Myth & Mystery: Update from Athena House

The latest news from the Riordans? We’ve moved from San Antonio to Boston! Why? Long story, but mostly because both our boys found schools here that they love (college and high school, respectively) and we wanted to stay close to them! Becky is originally from the East Coast, and I’ve always wanted to experience this part of the country, so we’re here for a few years at least.

Anyway, we’re still sorting through boxes and trying to find the toothbrushes, all that fun stuff that goes along with moving, but we love our new home. Our place in San Antonio we named Zeus House, because it was painted in a greenish gray color called ‘Zeus.’ In Boston, the interior of our house is painted a gray white color called ‘Athena,’ so naturally, this is Athena House.

Speedy wasn’t too sure about riding on a plane, but she did very well:

Now I’m settled into my new office, where the Nemean lion on the fireplace stares at me every day, reminding me to meet my deadlines. Atop the mantel is my favorite piece of art – a Oaxacan chimera carved by Jacobo Angeles and painted by his wife Maria Angeles. It’s made from a single piece of copal wood, and the detail they put into it is just incredible. It’s part turtle, part stag, part serpent. Jacobo told me these animals represent strength and perseverance. Along with the lion, Señor Chimera oversees my writing and provides inspiration.

Speedy and Tribble enjoy the view from the office:

Sometimes, Speedy also offers helpful suggestions while I am trying to write:

Her most frequent suggestion is: “Walk time?”

And you can’t beat the view from the roof of Athena House. I don’t take great photos, but here’s a sunset from the other evening, looking across the Charles River:

Our favorite adventure so far? Last week was my birthday, Becky’s birthday and our wedding anniversary. Yes, they are all on the same day, June 5. In case you’re wondering, Becky is thirty minutes older than me. For our anniversary, we took the ferry from Boston to Provincetown at the tip of Cape Cod, which we last visited on our honeymoon twenty-eight years ago. It was a beautiful day and a wonderful trip.

I spotted an obelisk outside Fort Independence on Castle Island, which Carter and Sadie Kane would no doubt be interested in:

One house in Provincetown had a giant metal chimera in the yard:

I also spied someone watching us from a window on Commercial Street. Bast, is that you?

I plan on spending the summer finishing up Percy Jackon’s Book of Greek Gods – a collection of the original myths told from Percy Jackson’s point of view. Wow, this book is fun to write, and I must admit it’s great to tell a story (or stories, plural) in Percy’s voice again. More info on the release date later, but don’t worry about The House of Hades. It is in the editing process, and my part is more or less done, so it will be out as scheduled on Oct. 8. Still, there is a lot to do: typesetting, proofing, printing the physical version, etc., etc.

Remember that the electronic version of “The Son of Sobek” will be available for sale from your favorite e-retailers on June 18, and it will include both an audio version (read by me!) and the first sneak peek chapter for The House of Hades.