Cinda Williams Chima

Lucinda Williams was born in Springfield, Ohio in 1952. She 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 in 1975 with a BA in Philosophy, and in 1981 received a post-baccalaureate in Nutrition. She received her master's degree in Nutrition from Case Western Reserve University in 1984. Prior to becoming a novelist, Chima was a clinical dietitian and filled several clinical management and leadership roles at the Cleveland Clinic 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 Plain Dealer (Cleveland, Ohio) 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.