Ask the Author: Katherine Arden
Answered Questions (115)
Katherine Arden
If you want folklore, read the collected fairy tales of Aleksandr Afanasyev. If you want a cool Russian read, I recently loved Vita Nostra by Sergei and Marina Dyachenko
Katherine Arden
I always liked to write, but I didn't decide I wanted to be a novelist until I was 24, out of college. I wrote The Bear and the Nightingale, decided I liked it, and haven't stopped.
Katherine Arden
Yes, I love historical fantasy, and will keep writing books in that vein. Not all set in Russia though.
Katherine Arden
Book 3 is called Dark Waters and it will be released August 20, 2021--you can add it on Goodreads now.
Book 4 sometime in 2022, I'm drafting it as we speak.
Book 4 sometime in 2022, I'm drafting it as we speak.
Katherine Arden
People have asked and we've sold the rights to the series, but you never know if anything will come of it! I'm waiting right along with you guys :)
Katherine Arden
Sometime in 2022, depends on how quickly it gets finished
Katherine Arden
August 20, 2021
Katherine Arden
August 20 2021!
Katherine Arden
It is possible! I am not sure however, and things can always change. Follow me on social media for updates
Katherine Arden
Four! One for each season. Small Spaces is the fall book, and Dead Voices is the winter book.
Katherine Arden
I don't think there are plans anytime soon, but never say never!
Katherine Arden
This answer contains spoilers…
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Katherine Arden
3rd person multiple, because the narration swings between the limited perspectives of different characters. Like, imagine each character is a camera on a film set, and you are moving between them in order to build up a movie (ie the book).
3rd person is a bit out of fashion nowadays, but I like it, especially for new writers. If you think of each person's voice as a camera, it gives you more angles from which you can tell your story. Puts more tools in your toolkit as it were.
3rd person is a bit out of fashion nowadays, but I like it, especially for new writers. If you think of each person's voice as a camera, it gives you more angles from which you can tell your story. Puts more tools in your toolkit as it were.
Katherine Arden
Erm, generally I don't think of characters as getting what they do or don't deserve. A strong moral compass isn't necessarily a help when one is creating fictional worlds, because you have to fit yourself into the skin of different people, some of whom aren't moral at all.
Fiction, for me, is about saying something as true as possible, as clearly and as beautifully as possible. It's not about imposing any kind of morality. I hope that helps.
Fiction, for me, is about saying something as true as possible, as clearly and as beautifully as possible. It's not about imposing any kind of morality. I hope that helps.
Katherine Arden
A TON of fairy tales have a place in the trilogy. The Bear and the Nightingale specifically is based on the story of Morozko, or King Frost as it's sometimes titled in English. But there are also references to the fairy tales Marya Morevna, Vasilisa the Beautiful, Vasilisa the Wise, The Twelve Months, and Finist the Falcon. The other two books have references to even more fairy tales
Katherine Arden
Yes, definitely.
Katherine Arden
I think it really depends on the child. My horror novels are not in the least gory or violent but they are certainly spooky. I've had parents of children as young as seven read the books with their kids and enjoy them, but I would still be cautious for an especially sensitive child.
Katherine Arden
Hi,
Yes, I've thought about it. Perhaps one day. But right now, I am satisfied with how the series worked out, and eager to work in other sandboxes so to speak, so there are no immediate plans to revisit Winternight.
Yes, I've thought about it. Perhaps one day. But right now, I am satisfied with how the series worked out, and eager to work in other sandboxes so to speak, so there are no immediate plans to revisit Winternight.
Katherine Arden
Thank you for reading! I am working on a standalone for adults set in the early 20th century, and I am also writing a series of horror novels for younger readers. The first is called Small Sequels, with a sequel, Dead Voices, out August 2019
Katherine Arden
I do have a new book for adults coming, and as you deduced from my social media, I am in Europe doing research for it. I can't say a lot about it right now, except that it is a standalone set in the early 20th century, and it will mix history and mythology somewhat in the way the Winternight books did.
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