating worlds that readers around the world have come to love. If her books have accompanied you for years – or you are just planning to discover them – be sure to visit the Literature Zone during Pyrkon!
Agnieszka Mróz
Osoba pogrążona we własnych myślach, którą tylko nieliczni potrafią zrozumieć. Kocha książki, mangi i anime. Czytanie rozbudziło w niej miłość do pisania. Bujna wyobraźnia i uwielbienie fantastyki doprowadziły do tego, że chce zyskać moc kreowania nowych światów, w których można spotkać ulubionych bohaterów.