Chima is a graduate of Case Western Reserve University and the University of Akron, where she now teaches. Chima is an active member of the Society for Children's Book Writers and Illustrators and the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. She has been a workshop leader and speaker at writing conferences, including the Northern Ohio SCBWI Conference, the Western Reserve Writers' Conference, and the Skyline Writing Conference. She frequently speaks to young writers and readers at schools and libraries nationwide.

Chima lives in Ohio with her husband and two sons, and is always working on her next novel.