We had a nice week in the Riordan house as I finished up the manuscript for the first book in the new Camp Half-Blood series. It's always quite a relief to wrap up a manuscript, even though I know there are months of revisions ahead of me before it's ready for publication in the fall. Still, the majority of the work is done. The story is in place. And best of all, I got to read it to my kids! Haley and Patrick are always my first editors. Reading it aloud to them, I can quickly tell whether it's going to work for kids, which parts need tightening, which parts might be confusing. Becky was reading the manuscript at the same time, and we all finished it yesterday.
Their verdict? Becky gave it thumbs up. Her first comment, "Wow, the fans are going to be so pleased." I can't tell you why, of course, but she had good reasons for saying that. When I put Patrick to bed last night, he said, "Thanks for writing a masterpiece, Dad." LOL. You've got to cherish feedback like that. Haley told me jokingly that I had gone from being his third favorite author to his second favorite. Woohoo! I'm not sure if I displaced Derek Landy or Suzanne Collins, but either way it's quite a compliment. Both boys wanted to know when the next volume of the series will be ready. They've decided this book is one of my best, and I hope they're right -- and of course, I hope you agree when it's published in the fall. Now it goes off to my editor.
No hints on the plot -- sorry! Title? Nope, can't tell you that yet either. But I can promise you many surprises, and you will get to catch up with old friends as well as meet a cool new cast of demigods. As soon as I can say more -- probably late in the spring -- I will post on my website.
In the meantime, I'm gearing up for The Red Pyramid, which comes out in May. I can't wait to share that story with you, too! I'll be in New York for an event at the Met next weekend -- which I understand is sold out. If you can't attend, I'll blog about it afterwards and let you know how it went.
Have a good week, everyone!