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.
The color Athena:
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.
And now, back to work! I will post again soon about what I’ve
been reading so far this summer.