Katherine Arden Burdine (born 1987), best known by her

pen name A pen name, also called a ''nom de plume'' or a literary double, is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen na ...

Katherine Arden, is an American novelist. Known primarily for her ''Winternight'' trilogy of

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving Magic (supernatural), magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy ...

novels, which are set in medieval Russia and have garnered nominations for

Hugo Hugo or HUGO may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Hugo'' (film), a 2011 film directed by Martin Scorsese * Hugo Award, a science fiction and fantasy award named after Hugo Gernsback * Hugo (franchise), a children's media franchise based on ...

and

Locus Locus (plural loci) is Latin for "place". It may refer to: Entertainment * Locus (comics), a Marvel Comics mutant villainess, a member of the Mutant Liberation Front * ''Locus'' (magazine), science fiction and fantasy magazine ** ''Locus Award' ...

Awards, she is also the author of the ''Small Spaces'' series of horror novels for middle grade children. The first in the latter series, ''Small Spaces'', won the Vermont Golden Dome Book Award in 2020.

Biography

Arden was born in

Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the county seat, seat and largest city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and Williamson County, Texas, Williamson co ...

, and currently resides in

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...

. She spent a year in

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

after high school before returning to Vermont. She attended

Middlebury College Middlebury College is a private liberal arts college in Middlebury, Vermont. Founded in 1800 by Congregationalists, Middlebury was the first operating college or university in Vermont. The college currently enrolls 2,858 undergraduates from all ...

, graduating with a degree in Russian and French in 2011. After graduating, and uncertain what she wanted to do, Arden took a job on a farm in

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

. Bored with the job, she took to writing in her spare time, and "the rest of the writing process just sort of happened in stops and starts." Arden's writing is influenced by J.R.R Tolkien,

Mary Renault Eileen Mary Challans (4 September 1905 – 13 December 1983), known by her pen name Mary Renault ("She always pronounced it 'Ren-olt', though almost everyone would come to speak of her as if she were a French car." ), was an English writer best ...

Naomi Novik Naomi Novik (born April 30, 1973) is an American author of speculative fiction. She is known for the ''Temeraire'' series (2006–2016), an alternate history of the Napoleonic Wars involving dragons, and her ''Scholomance'' fantasy series (2020 ...

Patrick O'Brian Patrick O'Brian, Order of the British Empire, CBE (12 December 1914 – 2 January 2000), born Richard Patrick Russ, was an English novelist and translator, best known for his Aubrey–Maturin series of sea novels set in the Royal Navy during t ...

Dorothy Dunnett Dorothy, Lady Dunnett (née Halliday, 25 August 1923 – 9 November 2001) was a Scottish novelist best known for her historical fiction. Dunnett is most famous for her six novel series set during the 16th century, which concern the fictiti ...

Diana Gabaldon Diana J. Gabaldon (; born January 11, 1952) is an American author, known for the ''Outlander'' series of novels. Her books merge multiple genres, featuring elements of historical fiction, romance, mystery, adventure and science fiction/fantasy. ...

, and

Robin McKinley Robin McKinley (born November 16, 1952) is an American author best known for her fantasy novels and fairy tale retellings. Her 1984 novel ''The Hero and the Crown'' won the Newbery Medal as the year's best new American children's book. In 2022 ...

Bibliography

''Winternight'' trilogy

* '' The Bear and the Nightingale'' (2017) * ''

The Girl in the Tower "The Girl in the Tower" is the fourteenth episode of the seventh season and the 147th episode overall of the American fantasy-drama series ''Once Upon a Time''. Written by Dana Horgan and Leah Fongand directed by Antonio Negret, it premiered on ...

'' (2017) * '' The Winter of the Witch'' (2019)

''Small Spaces'' series

* ''Small Spaces'' (2018) * ''Dead Voices'' (2019) * ''Dark Waters'' (2021) * ''Empty Smiles'' (2022)

Awards and nominations

* 2018: Finalist for the

John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer The ''Astounding'' Award for Best New Writer (formerly the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer) is given annually to the best new writer whose first professional work of science fiction or fantasy was published within the two previous ...

* 2018: Finalist for the

Locus Award for Best First Novel The Locus Award for Best First Novel is one of the annual Locus Awards presented by the science fiction and fantasy magazine ''Locus''. Awards presented in a given year are for works published in the previous calendar year. The award for Best Firs ...

, ''The Bear and the Nightingale'' * 2018: Finalist for the Vermont Book Award for Fiction, ''The Bear and the Nightingale'' * 2019: Finalist for the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer * 2020: Finalist for the

Hugo Award for Best Series The Hugo Award for Best Series is one of the Hugo Awards given each year for science fiction or fantasy stories published or translated into English during the previous calendar year. The award is available for series of science fiction or fanta ...

, ''Winternight'' trilogy * 2020: Winner of the Vermont Golden Dome Book Award, ''Small Spaces''

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Arden, Katherine 1987 births Living people 21st-century American novelists 21st-century American women writers American fantasy writers American women novelists American young adult novelists Writers from Austin, Texas Women writers of young adult literature Novelists from Texas Novelists from Vermont Middlebury College alumni American expatriates in Russia Women science fiction and fantasy writers