About
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 and the middle grade paranormal adventure The Vanquishers. 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 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.
Featured Work
You're Not Supposed to Die Tonight

Instant New York Times bestseller!
At Camp Mirror Lake, terror is the name of the game . . . but can you survive the night?
This heart-pounding slasher by New York Times bestselling author Kalynn Bayron is perfect for fans of Fear Street.
Charity has the summer job of her dreams, playing the “final girl” at Camp Mirror Lake. Guests pay to be scared in this full-contact terror game, as Charity and her summer crew recreate scenes from a classic slasher film, The Curse of Camp Mirror Lake. The more realistic the fear, the better for business.
But the last weekend of the season, Charity's co-workers begin disappearing. And when one ends up dead, Charity's role as the final girl suddenly becomes all too real. If Charity and her girlfriend Bezi hope to survive the night, they'll need figure out what this killer is after. As they unravel the bloody history of the real Mirror Lake, Charity discovers that there may be more to the story than she ever suspected . . .
Other Works
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Sleep Like Death
2024
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The Vanquishers:Rise of the Wrecking Crew
2024
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The Vanquishers:Secret of the Reaping
2023
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My Dear Henry: A Jekyll and Hyde Remix
2023
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This Wicked Fate
2022
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The Vanquishers
2022
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This Poison Heart
2021
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CINDERELLA IS DEAD
2020
Awards and Recognition
- Bram Stoker Award Nominee
- Randall Kenan Award Winner (2022)
- CILIP Carnegie Award Nominee
- Books Are My Bag Winner
- IGNYTE Aware Finalist (2022)
- Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection (3 titles)
- Wordery Children's Book of the Year Winner
- Kids' Indie Next List
Press and Media Mentions
- Flipping the Cinderella tale on its head, Bayron’s take challenges patriarchy with kick-butt heroines and a counter-story that will forever change how readers perceive fairy tales." -BOOKLIST Starred Review
- 2020’s Must-Read YA Novels According to YA Authors
- 30 MUST-READ QUEER FAIRYTALE RETELLINGS FOR PRIDE
- “Handmaid’s Tale meets Hunger Games but with QPOC, this novel is for every queer teen seeking a page-turner of resistance and self-discovery.” - THEM