The Red Pyramid

In case you haven't seen it yet, above is the cover for the Red Pyramid, first book in the Kane Chronicles, which will be released May 4. Stay tuned for more in the coming weeks. On February 8, the first chapter will be posted on Disney's Kane Chronicles website.

More information will also be posted soon on my site, www.rickriordan.com. And speaking of my site, it has a new server starting this week, so if you have any trouble accessing the site, it may be because you are following an old link. Retype the URL, and you should be good to go! Please note the contact email address for the website has also changed. And as always, please read the FAQ page before sending an email, as the most common questions are addressed there.

A Contest on PercyQuest

Thanks to Christine of Blue Trident who alerted me to this contest on PercyQuest. How cool would it be to win a spot at BookPeople's sold-out Camp Half-Blood in Austin, Texas, this summer? I am not affiliated with the site or the contest, so contact the folks at PercyQuest if you want more information, but pretty cool stuff!

Demigods of the Week

Thanks to Ms. Riehm's middle school class at Our Lady of Peace School in Minneapolis, who sent me this picture. The students have been reading Percy Jackson and decided to make their own Camp Half-Blood T-shirts. They did a great job! People often ask me where to get the shirts. There's no official place to buy them, but the best ones I've ever seen are homemade. Keep reading, Ms. Riehm's class! You are our demigods of the week.

Red Pyramid Cover Revealed!

Breaking news: this morning the Wall Street Journal blog revealed the cover for The Red Pyramid, first book in the Kane Chronicles, plus an excerpt from the first chapter! You can also see an animated version of the cover on the new website: thekanechronicles.com. More will be added soon!

Percy Art Show at Books of Wonder

An awesome event is coming January 30 to Books of Wonder in New York. John Rocco, who created the cover art for the Percy Jackson books, will have an exhibit of art showing how each of the covers was created. He'll also have color plates of the illustrations from the deluxe edition of the Lightning Thief, and if you haven't seen them, they are beautiful! A limited number of signed prints will be for sale, if you want to get a piece of Percy Jackson history. John Rocco really helped put Percy on the map by giving us a stunning look for the series.

My editor Jennifer Besser will also be on hand to answer questions about the series. Who knows -- she might even give a few hints about what's coming next. It's safe to say that without Jennifer, Percy Jackson never would have taken off. She's been with me from the very beginning of the series, and played a huge role in shaping the books. She was one of Percy's first champions -- a hero's hero! -- and can give you an insider's view of Percy's world.

I wish I could attend the event myself, but I'm in lockdown mode working on the new Camp Half-Blood series, so I won't be doing any travel over the next few months. If you're in the New York area, though, stop by Books of Wonder. It'll be a truly unique chance to go behind the scenes and ask questions of the team who brought Percy Jackson to life.

The Ultimate Guide

Sitting proudly on my desk is a hot-off-the-presses copy of Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Ultimate Guide. It's a cool companion book for the series, which will be published in only a few weeks: Jan. 18.

Since I've been getting a lot of questions about this book, I thought I'd give you a sneak peek, since I don't want people confused about what they're getting.

What it isn't: It is not a Percy Jackson novel, nor is it a collection of short stories like the Demigod Files. I don't want people buying it with that impression and being disappointed!

What it is: A full-color compendium of Percy Jackson's world. It comes in a flip-book format with a closing magnetic clasp, and a cover page with a cool band of holographic images that change as you move the book. Inside are 148 pages of Percy Jackson facts, trivia, and illustrations. There are also mini trading cards for important characters in the series. The book has sections on Percy Jackson's background, life at Camp Half-Blood, gods & spirits, a Greek mythology bestiary, and a storehouse of the gods featuring all the magic items and weapons found in the series.

My favorite sections are probably Nico di Angelo's guide to the Underworld and the section exploring Daedalus's Labyrinth. You'll find many new color illustrations, including a portrait of the camp, a map of its layout, and a look inside Daedalus' workshop. Ever wanted to know what a dracaena looks like, or the Manticore, or a Laestrygonian giant playing dodgeball-of-death? The Ultimate Guide has pictures of all these and more.

To tell the truth, I've found the Ultimate Guide very helpful myself, as I'm in the midst of writing the first book in the new Camp Half-Blood series. The guide has helped me keep things straight about who had what magic item, which monster appeared in which book, and how the gods and spirits were interconnected.

So if that sounds worth checking out to you, give The Ultimate Guide a look! And coming soon, as promised, a little more information about The Kane Chronicles: The Red Pyramid which *is* a full-length adventure novel and will be released May 4.

Now I'm off to write more about our friends at Camp Half-Blood. When I last left them, they were in a pretty dangerous spot -- ah, but more on that later.

The Story of Pharaoh

I've been meaning to share this story for a while, but with the New Year and a new series on the horizon, it seems like an auspicious time -- and the Egyptians were all about auspicious timing.

A few months ago my stepdad was driving along the highway and saw a little abandoned kitten get hit by a car. The poor kitten tumbled to the side of the road and my stepdad was sure it must be dead, but he stopped anyway. The kitten was dazed and injured, so my stepdad scooped it up and took it to the vet.

Turns out this tiny kitten had been abandoned on the highway. Can you imagine anyone cruel enough to do that? Miraculously, it survived its injuries. My stepdad talked to the vet about what to do with it, as my parents already had two cats at home and couldn't really take another.

The vet suggested they try to find another home to adopt it. Then he looked thoughtfully at the cat's facial markings. If you look at the picture closely, you'll see that the kitten has dark lines on either side of its eyes, so it looks like kohl, the black paint Egyptians used around their eyes.

"If you end up keeping it," the vet said presciently, "you have to call him Pharaoh."

When my mom heard this part of the story, she was amazed, because she'd just finished reading an early draft of my new Egyptian novel, The Red Pyramid, and cats play an important role in the book. My parents spent a few days considering adopting the cat to someone else, but Pharaoh is such a sweet kitten they couldn't bear to give him up. I think Pharaoh knows they saved his life, and that makes him the cuddliest, nicest, most grateful cat you've ever met.

So now my folks have a cat named Pharaoh, who certainly lives a charmed life! We look forward to seeing him every week when we go over for family brunch. I consider Pharaoh the official mascot for the new Egyptian series, the Kane Chronicles, and I'm sure the ancient Egyptians would consider his presence very good luck.

Stay tuned in the weeks to come, as I'll be giving out a little more information about the Egyptian gods, so you can have a taste of what's to come when the Red Pyramid is released May 4.

Happy New Year, everyone!