Kalynn Bayron is the New York Times and Indie bestselling author of the YA fantasy novels Cinderella Is Dead and This Poison Heart. Her latest works include the YA horror novel You’re Not Supposed to Die Tonight, the middle grade paranormal adventure The Vanquishers, and the Adult thriller Oil On Canvas. She is a CILIP Carnegie Medal Nominee, a Bram Stoker Award nominee, a LOCUS Award finalist, and the recipient of the 2022 Randall Kenan Award for Black LGBTQ fiction. She is the winner of the 2020 Wordery Children’s Book of the year for her work, Cinderella Is Dead. Her works have been translated into a dozen languages and she has toured extensively throughout the US and Europe. Kalynn is an active participant in the Lambda Literary Writer’s In Schools Program based out of NYC. Additionally, she and mentors young writers through the Writing in the Margins program in partnership with the Howard County Public School System.
Kalynn is the author of over 15 novels spanning multiple genres and age categories from young readers to adults. She is an accomplished public speaker and has most recently delivered the keynote address at Binghamton University’s Annual Queer Youth Conference.
She is a classically trained vocalist and musical theater enthusiast. When she’s not writing you can find her watching scary movies and spending time with her family.
“Bayron’s latest, which centers on a largely Black-presenting cast, offers rich characterization and a creative, modern spin on familiar horror elements. Themes of found family, grief, and power (as both a reclamation and a burden) are depicted with emotional resonance. The third act’s weighty revelations lead to an ending that leaves unanswered questions; this avoidance of a neatly wrapped-up conclusion rings true to how real life rarely provides clean, self-contained resolutions. A heartfelt supernatural mystery that delivers equal parts suspense and atmospheric chills.” — Kirkus
