From Moscow to Maui to Morristown: Arden to discuss ‘Winternight’ journey at book fest, Oct. 12

Katherine Arden
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By Olivia Yepez

Sometimes, it takes a trip to Hawaii, picking macadamia nuts and eating papayas on a farm, to get the creative juices flowing.

That was the trick for Katherine Arden, author of The Winter of Witch. She’ll be discussing the book this Saturday, Oct. 12, 2019, at the Sixth Annual Morristown Festival of Books.

Winter of the Witch is the final installment in Arden’s Winternight Trilogy, inspired by her time spent living in Moscow and her love of fairy tales.

Moscow is a long way from Maui. But the island paradise is where she began writing the trilogy, right after her graduation from Middleburry College in Vermont, where she majored in Russian and French.

A book rooted in Russian folklore just made sense, especially when combined with her own experience living in Russia.

“I always loved to read and I always wondered if I would be able to write a book on my own,” said Arden, 32.

Arden’s first book was called the The Bear and the Nightengale and featured a protagonist who was inspired by Arden’s neighbor on the farm, a Ukrainian girl named Vasya.

These days, Arden, who is originally from Texas, lives in Vermont with her partner and is working on a series of horror novels marketed toward middle-grade readers.

The first book in the series is called Small Spaces, the second is Dead Voices. The series will have two more installments that follow 11-year-old Ollie and her friends on their creepy adventures.

Arden said that she’s looking forward to the Morristown Festival of Books.

“I am excited to check out some local restaurants, and meet other authors, readers and booksellers,” Arden said.

The festival runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in downtown Morristown. Arden will presenting at St. Peter’s Parish Hall, at South Street and Miller Road, at 1:50 pm. Admission is free.

MorristownGreen.com correspondent Olivia Yepez is a student at Drew University.

MORE ABOUT THE 2019 MORRISTOWN FESTIVAL OF BOOKS

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