Cinda Williams Chima, a former clinical dietician who once worked in the BJ classified phone room (1969-78), is the author of “Shadowcaster,” #6 on the New York Times’ childen’s best-seller list.

“Shadowcaster” centers on Alyssa ana'Raisa, reluctant princess heir to the Gray Wolf throne of Fells, who is forced into a battle for her future queendom.

Cinda writes fiction novels for young adults.

Cinda wrote:

“I often tell people that I worked my way through school with a job that turned out to be the very best preparation to be a writer.

“Working at the BJ was life-changing for me.”

Cinda is part of an amazing triumvirate of siblings in the Williams family.

There is BJ Advertising Art retiree Mike Williams (BJ 1968-2012), who travels around South and Central America with his wife of 40 years, Jane, after 44 years at Ol’ Blue Walls.

Mike and Jane have two sons, independent trucker Nathan Williams, and chemical engineer Trevor Williams.

Mike retired from the BJ in 2012.

Another Williams sibling is Cinda’s fraternal twin (not identical but born on the same day from the same womb), BJ information technology retiree Linda Williams Torson, married to Akron-Summit County Metroparks retiree Tim Torson. 

Linda was with the Beacon Journal for 42 years and was so good with computers that she joined the BJ’s IT team to usher in the new technology that hit Ol’ Blue Walls in the late 1970s.  

I did the same thing from the newsroom side. Linda and I both worked with the late Ken Wright on the Composing end to smooth the transition for everyone in the building.

Linda’s other loves besides Tim are horses and dogs, including the national Dock Dog jumping competition involving Linda and Tim's Labradors.