Myth & Mystery

Riordan Exhibit at the Wittliff

2012-01-28T08:16:00.000-06:00

This is really cool! For quite a few years, I've been donating my archives to the Wittliff Collections at the Alkek Library, Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas.

Now the library is putting on an exhibit highlighting all sorts of stuff from the Riordan vaults -- from my early writing as a kid through my years as a teacher and mystery novelist, right up to the present. There's even a scavenger hunt you can play with the exhibit! If you live near San Marcos, check it out.

The full press release is below. For more info on exhibit, visit here.

Rick Riordan’s World of Myth & Mystery

Exhibition Dates: January 23 – July 15, 2012

Bestselling author and literary superstar Rick Riordan, a native of San Antonio, has inspired millions of children across the globe to learn about ancient mythology. Riordan has also brought his hometown to life in his series of award-winning mystery novels for adults.

In recognition of Riordan’s distinctive achievements and his inspirational impact on young readers, the Wittliff Collections is presenting a special exhibition from its permanent collection, Rick Riordan’s World of Myth & Mystery.

The exhibition showcases numerous artifacts from Riordan’s literary papers—which the author has been generously donating to the Wittliff since 2004. The result is a vivid behind-the-scenes look at Riordan’s life and work.

“What’s especially interesting about this exhibit,” said curator Steve Davis, “is that you gain a really deep understanding of Rick Riordan’s work process; how his life as a middle school teacher prepared him to write for children, how he gave up television in order to find time to write, and most important, how he is so adept at drawing from real life and transmuting those episodes, spinning them into literary gold. Rick, unlike many authors, is quite open about the real-life inspirations for his work, and it’s fascinating to see those revealed in this exhibition.”

Rick Riordan’s World of Myth & Mystery makes it clear that Riordan was interested in writing from a very early age. Among the items on display is his early manuscript, “Appointment with an Archangel,” which he completed at age thirteen. Next to that is a copy of the rejection letter he received after submitting the story to Asimov’s Science Fiction magazine. While that letter is extremely kind and solicitous, Riordan said that it left him so devastated that he didn’t write again for another year.

Riordan also received a pile of rejection letters before his first novel, Big Red Tequila, was published. But once the book appeared it won three major mystery awards and established Riordan as a major author. Rick Riordan’s World of Myth & Mystery displays many facets of Riordan’s life as a mystery writer, including awards, his snapshots taken of various San Antonio locations, and an elaborately constructed, very detailed plot map that he created to chart the action in his novel.

Riordan burst into international fame in 2005 as the author of the #1 bestselling The Lightning Thief, the first book in his Percy Jackson and the Young Olympians series for children. This is the book that turned millions of kids on to Greek mythology. Rick Riordan’s World of Myth & Mystery includes Riordan’s original manuscript for the book, his hand-drawn map of Camp Half-Blood, his essay describing how the series came into being, foreign editions of Riordan’s novels from many nations, and also the actual sword, “Riptide,” used in the film version of The Lightning Thief.

Also on display are manuscript and marketing materials for all of Riordan’s series for young readers, including the Kane Chronicles and the Heroes of Olympus. Samples from a few of the thousands of letters he has received from school children are also featured, testifying to the enormous impact Riordan has had on many young readers.

A special section of the exhibition focuses on Riordan’s celebrated career as a teacher. Riordan taught middle school English and Social Studies for fifteen years before he retired to concentrate on his writing full time. In 2002, Saint Mary’s Hall honored him with the school’s first ever “Master Teacher” award. On display is information about that award, along with photos of Riordan in the classroom and a commemorative book given to him by the students of the final class he taught.

Rick Riordan will visit the Wittliff Collections in 2012 to give a free public reading and booksigning. Event updates will be posted on the Wittliff’s website: www.thewittliffcollections.txstate.edu

Worst. Cat. Ever.

2012-01-19T07:00:00.002-06:00

A quick update on our found dog, Speedy, since many of you were wondering. Yes, we decided to keep her. We just didn't have the heart to put her up for adoption, knowing that all the shelters in San Antonio are overflowing, and with a high-needs dog like her, she'd have trouble finding a home. We did our due diligence: took her to the vet to check for a microchip, put out signs, searched Craigslist, etc., but it seems the poor puppy was well and truly abandoned, so now she's part of the Riordan pack. What can I tell you? We're an ADHD family, so she fits right in.

Our cats are still convinced Speedy is a cat -- a strange, afflicted cat with the worst manners ever. Our older dog Sunny is not amused with our new addition, but she has made peace with the idea, since it means much more outside time for her and occasional puppy treats.

Speedy is making some progress. As near as we can tell, she's a terrier/basenji mix, about six months old, and she never had much training, potty or otherwise, so we've had our hands full. She now knows how to ask to go outside (mostly). She can sit, wait, walk with a lease, and the boys are trying to teach her to dance (like she needs any encouragement). She excels at mauling stuffed animals (Mo's pigeon is history, I'm afraid) and is convinced that if she keeps digging in the bean bag, she will eventually unearth a rodent, or possibly dig an escape tunnel.

Now, back to writing Mark of Athena! But if you see me on tour in the spring looking a bit more tired than usual, or with some new scars on my hands, or if my shoes look like they've been used for chew toys, you'll know why!

The Serpent's Shadow

2012-01-09T21:50:00.000-06:00

As announced earlier tonight on NBC's Rock Center, the title of Kane Chronicles Book 3 is The Serpent's Shadow! Above is John Rocco's amazing cover. I think it's my favorite Kane cover yet, and it was certainly my favorite Kane book to write.

In this book, all your questions will be answered: Can Apophis be stopped? Will Ra ever be whole again? Is Bes really gone for good? What happens with Carter and Zia? And, of course, what happens with Sadie, Anubis and Walt? The book will be out May 1. I hope you enjoy it!

Also announced on Rock Center tonight: The Demigod Diaries, a book of new short stories set in Percy Jackson's world. This book comes out August 14, and will hopefully make the wait for Mark of Athena a little less painful! Included in the Demigod Diaries:

*A story from Luke Castellan's point of view, from the days when he adventured with Thalia and Annabeth. Many people have asked me to write an adventure prequel to The Lightning Thief. Here it is!

*A classic first-person Percy Jackson story, the first I've written since The Last Olympian. In this adventure, Annabeth and Percy's date is interrupted by the god Hermes, whose staff has been stolen by a fire-breathing giant. This cannot be good . . .

*A Leo Valdez story, set at Camp Half-Blood. As Leo builds the Argo II, something goes terribly wrong. Now Leo will need the help of Piper and Jason, or the entire camp might be destroyed.

*And, as announced on Rock Center, the anthology includes a debut short story from my son Haley. Since Haley inspired the entire Percy Jackson series, it seemed only right that I asked him to contribute his own original spin on Percy's world for this book. I was amazed at what Haley came up with. His brother Patrick, who's a tough editor, was quick to say, "Dad, his story is better than yours!" Haley ponders the question: "What happened to the demigods who fought with Kronos's army after the battle in Manhattan?" This is the story of one such demigod, and I have to admit, some of Haley's ideas are so good I wish I'd come up with them!

Hope you enjoy that book as well. I'm very excited to share the new stories with you, and never fear, I'm still working diligently on The Mark of Athena for fall 2012 release. More details on that when they are available -- probably this summer.

Rick on Rock Center, Exclusive Kane 3 First Look!

2012-01-05T06:42:00.000-06:00

Tune in on Monday!

COMING UP ON "ROCK CENTER WITH BRIAN WILLIAMS" - MONDAY, JANUARY 9, 2012 AT 10P ET

Exclusive first look at the title and cover of the final book in Rick Riordan’s Egyptian series, The Kane Chronicles in Kate Snow's report.

Behind the best-selling book series Percy Jackson & the Olympians is author Rick Riordan, but the real inspiration for the fictional hero is Riordan’s own son. The books, based on Greek, Roman and Egyptian mythology, have sold over 30 million copies - and they began as a simple bedtime story told to his son Haley, who had been diagnosed with ADHD and dyslexia. Kate Snow interviews Haley, the son who started it all, the former middle school teacher who is sitting on top of a multi-million dollar empire, and the devoted fans who keep demanding more adventures. Plus an exclusive first look at the title and cover of the final book in Riordan’s Egyptian series, The Kane Chronicles.

Also on Monday's Rock Center:

Mitt Romney was born in Michigan, saved the Salt Lake City Olympics and was Governor of Massachusetts. But if you want to explore his real roots - the place where his father George was born and where four dozen Romney relatives still live - you have to travel south of the border ... to MEXICO. We did just that. And the story of WHY they ended up there is revealing. Mike Taibbi and crew traveled to Colonia Juarez Mexico to discover Romney’s roots.

Ron Allen reports on a remarkable family from Nashville, TN with a special connection to Haiti. NBC News first met the Wilson family in January 2010 in the wake of Haiti’s devastating earthquake. Mike Wilson had rushed to Haiti to rescue the two orphan girls he and his wife were in the process of adopting. Their paperwork was buried in a pile of rubble, but Mike's desperate effort to get the girls out was successful. Two years later, they're continuing to make an impact in Haiti.

As Oscar season approaches, Brian Williams sits down with George Clooney – himself an early favorite for an Academy Award in at least one category - to ask for his predictions.

Happy New Year, Readers Young and Old

2012-01-03T06:56:00.000-06:00

Here’s a New Year’s Greek mythology tie-in for you. Did you know that the tradition of Father Time with his toga and scythe giving up his place to the Baby New Year is based on the story of Kronos and Zeus? According to Bernard Evslin and other scholars, this is rooted in one version of the Titan War story (which I used in Percy Jackson) that states Zeus cut up Kronos with his own scythe when he took over the throne of the heavens. From this we get the image of the old king (Kronos = Old Year) with his scythe getting displaced by the baby (Zeus = New Year Baby). Over the centuries, we stopped focusing on the bloody aspects of Kronos getting cut up like his father before him, but it’s just another example of how Greek mythology is still with us.

In keeping with the New Year, thinking about youth and old age, I thought I’d address a question I get asked a lot: “Am I too old to enjoy your books?” I get many letters from readers in high school, college, or beyond who seem a little bashful to confess that they still like my middle grade books. At book signings, older teens and young adults will often say, “I’m sure I’m your oldest fan.”

To which I always reply: “No! And you’re not alone!”

In fact, at a recent event in Maine, a woman in her seventies came up to the signing table, after having waited in line quite a long time. She had no child with her, but that didn’t surprise me. I often have very patient, very dedicated grandparents waiting in line for their out-of-town grandkids.

“Hi!” I said. “Thanks for waiting! Would you like these signed to a grandchild?”

She gave me a brilliant smile. “No!” she said proudly. “These are for me! I love them!”

Here was a reader well outside my target audience who still found joy in books for kids, probably because -- like this author – she’d refused to grow up in all the right ways, by which I mean she retained a sense of wonder, a love for the absurdity and silliness of the world, and a hankering for an exciting story.

Her smile stays with me, because she was not at all ashamed of her taste in books. I love hearing from older readers like her! To answer the question they often ask: “Of course you are never too old for my books. If you enjoy them, please keep reading them! And you are not alone.”

Now, there is a corollary to this: If you don’t like middle grade books, it’s probably best you read something else. That sounds obvious, but sometimes readers expect my books to be something they are not. Sometimes, not often, an adult reader will complain that my stories seem childish, to which I can only reply, “Well, they’re written for children. So . . . yeah.” Whether you buy them physically or electronically, my books will be categorized in the kids’ book section. They are usually labeled ages 9-12 or 9 and up or something like that. I’m always happy if adults enjoy reading the books, but I’m not making any attempt to mask or market my work as something for adults (except, of course, for my private eye novels, which were written with an adult audience in mind).

Quite by design, I write for young readers. That doesn’t mean I try to write down to kids. Not at all. My prose hasn’t changed much since my adult mystery writing days, except for being curse-free. I write about very complex mythology that, frankly, adults find baffling even when the kids are following the details perfectly. But I do write with a middle grade sensibility. That’s just the sort of storytelling and the audience I know best. I write for the middle grades for the same reason I taught the middle grades so many years. I know those kids. I relate to them. I get their sense of humor and I understand what they’re looking for (I hope) in a story. Is that because I’m a big kid myself in many ways? You bet!

Some writers will say that they don’t have any audience in mind when they write. They write solely for themselves, or for posterity, or because they are driven internally to tell the story. That’s all fine and legitimate. But as a teacher, I always drove home one thing to my writing students: You must have a sense of audience. Who are you writing for? You can’t expect a business inquiry to be written the same as a letter to your friend. Nor should you expect a college physics textbook to be written the same way as a fairy tale book for elementary students. Audience, for this writer, is critically important. I would submit that it’s important to any writer. It’s a fundamental element of good communication. You should always be mindful and considerate of your audience.

Partly, my two sons are my audience. They hear the stories first. They are my beta testers and my best editors. But each time I write a book, I also imagine myself back in my middle school classroom. I imagine reading the story aloud to my fifth period class after lunch. If I can keep their attention – I mean all the kids, not just the A+ kids who will read anything I give them, but also reluctant kids in the back row – then I’ve done something right. I want all my students, and my readers, to be anxious for the next page. I want them to finish one book and long for the next. I want them, in short, to see reading as pleasurable.

I do this primarily by knowing my audience -- writing for them and to them. What does that mean? Writing with a strong plot, for one thing. Writing about characters that kids can relate to. Writing with humor and suspense to keep the pages turning. Writing as clearly as I can, so the sentence structure flows well when read aloud, and the prose becomes a smooth-running vehicle to deliver the story. And, like myths, my stories repeat familiar patterns – the hero’s quest, in particular.

As I’ve often said, these elements work just as well for adult readers, but books written for adult readers do not always translate the other way around. Writing for kids, in my opinion, is much more challenging than writing for adults. Kids do not have the patience for a story that meanders self-indulgently, glittering prose that leads nowhere, or a story that is drowning in what they see as superfluous detail. They want to care about the characters, to imagine themselves in the setting, and most of all they want something to happen.

I’m not saying all children’s books need explosions in every chapter . . . though I am quite fond of explosions. I love quieter books as well, but I tend to read children’s books with a teacher’s eye. I may love this, I ask myself, but will it work for kids? And again, I think of the class (and my readership) as a whole, not just the bookish kids, as much as I adore them.

By all means, we should challenge kids to read difficult texts as well, but the quieter or more complex the book, the better the teacher needs to be at guiding the students to appreciate and relate to the story. Sadly, students don’t always (or even usually) get this sort of support, especially the kids who need it the most. I’ve done Shakespeare with middle schoolers many times with massive success, but it needs to be done with a great deal of contextual and experiential learning. I’d never hand a middle school kid Romeo and Juliet and say, “Here, read Act I. We’ll discuss it tomorrow in class.” To Kill a Mockingbird? Similar experience. And I’ll confess here – I never read To Kill a Mockingbird until I was a teacher. I fell in love with the book. It remains one of my all-time favorites. But I’m also aware that if I’d read the book when I was in middle school, I probably would’ve thought the same thing my son Patrick does, having just finished the novel in seventh grade: It’s okay, but there’s so much extraneous information! The story is so slow! Just because children are the protagonists does not make it a children’s book.

My point? I try to write for all kids, even the reluctant readers. I was a reluctant reader. I’m the father of two reluctant readers. My heart goes out to the kids who’ve never found a book they truly enjoyed, because I was one of those kids for a long time. My primary goal is to get those kids reading and loving to read. Does that mean I write for the lowest common denominator? Nope. The A+ students should love my books, too, if I’m doing my job right. In fact, I often hear from college kids who say they passed their undergraduate classics exams thanks to Percy Jackson.

But it does mean that I am always conscious of my audience, and I try to craft a story that will appeal to kids in the middle grades, roughly ages 9-12. Adults are welcome, but honestly, I’m not writing for them. Literature with a capital L? I love it; I’ve read everything from Chaucer to Faulkner and beyond; but I’m not interested in writing it. My writing heroes have always been the great populists – Mark Twain and Charles Dickens – who made no bones about the fact that they wrote for the masses. Dickens wanted his readers clamoring on the docks as they waited for the next installment of Little Dorrit to arrive by steamer. And as Twain remarked, “A classic is a book everyone wants to have read, but no one wants to read.” Clearly, he understood kids, because this is exactly how they feel. Twain remembered being in Tom Sawyer’s shoes, staring longingly out the classroom window as the teacher lectured about some book that seemed completely irrelevant and boring. Speaking for myself: God forbid I ever write such a classic. I’d much rather write books that actual kids are excited to read.

So this is a long way of saying: All readers are welcome, whatever age. Just realize you are picking up a book for kids. If you don’t like that sort of story, no problem! There are many other wonderful books out there. But if you’re still a kid, whether you’re twelve or twenty or ninety, come on in! We’ve got monsters, silly jokes, magic, and cliffhanging, nail-biting, hero-challenging adventure aplenty.

Happy New Year to all my readers, young and old. I hope your 2012 is filled with good reads!

Happy New Year! Being Grateful and Giving Back

2011-12-29T11:50:00.000-06:00

As the end of 2011 approaches, it’s a good time to reflect on all the things I’m grateful for – like my family, a writing career I love, and my wonderful readers who’ve helped make my books so successful!

This is also a good time to remember to give something back to the community. Times are tough, and charities are hurting just like everyone else. It’s not so much the amount we give, but if you are able and so inclined, giving anything to a worthy cause does make a positive difference – whether you donate money, goods, or time and talent.

I tend to focus on charities in my community of San Antonio. Wherever you live, whatever your interests, I’d encourage you get involved locally! Here are some of the groups I support in the San Antonio area:

San Antonio Youth Literacy: a great organization that sends volunteer reading tutors into the elementary schools to work one-on-one with at-risk kids who are struggling with reading. Illiteracy is a huge problem in South Texas, and SAYL does a great job helping kids at the most critical age, around second grade, develop reading skills that will help them succeed. Right after I quit teaching, I worked as a reading tutor for SAYL and I treasure the experience. A wonderful cause!

CASA: Child Advocates San Antonio provides adult advocates for abused and neglected children in Bexar County. These children are critically underserved and need so much support and guidance for them to break the cycles of poverty and abuse. CASA pairs children with adult volunteers who serve as their advocates, helping them with social services, the legal system, the schools, and mostly by being a reliable, caring, supportive adult in their lives. My stepdad works as a volunteer for this organization and does great work changing lives for the better. We’re proud to support them!

Camp CAMP: Talk about a camp for demigods! Camp CAMP (Children’s Association for Maximum Potential) provides a summer camp experience for kids with disabilities and special health care needs who otherwise would not be able to attend a camp. This is truly a place where each camper is seen for his or her abilities, not disabilities, and where heroes are trained! I got to speak to the counselors for Camp CAMP at their orientation last summer, and I was so impressed by the camp, the staff, and the commitment of the fantastic young volunteers who were dedicating their summer to helping others. Check out their website for some heartwarming stories and pictures.

Wherever you live, I hope you'll remember the end of the year as a great time to give what you can to the causes you care about. Thanks again to all my readers for a fabulous 2011. I wish you all a Happy New Year, and I hope 2012 brings you much happiness!

Speedy Drops In (and Mauls the Pigeon)

2011-12-16T10:12:00.000-06:00

You never know what the week will bring. Monday, we found a stray, probably abandoned terrier-mix puppy crying in the rain in our driveway, so we are looking after her until we figure out the best way to locate her owner or get her a caring home. The boys dubbed her Speedy. Will we keep her? Don't know yet. Our aging dog Sunny and our two cats are not amused by the idea. The cats are fairly sure this thing should be a cat. It's the right size. But the cats believe there's something terribly wrong with it. It does not act like a cat, except for the fact that it enjoys mauling birds. In fact, one bird in particular: our stuffed pigeon. Apologies to Mo Willems.

Back from Poseidon's Country

2011-11-29T08:13:00.000-06:00

The family and I just returned from a quick Thanksgiving trip to the Caribbean. Don't worry -- I'm still spending most of my time working on The Mark of Athena, but every so often I need to recharge the batteries and take a trip -- especially when I'm writing a story about a boat (The Argo II, of course). Our five-day cruise gave me all sorts of inspiration.

We flew into San Juan, Puerto Rico. I knew the trip was off to a good start, because on our first flight from San Antonio to Dallas, we had five Magellanic penguins from Sea World aboard our plane. Felix from The Kane Chronicles would've been grinning ear to ear. The penguins were heading to Virginia with their trainers. Hope they had a safe flight!

Once in Puerto Rico, we spent the night at the local Hilton Caribe, where everybody welcomed us like family. We've been through San Juan several times, and I always love visiting. It reminds me of my hometown San Antonio, except with an amazing beach.

The next morning we wandered through the streets of the old city -- cobblestone paths, cool shops, pastel buildings, and lots of friendly people. We had some excellent mofongo at Barrachina and met the restaurant's red macaw. Barrachina is where the pina colada was invented. I don't drink, but Becky had one and declared it excellent. Afterwards, we wandered down a beautiful shady street between El Convento Hotel and the Governor's Palace. At least one cat was sleeping under every car. Cats are no fools, as the goddess Bast can tell you. They will always find the coolest, shadiest spots. And yes, we took a lot of pictures of cats:

That afternoon, we boarded our cruise ship (not the Princess Andromeda, fortunately) and sailed for St. John, in the US Virgin Islands. We didn't spend very long at Cruz Bay, but we did a little shopping and sightseeing, and had one of the best breakfasts we've ever had at Jake's. Wow, that was good stuff! I had the homemade corned beef hash with scrambled eggs. Patrick devoured the French toast. Pretty much everything was outstanding. If you're ever on the island, you need to go. Becky also got some amazing pictures of the clouds at dawn as we sailed in:

The next day brought us to Saint Bart's, which we'd never visited before. I understand it is the richest Caribbean island, where many celebrities have homes. Certainly the main town of Gustavia has that Beverly Hills vibe. We passed Jimmy Buffett's Le Select restaurant. Legend has it that Buffett wrote "Cheeseburger in Paradise" on St. Bart's. However, we did not stop in for the $50 burger. Beautiful place, but a little on the expensive side!

On Thanksgiving Day, we arrived in St. Maarten/St. Martin, an island divided between Dutch and French halves. This is the island we've visited more than any other, and I appreciate it more each time. It earns its reputation as the 'Friendly Island.' I appreciate its laid back, international vibe. We visited Orient Bay on the French side, which is one of the best beaches on the island -- or anywhere, in my opinion. As a bonus treat, we met a local reggae artist Dread I who was roaming the beach, offering a free listen to his albums. Nice guy. I told him I'd look him up on iTunes, and I've since bought his albums. If you enjoy reggae, check him out! Here's a YouTube video of him on the beach (taken by someone else).

On our final day of cruising we visited Virgin Gorda, which got its name from Christopher Columbus, who supposedly thought the island looked like a plump maiden reclining on her side. I didn't see that, but we did visit the Baths, which is a maze of huge boulders leading down to a beach with caves and tide pools. Really interesting place, and worth a return visit!

While on the cruise, I had time for some good reading. I finished Erin Morgenstern's The Night Circus, which certainly lived up to its buzz. The prose sparkles, and the story itself is a feat of magical acrobatics. It's a hard book to summarize, but basically two ancient magicians set their two best pupils against one another in a magical contest. Its venue? A mysterious circus that only appears at night. The only problem: the contestants don't really know the rules, or how victory is determined. And when the contestants start falling in love which each other, things get complicated.

Now I'm reading 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami. I'd heard it was a difficult read, and certainly it is long, at well over 900 pages, but I find that I'm flying through it. Murakami knows how to keep the pages turning with a brilliant mix of mystery, fantasy and intrigue. Two characters, Aomame and Tengu, find themselves slipping into an alternate version of the world in 1984 -- a world Aomame names 1Q84. What is causing this shift, and whom can they trust? Those are just some of the questions facing them. The book reminds me of Orwell, of course, but also Gabriel Marquez and some early dark urban fantasy like The Land of Laughs by Jonathan Carroll or Little, Big by John Crowley. (Which you should read, if you haven't.) Yet Murakami isn't really like anyone else, exactly. He has that fresh 'something,' just like the fictional editor Komatsu in his narrative is looking for. Check out the book!

Meanwhile, Becky read the latest entry in Alan Bradley's Flavia de Luce series, I Am Half-Sick of Shadows. She really enjoyed this entry -- a great mystery set in 1950s England with an irrepressible, precocious young narrator.

Patrick finished up Michael Scott's latest, The Warlock, and the conclusion of James Dashner's trilogy, The Death Cure. Both got thumbs up!

Haley is reading the third Sandman Slim novel from Richard Kadrey: Aloha from Hell. Great urban fantasy noir, but definitely for older teens and adults.

And now we're back home -- and I'm back to writing. Have a wonderful holiday season, filled with good books!

Artwork from the Tour

2011-11-15T08:46:00.000-06:00

Whenever I go on tour, I get hundreds of cool drawings, letters and mementos from the kids. Above is just a small sampling from the Son of Neptune tour.

First up, Allison presented me with her logo for the Olympian Council of Demigods, a club she's made with her friends. Allison tells me she is a daughter of Apollo, and her friend Hannah is a daughter of Athena. Thanks, guys!

Katelyn gave me her picture of Annabeth, and says her favorite book is The Lightning Thief. Her sister Megan came with her to my signing. Megan's favorite book is The Lost Hero.

Sophie shared an invitation to her 11th birthday party, which was an "Olympian Discobolus Dance Party." She even gave me a CD with the soundtrack! Hope you had a super birthday, Sophie.

Jamie gave me her sketch of Piper McLean. She says that she and her friends are totally obsessed. Glad you're enjoying the series!

The cute lil' Grover is courtesy of Valerie K., who writes on the back: "Note 2 Self: Omegoat."

Lily D. shared the full-color anime-style drawing of Percy and the gang. Wow, that must've taken some time to make!

Mary shares the picture of Percy -- I think it's Mary. A little hard to read. Sorry if I got it wrong! Great picture, though.

And finally, brothers Nicholas and Luke share their sketches from the Kane Chronicles. Thanks, guys!

I really enjoyed meeting everyone during the tour, and appreciate all the cool art!

The Milner Award

2011-11-15T06:51:00.001-06:00

A few weeks ago, I traveled to Atlanta to receive the Milner Award, which is voted on by the children of the Atlanta area. As I've often said, these sorts of awards mean the most to me, because they come from the people who matter most -- the kids! I had a great time at the convention center, talking with about 1700 fourth and fifth graders. The Milner committee shipped the award home for me, and as you can see it's beautiful and delicate. I was a little worried it might break on the way, but it just arrived safely. Thank you again to the Atlanta librarians and other committee members, and especially to the young readers of Atlanta! The kids and I decided it's really high time I set a scene in their city, so look for Atlanta in an upcoming book . . . And now, back to writing.

And for the latest news, remember to check to FAQ on my website! Most questions that people ask me online are answered there.

Kane Chronicles Survival Guide

2011-11-03T10:10:00.000-06:00

I'm pleased to announce a new addition to the world of the Kane Chronicles! The Kane Chronicles Survival Guide will be published on March 20, 2012.

What's inside? Here's the official description:

Fans of The Kane Chronicles series will adore this gorgeous primer on the people, places, gods, and creatures found in Rick Riordan's #1 New York Times bestselling series. Boasting lenticulars, an easy-to-assemble trading card pyramid, and full-color diagrams and maps, this deluxe, lavishly illustrated guide teaches readers how to compile secret messages, read hieroglyphics, and recite ancient magic spells. Featuring enough information and extras to satisfy avid followers and budding Egyptologists alike, this guide will cast a spell on readers of all ages.

I have seen the final product, and it is awesome. The book will provide tons of information on Ancient Egypt, the Egyptian gods, and the people and places featured in the Kane Chronicles. There are lots of brand new, full-color illustrations. If you enjoyed the Percy Jackson Ultimate Guide, then you will have an idea what this book is like. Hope you guys enjoy it!

Other publishing news:

Kane Chronicles Book 3 -- I've finished the manuscript and it is now in the editing process. The book will be out on time, May 2012. I can't tell you the title yet. We will announce that, reveal the cover and give you the exact release date in a few months, probably in January. Stay tuned for more info.

Heroes of Olympus, Book 3: The Mark of Athena -- I am hard at work on this book right now. It will take one full year to write and publish it, but it will be out on time in the fall of 2012. I'm afraid that's the absolute fastest it can be released (assuming you guys would like the book to be good!). It will be a while before we announce any further information about this title -- probably next summer, after the Kane 3 tour.

And thank you to my amazing readers for continuing to support the books and recommending them to your friends.The Son of Neptune is still rocking along on the bestseller list, celebrating four weeks at #1 on the New York Times children's chapter book list. The Lost Hero just passed fifty-two weeks, one full year, on the same list!

As I get more information on the future titles, I will post it on the blog. But for now, it's back to writing!

Tour Wrap-up!

2011-10-14T11:12:00.000-06:00

I’m home again after an amazing seven-day tour for The Son of Neptune. Thank you to all the fans who came out for an Olympian Week event. You can see a few shots from the events above. For a complete photo album, check my Facebook page!

I wish I’d been taking notes during the tour, because there were so many great moments. I’m sure I’ve forgotten some incredible interactions since they all went by so quickly. One boy gave me a Roman coin to take with me for good luck. Another said, “I thank God that he put you here to write these books!” Many fans shared stories they’d written or pictures they’d drawn. And the costumes were incredible! I saw dozens of Medusas, a Tyson with his own jar of peanut butter, several young satyrs, a Jason, half a dozen Pipers, two Reynas, several Leos with tool belts, and scores of Annabeths in NY Yankees caps! A mom and son team came dressed as Sally Jackson and the Minotaur. Several people brought me blue candy, blue cookies, and even a hot dog.

We estimate that I met roughly 12,000 fans in the course of seven days, and signed well over 25,000 books. I’m so grateful to the sponsors of each event who made everything run so smoothly, and to the fans who waited so patiently and were so understanding with the limits of the signing line. I managed to arrive by Hades’s chariot in Columbia, SC without scaring poor Belle the horse, who wasn’t used to thousands of screaming kids. I arrived in Mission Viejo, CA in an 800-lb. metal chariot pulled by Spartan warriors, yet managed not to run over anyone’s toes. I arrived on the docks in Olympia, WA in Poseidon’s yacht without getting seasick or falling overboard. And I made it through the Toronto Airport despite a labor slowdown that was a curse from Hermes. Major victories!

The Son of Neptune’s launch week was a huge success, by far the biggest of my career so far. It has debuted at #1 on the bestseller lists for New York Times, USA Today, and the Wall Street Journal. I’m so glad you guys are enjoying the story.

So what happens next? I’m back to writing. I’ve already (mostly) wrapped up work on Kane Chronicles #3, which comes out in May. We’ll announce the title and show the cover for that book in another few months, so stay tuned. Now I’m turning my attention to the Heroes of Olympus, Book 3: The Mark of Athena.

To all the fans who’ve asked if I can release that book immediately: Well, no, because it doesn’t exist yet. I kind of have to write it first. I’m giving it my undivided attention, and it will be out in the fall of 2012 as promised, but I’m afraid that’s as fast as I can possibly finish it. When we have an exact release date, I’ll let you know. In the meantime, sorry about the cliffhanger in The Son of Neptune . . . wait, no I’m not! I always do cliffhangers. I’m just evil that way. But rest assured, there was a reason I had to end the book there.

And now, back to writing. Thanks again to my readers – the best fans in the world!

Perils of Proofreading, Redux

2011-10-06T07:30:00.001-06:00

With the release of Son of Neptune, it seems an appropriate time to revisit an old post I did about why and how errors can appear in published books even after they are heavily edited by numerous readers. The post below is from 2006. Sadly, it still applies!

If anything, publishing since then has become even trickier. With the advent of e-publishing, manuscripts have to be re-keyed and reformatted completely for the Kindle, Nook, and every other reader, which allows new formatting, spelling and grammar errors to be introduced *after* the book is proofread. I haven't seen the final e-book for Son of Neptune since I've been touring, but I understand the first release was rife with formatting problems -- no spaces between words, etc. This has been corrected, so if you download it now, you should be fine, and if you previously downloaded it, your e-book should be automatically updated the next time you synch your device. That's my understanding, anyway. The publisher is working on figuring out how this happened and how we can keep it from happening again, but my apologies for the inconvenience. Again, the errors were formatting, not missing pages or anything like that. The printed edition was not affected.

Still, I've never read a book that didn't have some typos. How could this possibly happen? Read on . . .

The Perils of Proofreading (first blogged 2006)

Oh, the joys of editing!

One of my wife’s pet peeves is when people complain about errors in my books. Not as if Becky and I don’t complain about typos, too, when we’re reading novels. Errors are annoying, and they can pull the reader out of an enjoyable story. Still, Becky just hates it when someone points to some mistake in one of my books -- a missing word, a misspelling, a typo -- and comes to the conclusion: “No one proofread this book!” Alas, nothing could be farther from the truth, but still errors happen. Why?

A tour of the editing process may be in order. The revisions start with me, of course. As the author, I must take final responsibility for any errors in the text of my novel. By the time I send a manuscript to my editor, I’ve spent a year with the story. I’ve read every chapter at least twenty times, trying to fine-tune it. That’s part of the problem. I know the story so well by then, I can easily miss errors. I skim over missing words because I know what is supposed to be there, and my mind simply supplies it. After I’ve checked the manuscript so many times that I just can’t read it anymore, I give it to Becky and several other members of my immediate family to proofread. I also read it aloud to my son (if it’s a Percy Jackson book). Reading aloud, by the way, is tremendously helpful for revision. I recommend it to every author. I catch sentences that don’t sound right and dialogue that needs revision, as well as many typos.

After all this, the manuscript is sent to my editor. She reads it primarily for content changes. This character needs work. This part of the story needs some tightening. She also catches many grammar or punctuation errors that eluded me. The manuscript then comes back to me. I make changes and corrections. It goes back again to my editor, who gives it another pass. If she approves, it then goes to the copy-editor, who is the real stickler in the process. He goes over the manuscript with a magnifying glass, studying the grammar, spelling, and usage. He checks all factual references to make sure they are correct. Wherever necessary, he capitalizes, punctuates, and basically standardizes the language. He even types up an extensive style sheet, sometimes 5-6 pages long, listing exactly which rules of grammar he invoked and which forms of usage will be the law in this particular manuscript. My editor then reads it again and sends it back to me. I give it yet another pass and then send the manuscript back for typesetting.

Now you would think, at this point, the manuscript would be free of errors. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Sometimes the manuscript is re-keyed completely during the typesetting process, allowing an opportunity for a whole new set of errors to be introduced. I do get to look at the galley (the typeset manuscript) before it is bound and turned into an advance reading copy -- the kind that says ‘uncorrected proof,’ though this is something of a misnomer. Still, errors slip through.

Becky knows how long and arduous this process is, which is why she feels the need to rise to my defense when someone wonders why I don’t edit my manuscripts more carefully.

Me, I’ve become more philosophical about it over time. In a 90,000-word manuscript, five or ten typos shouldn’t be surprising. I knew I was in good company when I read Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince two summers ago. The hardcover edition has some glaring typos in it. This was the most anticipated literary event in the history of the world. You would think if any book would be error-free, it would be Harry Potter. But, no. Even his magic was no match for the dreaded Lord Typo.

So next time you come across an error in a book and are tempted to blame a lazy editor or lazy author, just remember us toiling away in the land of comma splices and hyphenated words. We try, dear reader. We really do!

The Son of Neptune arrives! (and some thoughts on book signings)

2011-10-04T13:16:00.000-06:00

Greetings from Columbia, South Carolina, where I'll be doing my first signing for The Son of Neptune. I'm so excited to share the new book with all of you. I hope you enjoy it!

If you're planning to attend an event, check for full details at olympianweek.com. I'd also encourage you to call the hosting bookstore before you go, as some events have sold out already, and each event has guidelines, which are set by the publisher in coordination with the sponsoring bookstore.

With every book, I am amazed and grateful that so many readers are enjoying my work. Truly, I'm blessed to have this job as a storyteller, bringing the old myths into the 21st Century. Thank you all for reading!

The only real downside to the books being so popular is that I don't get to spend the sort of quality time with fans that I used to have. It reminds me of being a teacher, when I would chaperone a field trip for 100 middle schoolers. One student might ask to stop by the snack shop at the museum on the way to an activity, and the child would be incensed when I told her no.

"Why not?" she might demand. "It'll only take a second. If I was here with my parents, I'd be able to!"

I'd have to explain that rules change when you're in a large group. If one student stops to get a soda, all the other students will want the same opportunity. One hundred students stopping 'just for a second' to buy a soda turns into an hour-long line, and suddenly the field trip is over and all we've visited is the snack shop. (Which, of course, the students would be fine with, but the educational value of the trip would be a little hard to justify.)

My point is that my book signing events have evolved as the crowds have gotten larger. It used to be possible to chat extensively with each child, which I really value, sign and personalize every single book for every fan, and take a personal photo with each child. Sadly, with the numbers we're expecting at this year's signings, that's just not feasible. For most events, I'll only be able to sign two books per person, and we can't do posed photos. While I always welcome each fan asking me a question when they meet me, our time together is only a few seconds.

It's disappointing to me, and I'm not someone who likes to disappoint my fans, but I also know we have to move the signing line along so the event doesn't last ten hours and the kids at the back of the line aren't waiting until 2AM to meet me. And of course, sitting that long would be pretty hard on me, too. I mention this because I want you to know what to expect (and not expect) when you get to the event. It will be a lot of fun, but rules do change with big groups.

Some tips:

1) signing and personalization. At many events this time, I'm just able to sign two books -- so you'll get my autograph on the books, but no personalization. If the event does allow personalization, that means: "To Sam," "To Marie," et cetera. I won't be able to write: "To my favorite fan and a future writer in hopes that you follow your dreams and become the best person ever." Of course, I hope that's true! I just won't have time to inscribe it. Again, I know it doesn't seem like much to ask. If it was just one person in line, or even fifty, it wouldn't be. But with hundreds and hundreds in line, those extra paragraphs of text add up quickly. We have to limit the number of books signed per person for the same reason. I wish we didn't have to, but for the sake of the people behind you in line, and for the sake of the author's weary hand, we must.

2) photos. I had no idea how much time it can take to do a photo until I started doing large events! It seems like such a simple request, doesn't it? "Can we take a quick photo?"

In a big crowd, there is no such thing as a quick photo. The parent doesn't know how to operate the phone. The phone doesn't work. The battery dies. The photo doesn't save for some reason. Our eyes were closed. The shot was blurry. Stand a little closer. Now one with everybody in it. Now with my other camera. I quickly came to understand why the publisher instituted the 'no posed photo' rule. I love taking pictures with fans when I have a small group. It's fun! But if we tried to give everyone that chance in a group of 500, 600 or 2000 (as they're expecting at some of the events this week) we would literally be there all night. We can't do that, but parents are welcome to stand to the side and get some quick candid shots while I'm meeting the kids. Just be prepared, because the moment goes fast!

Another plea about photos: parents, please let your kids enjoy the experience of talking to me without obsessing about capturing it on film. Too often, my interaction with a young fan is completely drowned out by a parent screaming from the side, "John, look over here! John! John, smile! No, John, move to your left! Look over here!" And then the moment is gone. The kid had a question for me but he didn't get to ask it. Then he's whisked away in the line and never really got to meet me. I don't say this to be critical, but it's easy to get caught up in the frenzy of the crowd and be so busy capturing a moment that you don't get to live the moment you're trying to capture.

3) Questions. Absolutely, I welcome hearing from the kids as they come through the line! It's fine if they don't want to ask a question, but you might get them thinking about one so they don't freeze and regret missing the chance. For most events, I am doing some sort of general talk to begin, so some of the more basic questions will be covered, like 'Where did you get your inspiration?' We'll probably only have time for one question per kid.

Another tip for parents: Let your kids have the moment! Often I'll meet a child in the line and the conversation will go like this:

Michael: "Hi, I'm Michael!"
Rick: "Hey, Michael! Great to meet you. Did you have any questions for me?"
Michael's dad shoulders him out of the way. "I had a question . . ."

Not that I don't love talking to parents too, but given our limited time, if your child is the fan, let your child ask the question!

4) Giveaways. In the early days of Percy Jackson, I used to make Camp Half-Blood T-shirts and give them away to some of the kids in the audience. I don't do that anymore. The size of the crowd makes it impossible, and I found that some families obsessed about how to get a t-shirt so much they forgot they were there to get a book signed. They got really upset if they weren't chosen to get a t-shirt. Now at my events, kids come in camp t-shirts or other costumes that they've made themselves, and it's awesome to see their creativity at work! Much better than parents worrying if their child doesn't get a particular piece of swag. There might be small giveaways at the events as provided by the publisher (not t-shirts) but try not to focus on those. That's not the important thing. The fact that your child got excited about coming to an event for books -- that's the important thing!

Okay, I'll take off my teacher's hat now. I hope that didn't sound like I'm grumbling, because I don't mean it that way. I love, love, love meeting my readers, and I've got the best job in the world. I just don't want folks showing up with false expectations about what they can expect at an event. We will have a great time, but as I said above, there have to be limits when you're dealing with crowds of this size. Part of me wishes I could have those intimate little signings like I used to have, but part of me thinks, "How awesome that so many families want to come celebrate my books!"

If you're coming to an event, I'll see you there! If I'm not visiting a city near you, that's okay, too. As I often say, the best way to get to know me is to read the books. That's my conversation with my readers, and the real quality time we can spend together.

Olympian Week Begins!

2011-10-03T12:46:00.001-06:00

I had a wonderful weekend with the young demigods of NYC and LA. Thank you to everyone who came out for the events! Saturday, we gathered at Greeley Square, with the Empire State Building (and thus Mount Olympus) looming above us. Seven gods hosted the festivities, and we had a standing room only crowd of costumed kids and parents. In LA it was much the same, but in the Grove shopping center. As you can see from the photos above, we had lots of fun. If you'd like to see more, check out my Facebook album.

Tomorrow, Tuesday, October 4, The Son of Neptune officially arrives at long last! I hope you all enjoy it. I'll be visiting seven cities in seven days, starting with Columbia, South Carolina. Be sure to check all event details at olympianweek.com. Twelfth Legion Fulminata for the win! (You'll know what that means tomorrow.)

SAN ANTONIO FANS: I don't have a hometown event scheduled for this tour, but if you want a signed copy, Barnes & Noble at La Cantera will have plenty starting Tuesday, 10/4. CostCo customers: the Stone Oak Costco at Loop 1604 also has several hundred signed copies.

AND for fans anywhere, if you need to buy a *personalized* copy and aren't able to attend an event, you can contact my hometown independent bookseller: The Twig. I will be stopping by their store after the tour to sign any orders that come in. That means the books will not be ready for immediate delivery, but the Twig will ship them to you as soon as I can make it in to sign your orders. In the past, they've been able to ship orders just about anywhere!

And in other big news as reported today by the Associated Press, my next series will feature Norse mythology. This won't come as a huge surprise to anyone who's heard me talk about my background. I've loved Norse mythology for as long as I've loved Greek & Roman. The idea for the series has been around since even before the Lightning Thief, so I can't wait to get going on it at last! But, of course, it won't happen immediately. I need to finish up with the Kane Chronicles and Heroes of Olympus first. The Norse series is tentatively scheduled to launch in 2015. If that changes, I'll let you know.

Happy reading, everyone!

Sunny sez: "The Romans are coming!"

2011-09-29T15:02:00.000-06:00

In honor of the impending release of The Son of Neptune, we bought our dog Sunny her very own ride-along charioteer. As you can see, she's really excited about it.

Sunny also wants to be sure you know about my pre-pub party events this weekend.

Saturday, I'll be at Greeley Square in Manhattan from 1-4PM. We'll have seven gods on hand to entertain you plus tons of giveaways. Costumes are welcome, and we'll have a contest for the best ones, or you can stop by the wrap-your-own-toga station. There will be an exclusive reading from The Son of Neptune (a section that has never been shared before) and the folks from Disney will be giving out 250 bracelets for a signing line, first come first serve. Can you get an early copy of Son of Neptune? Nope. It still comes out on Tuesday, 10/4. However, if you score a bracelet, you can get one of your own books from home signed, or you can get a bookplate signed so you can put it in your copy of SoN when it arrives. Even if you don't get a bracelet, there will be goodies to win and stuff to do, so come on by and say hello! More details for the NYC event here.

After NYC, I'll be flying straight across the country for a second pre-pub event Sunday at The Grove in Los Angeles from 1-4PM. The LA event will have all the same stuff described above, plus you'll be able to buy books for the signing line from the Grove Barnes & Noble store and place pre-orders for The Son of Neptune. AND we'll have a special guest appearance by Disney Channel star Vincent Martella, the voice of Phineas from Phineas and Ferb. More details for the LA event here.

Starting Tuesday, the Olympian Week tour begins! I'll be visiting seven cities in seven days. Can't wait! For full details, check the Olympian Week website.

Meet Hazel Levesque, Demigod

2011-09-27T06:13:00.000-06:00

Time for our last character reveal! A week from today, The Son of Neptune is published -- wow, I can't believe the date is almost here at last.

Meet Hazel, a girl with a complicated past. Demigod? Yes. Is that horse important? You bet. Hazel has powers you have never seen before, because her godly parent is on the Roman side. But (major hint) she is related to a character you know well from the Percy Jackson series.Which one? I think that will surprise you.

I hope you all enjoy the book when it's published next week, and if I'm coming to a city near you, I hope to see you! Remember to check tour details at olympianweek.com.

Meet Death . . . in a good way

2011-09-20T06:52:00.000-06:00

Time for our Tuesday character reveal!

You will meet many gods in The Son of Neptune, but here's a fellow most mortals would prefer not to meet: Thanatos, the god of death. What part will he play, and what's up with those chains? For that, you will have to wait for the book. However, if you'd like to read up on Thanatos, I'd recommend one of my favorite online resources for Greek mythology: theoi.com.

Two more weeks until The Son of Neptune, and stay tuned for one more character reveal next Tuesday!

Remember, tour details can be found at olympianweek.com.

Rick's Recent Reads for September

2011-09-17T10:20:00.002-06:00

Taking a short break from writing to let you know what I’ve been reading lately. As usual, it’s been quite a mix of fiction and nonfiction, adult and children’s.

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, by Ransom Riggs. This book has been getting a lot of well-deserved attention for the way it incorporates unusual antique photographs into the narrative. The premise: Jacob grew up on his grandfather’s stories about his own childhood during World War II. Supposedly his grandfather escaped the Holocaust by taking refuge on a Welsh island, at an orphanage that catered to children with strange powers. The grandfather even has photos to prove it. As Jacob grows up, he loses faith in his grandfather, and assumes the stories were fantasies, the photos faked. But when a horrible, inexplicable tragedy occurs, Jacob has to reevaluate. Could those stories have been real? Could this island refuge still exist so many years later? And is it possible his grandfather’s paranoia about ‘monsters’ wasn’t just paranoia? Even without the photos, this would be a gripping story, but the photos add an irresistible element of mystery. The first-person narration is authentic, funny, and poignant. I’m looking forward to the next volume in the series!

Sandman Slim, by Richard Kadry. Okay, this is NOT a children’s book, just FYI. This is noir urban fantasy, like Jim Butcher’s Harry Dresden series, but even grittier. The main character, James Stark, aka Sandman Slim, is betrayed by a group of powerful magicians and dragged bodily into Hell, where he spends eleven years fighting in the gladiator pits of Lucifer. Somehow he survives, and eventually manages to escape back to Los Angeles. Now he’s looking for the people who betrayed him, but to get revenge, he’ll have to navigate a world of angels, demons, vampires, magicians, and plenty of ruthless mortals with lots of secrets to hide. This is a rock ‘em sock ‘em adventure narrated in fresh, crackling hardboiled prose, with plenty of dark humor. I liked it so much I immediately bought the sequel, Kill the Dead. But again, this is very adult stuff. Not a YA fantasy.

Bloodlands: Europe Between Hitler and Stalin, by Timothy Snyder. After our trip through the Baltic this summer, Snyder’s historical account of the mass killings in Eastern Europe had a big impact on me. I’ve now seen a lot of the places he talks about: Gdansk, Poland; Tallinn, Estonia; Riga, Latvia; St. Petersburg, Russia. While the atrocities of Stalin and Hitler aren’t exactly news, the sheer numbers involved and the scope of the destruction are truly staggering. I didn’t know much about Stalin’s starvation policies, or the impossibly complicated situation of Poland and the Baltic states in the 1930s as they were trapped between two despots who were so alike, and yet so diametrically opposed. Synder makes a compelling case, comparing and contrasting Hitler and Stalin’s methods. This book is very bleak reading. I had to take long breaks from it to clear my head. But if you’re interested in this period of history, and want a case study of just how absolutely power can corrupt, and just how horrible humans can be to each other, this book is an excellent choice.

Carte Blache, by Jeffery Deaver. This is the newest reincarnation of James Bond, and I was interested in seeing how Deaver would reinvent 007 as a 21^st Century British operative. I’ll admit I’m not an avid James Bond fan, though I liked Sean Connery in Dr. No, and I’ve read Ian Fleming’s Casino Royale. I was impressed with Deaver’s interpretation. He stayed true to the spirit of Bond, but added his own impeccable plotting, which frankly made a lot more sense than many of the Bond movies. All in all, Deaver successfully transplanted Bond into 2011. The narrative twists are many and suitably surprising. The villains are well drawn, equally creepy, compelling and competent. Bond comes across as very human, admirable and somewhat tragic. While there is no shortage of romance with the usual ‘Bond girls’ with ridiculous names – Felicity Willing, Philly Maidenstone – there is nothing ‘throw away’ or glibly macho about Bond’s emotional life. This is a three-dimensional James Bond whom I would love to follow in further adventures.

And finally, a few recommendations from my sons:

Patrick, 13, gives two thumbs up to Michael Grant’s Gone series. There are four books so far in the series, with the next coming out in the spring of 2012. Patrick says he loves this series because it is both fantasy and realistic. When all the adults in a coastal California town disappear, the young people at first rejoice. They eat all the candy they want, do whatever they want, and basically live a twenty-four/seven party. Then they realize their town is shut off from the rest of the world for reasons they don’t understand. The food starts running out. And their paradise turns into purgatory.

Patrick also recommends Torn, the newest installment in Margaret Peterson Haddix’s Missing series. This is an adventure series about children who are torn out of different periods of time and thrown together to face a common enemy – though the enemy isn’t clear at first. Patrick likes the pacing and says the time travel element is very well done.

Haley, who just turned 17 – yikes, that’s hard to believe! – recommends the latest in the Skulduggery Pleasant series by Derek Landy. Deathbringer is not out yet in the US (tsk, tsk, US market for lagging behind on such a brilliant series) but we got the UK version and Haley says it’s every bit as good as the previous installments. If you haven’t yet checked these books out, do so. Great fast-paced fantasy with humor and a wisecracking skeleton detective who throws fireballs and drives a Bentley -- what’s not to love?

Haley also loved Bruiser and Everfound by Neal Shusterman, one of his all-time favorite authors. Bruiser is an excellent standalone novel. Everfound is the third book in Shusterman’s Skinjackers series, so be sure to pick up the first, Everlost, if you haven’t yet. It’s a trilogy about children who are stuck between the worlds of the living and the dead. Well, it’s much cooler and more complicated than just that, but you’ll see what I mean when you dive into them.

Happy reading, everyone!

Demigods in Czech (and Slovak)

2011-09-16T05:31:00.000-06:00

Thanks to my publisher Fragment in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, who sent these photos of Percy Jackson displays in bookstore windows. They recently published Battle of the Labyrinth, and The Last Olympian will be published there in September.

Guess What Just Arrived . . .

2011-09-15T10:26:00.001-06:00

Hot off the presses, the first copies of Son of Neptune arrived on my doorstep just moments ago. This is my favorite part of publishing -- seeing the final product at long last, and it looks great! This means the books will soon be boxed and ready for shipping, so they can arrive to booksellers in time for the October 4 publication date. Until then, it's mine, precious. All mine!

Meet Ella the Harpy

2011-09-13T05:58:00.000-06:00

Time for another character reveal, courtesy of Disney-Hyperion's Heroes of Olympus site! This week we meet Ella, a very special harpy who might hold some valuable secrets. But what secrets, and will she be willing to share them?

You don't have to wait much longer to find out. The Son of Neptune will be released three weeks from today, October 4!

Two More October Events

2011-09-11T08:00:00.000-06:00

In addition to the seven events of Olympian Week, Oct. 4-10 (details here) I'm pleased to announce that I'll be visiting Atlanta to receive the Milner Award on Oct. 27, and visiting the Rogers Public Library Foundation in Rogers, Arkansas on Oct. 29.

I'm honored to receive the Milner Award and visit all the great young readers in Atlanta. It's always a pleasure to go there. The event is open to school groups, with priority given to those who participated in the voting. For full details, contact the sponsors.

The Arkansas event for the Rogers Public Library Foundation is open to the public. Tickets can be reserved online, and again, contact the sponsors for more information.

I hope to see some of you at these events!

Meet Octavian

2011-09-06T05:33:00.000-06:00

Tuesday again, and time for another character reveal from The Son of Neptune! Meet Octavian and his unfortunate collection of stuffed animal friends. What Octavian's story? You can get some hints at the Heroes of Olympus website, but only time will tell if he's friend or foe, and what part he will play.

The good news: only four more weeks until the book is released!

Meet Reyna

2011-08-30T06:10:00.000-06:00

Time for our second character reveal for The Son of Neptune. Meet Reyna, with her automaton hounds Aurum and Argentium. Reyna's godly parent? Hint: it's a god you haven't met yet. Is Reyna powerful? Yes. Are those hounds deadly? Yes. Will she be friend or foe to Percy Jackson? Ah, that's a good question.

The News from Brazil

2011-08-26T07:34:00.000-06:00

As I've mentioned before, Percy Jackson is huge in Brazil, and I love my Brazilian fans! After the U.S., Brazil is one of the countries from which I get the most website visits. My Brazilian publisher Intrinseca just sent the pictures above. The purple demigod T-shirts with the Roman design were given as prizes on Percy Jackson's Birthday, Aug. 18. I'm told that Percy was trending all day on Twitter in Brazil during the celebration. Doesn't that shirt look cool?

Below that is an invitation to celebrate the release of the Lightning Thief graphic novel in Portuguese at the Rio Book Festival on September 10. Sadly, I won't be there. I can't travel internationally for signings because of my intense writing schedule, but I'll be with you in spirit. If you can make the festival, I know it will be quite a party! Stop by the Intrinseca booth and tell them Tio Rick sent you.

Meet Frank Zhang, Demigod

2011-08-23T18:00:00.001-06:00

The first character art for The Son of Neptune was revealed today at Disney's Heroes of Olympus website! Keep checking back. A new character will be introduced each Tuesday until the book arrives on October 4.

Who is Frank's godly parent? What are Frank's powers? You may be surprised. In fact, Frank may be surprised. But he has a very important part to play in The Son of Neptune.

Olympian Week Details Revealed!

2011-08-18T06:14:00.001-06:00

The news broke this morning in USA Today: the seven locations I'll be visiting for The Son of Neptune have been announced! I understand that Disney-Hyperion got hundreds of amazing submissions from bookstores around the country, but alas, I can only go to seven places. Those seven, however, will have quite a party. And the winners are:

Tuesday, October 4: Books-A-Million (Columbia, SC)

Wednesday, October 5: Penguin Bookshop/Carnegie Library (Pittsburgh, PA)

Thursday, October 6: Indigo Books (Toronto, Canada)

Friday, October 7: Barnes & Noble (Burlington, MA)

Saturday, October 8: A Whale of a Tale/Mission Viejo Library (Mission Viejo, CA)

Sunday, October 9: Tumwater Timberland Library/ Orca Books (Olympia, WA)

Monday, October 10: BookPeople (Austin, TX)

Now I always have to be clear so people won't get mad at me: I don't choose the locations! A committee at Disney-Hyperion does that, and I don't get the news until the tour is all decided. That's because I have so many favorite cities and bookstores, it would break my heart to say no to any of them. But on the other hand, I can't be touring for more than seven days or the next Heroes of Olympus book won't get written on time, so my publisher makes the hard choices. Runners-up in the contest will receive exclusive event party packages, however, so their work is not in vain! Thank you to everyone who submitted a proposal. You are all fantastic!

Some cool things about the tour: there are several new cities and bookstores in the mix. I've never been to Olympia, Washington before, and I just read that Orca Books plans to have me arrive by yacht. Cool! It's been a long, long time since I've done a Southern California event. Hopefully that Grecian chariot I'll be riding in Mission Viejo doesn't get tied up in Orange County traffic. I've never done an event in Columbia, South Carolina, but I'll be arriving there in Hades's chariot, drawn by three black horses. Sweet! Do I get a Stygian iron sword? Also new to me: Burlington, Mass. -- always happy to go to Massachusetts, and Penguin Books in Pittsburgh. You've got penguins? Don't tell Felix from the Kane Chronicles. He'll be there in a heartbeat. I get to go back to Toronto to visit my Canadian fans -- hooray! And of course BookPeople in Austin -- ah, it really wouldn't be a Percy Jackson tour without my old friends and stalwart supporters at BookPeople. I can't wait to see their Roman legion doing their drills. Awesome stuff.

Also announced today in Disney's press release: the first printing of The Son of Neptune will be three million copies. I am resisting the urge to put my pinky finger next to my mouth and do a Dr. Evil impersonation: "One billion copies! Bwah, ha, ha!" That's a lot of books.
Disney also estimates there are presently thirty million copies of my books in print in the U.S. alone. Let me check . . . yes, that's also a lot of books. Thank you, readers! Your support and enthusiasm for the three series made it happen.

Keep checking heroesofolympus.com, as Disney will be revealing character art and more cool goodies in the coming weeks. Hope to see some of you at an event in October, and more importantly, I hope you enjoy the new book!

The Date Approaches . . .

2011-08-16T09:35:00.000-06:00

My editor at Disney-Hyperion just sent the image above, which will soon be printed on boxes for shipment. Can you guess what will be in those boxes?

Yep. Copies of The Son of Neptune. The publisher puts this warning on every box when they send them to booksellers to remind them that the book cannot be displayed or sold until its official release date, Oct. 4. This is so no single bookseller gets an unfair advantage by offering the book early, sort of like making sure every runner leaves the starting line at the same time in a race.

Don't get too excited -- the books aren't even printed yet. I don't even have a copy! But when they are shipped, right before the publication date, that fierce-looking warrior will be emblazoned on all the boxes. What would happen if a bookseller tried to sell the book early? Ah, Hades has a special place in the Fields of Punishment for such behavior, and Zeus has his lightning bolts ready. So nope, no chance the book will come out early -- sorry! -- but I'm anxious to share the story with you on October 4.

In the meantime, pop over to Disney-Hyperion's PJO website and download an event kit to help celebrate Percy's birthday this Thursday, Aug. 18! How old is Percy? He's still sixteen. That's the advantage of being a fictional character. You don't have to age in real time.

You can always check my website's FAQ page for more info, and stayed tuned -- more Son of Neptune news will be coming soon!

The Kanes Continue to Conquer!

2011-08-10T18:04:00.001-06:00

Thank you, readers, for being so supportive of the Kane Chronicles! Book #2, The Throne of Fire, has returned to the #1 spot on the New York Times chapter book list, making this fourteen consecutive weeks as a bestseller. Meanwhile, The Red Pyramid is about to come out in paperback next week, so it has moved off the chapter book list, but it enjoyed an incredible sixty-five week run on the bestseller list -- its entire time in hardcover!

After the five-book Percy Jackson series concluded, I was worried readers would not follow me into any other new worlds I created, but you guys have given the Kanes a warm and generous vote of approval. Don't worry -- the Kanes will be back in volume three in 2012. More information on that this fall.

Meanwhile, The Heroes of Olympus series is also roaring along. The Lost Hero remains on the chapter book bestseller list after forty-three straight weeks, and book two, The Son of Neptune, comes out in just under two months, on Oct. 4! More about that very shortly.

ALA's Lost Hero poster

2011-08-05T06:05:00.000-06:00

Check out ALA's new poster, featuring exclusive artwork by my cover artist John Rocco. Awesome! ALA also offers bookmarks with this image.

Yesterday I woke up with the urge to clean my classroom, buy supplies, and make my lesson plans, which is how I knew it was getting close to back-to-school time. I haven't had a classroom for years, but once a teacher, always a teacher. Every year, I'd buy new posters to decorate my walls. If any of you teachers or librarians are getting the same itch, you can purchase this poster and many other cool ones at the ALA store. And now, back to making my seating charts . . . er, I mean, writing my books.

Stockholm for the win!

2011-08-01T14:47:00.000-06:00

As our Baltic tour continued, we sailed to Helsinki, Finland for a short visit. It was a hot sunny day, but we enjoyed checking out the Finnish capital. Becky’s favorite moment was discovering the Marimekko flagship store and buying a tote bag. We also passed the beautiful art deco train station with the green clock tower, and ate lunch at a co-cop pizza restaurant. You can see a theme – the trip was a pizza tour of the Baltic as well as a mythology tour. Helsinki had a lot of shops and interesting side streets, more than we could possibly explore in an afternoon. Perhaps that’s for another trip!

The next day we sailed into Stockholm, Sweden to disembark from our cruise. We’d arranged a hotel so we could explore the city for a couple of extra days, and I’m glad we did! Even sailing in, Becky couldn’t believe the beautiful inlets and forested islands with huge homes that reminded us of Tiburon in North California and the Hamptons in Long Island.

During our taxi drive from the docks, the cityscape got more and more beautiful, until we arrived at the Grand Hotel in the center of Stockholm. We'd visited a lot of great cities on this trip, but the whole family agreed that Stockholm was our favorite. It’s a city of islands and bays, parks and grand old buildings. It reminded us a little of the San Francisco Bay Area with its laid back attitude and beautiful scenery, but most of all Stockholm reminded me of a smaller, tidier London, without the hectic pace, the traffic and the crowds.

Our first day we got blissfully lost. We walked through the island of Skeppsholmen, (the San Francisco Presidio of Stockholm, if you will) and took a ferry to Tivoli Grona Land. It seemed appropriate the end our trip as it began, riding the rides at this amusement park. And yikes, those rides were amazing. I don’t think you could operate rides that extreme in the US without getting shut down. My boys’ verdict: “Epic.” We also visited the Vasamuseet, which features a reconstructed five-hundred-year-old ship pulled from the bay. You really have to see it to believe just how big and impressive this old sailing ship is.

In the evening, we walked through a nearby park and mixed with the locals who were enjoying the long, warm summer night. We shopped at the NK department store and found a great pizzeria. Yes, more pizza!

Our hotel room had an incredible view of the queen’s palace across the harbor. It was hard to go to sleep because there was so much to see. We even had a little office in a round cupola, with windows looking out over the city. I so wanted to make that my permanent writing space.

The next day we wandered into the National Museum, only to discover they were hosting an exhibit on the Greek gods and goddesses. There was Hermes flying over the gift shop! Inside the exhibit, each Greek god had his or her own room with hands-on activities. You could try on winged shoes for Hermes, sit in Zeus’s throne, wander a maze in Poseidon’s sea floor palace, or take a slide straight into the Underworld. I wish we had an exhibit like this for kids in the US. It was great! I’d expected to find more about the Norse gods in Sweden, but even here, deep in Viking territory, the Greeks have invaded.

Later in the afternoon, we visited the Moderna Museet and saw its collection of Jasper Johns, Picasso, Warhol, Salvador Dali – the list goes on and on! Great museum, with a fun collection of kinetic art that moves on its own and causes all sorts of steampunk mayhem. The kids’ favorite piece was the painting machine – modern art that creates more modern art!

In the evening we visited Old Town, passing the royal palace on the way and an Egyptian obelisk – those Egyptians are everywhere, too! We found a wonderful science fiction bookstore, got some ice cream, and visited the Viking Shop, where we got some T-shirts featuring Norse runes and Odin’s two ravens, Huginn and Muninn.

The Riordan family agreed that we were sad to be leaving Stockholm and its cool summer days for the oppressive heat of Texas, but we were also glad to be heading home after such a long trip.

And now we’re back with great memories and a feeling that those mythological gods are everywhere, no matter where you go! Wherever your summer took you, I hope you had as much fun as we did. I came back feeling refreshed and inspired. And now . . . back to writing!

Our Mythological Baltic Cruise

2011-07-31T20:23:00.001-06:00

Our first day of cruising brought us to Warnemunde, a summer beach town on the coast of Germany. Apparently, Becky’s family comes from near here. Her parents told us that we’d be sailing right by her ancestral lands. They warned us that the Danes had a bad reputation back in the old days for raiding German farms and carrying off spoils of war. I’m pleased to report we encountered no Viking raiders, just a lot of German families on holiday, enjoying the beach and the beautiful little town.

We walked around the town square and had no real trouble asking for things. Many Germans speak at least a bit of English, and it turns out ice cream is a fairly universal language! We saw lots of flower stands, fresh fruit vendors, cafes, and funky clothing shops with enough tie-dyed dresses, New Age jewelry and embroidered purses to outfit an army of hippies. One of the German tourist shops was selling a T-shirt that said, “New York,” which was fairly bizarre. Warnemunde was one of the friendliest towns we visited. A huge crowd came out to wave goodbye to our ship as we sailed out at sunset. As you can see from the photo, it was quite a sunset.

The next day we arrived in Gdansk, Poland. I had no idea what to expect of this place. I knew very little about it, except that the Solidarity movement started here in the shipyards in the 1980s. This proved to be the first crack in the Iron Curtain, the beginning of the end for the Soviet bloc. We saw plenty of leftovers from communist times – depressing block houses and apartments, gray industrial areas, scrapyards and rundown shops. But Gdansk also had many beautiful areas: forested hills, parks, tree-lined avenues, and a beautiful city center that had been restored to its former glory after being heavily bombed during World War II.

You probably wouldn’t expect to see a lot of Greek gods in Poland, but they’re everywhere. On the central street in old town Gdansk, one of the most famous landmarks is the Neptune fountain. Poseidon’s trident is awesome. Each spearhead splits into three smaller points, all of which shoot water. You have to love that strategically placed fish tail keeping Poseidon’s modesty intact.

The rest of the Greek pantheon decorated the tops of buildings: Hermes and Hephaestus, symbolizing commerce and industry, were all over the place:

Athena and Zeus, both gilded with gold, glared down from one rooftop:

Poland was the last place I expected to see so much mythology, but it just goes to show you how widespread the Greek gods are. So many nationalities have used that symbolism at one time or another to play up their own greatness, and emphasize their connection to Ancient Greece and Rome.

We sailed from Poland into a completely different setting – the town of Visby on the island of Gotland, part of Sweden. Here, I felt much closer to Norse mythology. The day was foggy and cool, with a light drizzle. We quickly got lost in the winding cobblestone streets of the old city.

I could easily imagine the Vikings living here, their longboats filling the harbor and sailing out on the choppy cold waves. The climate is mild by Baltic standards, which allows for roses and other flowers all over the island. Every home and doorway seemed to be festooned with blooming plants.

The cathedral had wonderful gargoyles that reminded me of Bes, the original gargoyle god. The wooden spires reminded me of the old Viking tradition of building their important buildings from the hulls of warships.

We really enjoyed exploring the island, and most importantly, we discovered lakrits – licorice ropes of many different flavors and colors – that are sold by street vendors all over Sweden. Yummy!

The next few days we explored the Baltic states of Latvia and Estonia. Both seemed less touristy than other cruise ship stops. In the city of Riga, I was surprised how many people speak English. To me, it seems like not long ago this was a communist country, and traveling here would’ve been difficult at best. Riga has a beautiful Old Town with stone churches, local crafts shops, and a riverside park where you can rent a paddleboat, buy a soda, or simply stroll through gardens and watch the ducks on the water. One of the landmarks in Riga is the ‘black cat house,’ named for the metal cat on the roof. Why is it famous? Dunno. But it’s hard to miss!

Tallinn, Estonia had a more of an urban feel. We found more shopping malls, more chain restaurants, and we could tell the nightlife was a little edgier, though traveling as a family, that’s not something we looked for. We did get a great recommendation for pizza, though – a regional chain called Vapiano. Good stuff!

We also went shopping at an Estonian grocery store, which is a great way to experience a new culture. Chocolate is big in Estonia. This much I can tell you.

Next up on our cruise: the place I had been looking forward to most – St. Petersburg, Russia. If you’ve read The Throne of Fire, you know the city figures prominently in the Kane Chronicles, and I was anxious to explore it firsthand.

If you get a chance, go. The city is incredible. Unlike the other places we visited, where history was layered from medieval to the present, St. Petersburg was a planned city, the brainchild of Peter the Great to give Russia a naval presence in the Baltic. Designed and built in the 1700s, much of the city still seems frozen in that time period – rows of pastel 18^th century townhouses, over-the-top palaces, wide canals with intricately decorated bridges, and soaring cathedrals and public monuments. The only other city I can think of with such a uniform look to it would be Bath, England.

Our first stop was the palace of Prince Yussupov, best known as one of the plotters who murdered Rasputin, crazy monk and advisor to the tsarina. The palace was chocked full of Greek and Egyptian imagery – from the Artemis and Apollo chandeliers to the statue of Dionysus in the party room to the sphinx details on the furniture.

It was creepy seeing the tiny basement room where Rasputin was invited to dinner, poisoned, clubbed, stabbed, shot, etc. (the guy just wouldn’t die) though I think the wax Rasputin took away some of the atmosphere.

We certainly got a feel for how opulent life was for the Russian nobility. One female Yussupov decided to go into acting. Since it would’ve been scandalous to act in public, her family built her a private theater in the palace. Good thing she didn’t take up elephant hunting.

As we took a canal cruise through the city, we saw yet more Greek mythology. The caduceus of Hermes was everywhere –symbol of commerce.

Poseidon’s trident was also all over the place, since Peter the Great wanted to stress Russia’s sea power. I especially like the trident on top of an obelisk -- what a great Egyptian/Greek mix up!

One bridge was decorated with hippocampi. Another was lined with Zeus’s aegis, complete with the head of Medusa. And of course we passed the sphinxes mentioned in The Throne of Fire, along with the palace of Prince Menshikov, who held the infamous dwarf wedding to entertain the tsar.

The next day, we took a trip to the Hermitage, one of the greatest and biggest museums in the world. They say it would take eight years to see the entire collection, and I believe it. Fortunately we started at the room I most wanted to see – the Egyptian room, where the secret entrance to the Russian Nome is found in Throne of Fire. I got my photo taken at the scene of the crime, and also with a giant malachite vase like the one used to trap Set.

After visiting the Egyptians, we moved on the Greek and Roman – another fascinating collection of gods and monsters. I hung out with Augustus Caesar, said hi to Apollo and Ganymede, and wondered what Poseidon was serving on his snack platter (Marbles? Candy?) in the mosaic – an exact replica of one from the Roman emperor’s palace.

The Winter Palace – part of the Hermitage -- was the tsar’s summer home. Hard to believe, but the place makes Yussupov’s palace look humble. Every room seemed bigger and grander than the one before. It’s hard to capture that feeling in photographs. The symbolic ties to imperial Rome were obvious, though – laurel wreaths and eagles. Any Roman would’ve recognized that they were in an emperor’s palace.

Our last day in Saint Petersburg, we road the Metro and got some time for shopping. I visited Nevsky Prospect, the main drag, and found the Chocolate Museum – one of Bes’s favorite places. I did indeed buy a chocolate Vladimir Lenin head. They had larger ones, but I picked the smaller version so it would fit in my suitcase.

That night, we sailed from Saint Petersburg, heading back toward Scandinavia and the end of the tour. Little did I know, the best was yet to come! More on that in my next post.

The Gods of Copenhagen

2011-07-31T13:16:00.000-06:00

The Riordans just returned from our summer vacation – an amazing cruise through the Baltic Sea.

I know, I hear some grumbling out there. Some of you are thinking, “How can he take a vacation? He should be writing!” But believe me, I need to recharge my batteries once in a while. Besides, I did some great writing on the trip, and the vacation was also for research. You will be seeing some things from the trip crop up in future books . . . though for now that’s all I can tell you. Others of you may protest, “Ack! You came to my country and didn’t do a book signing?” True, but this wasn’t a publicity trip, and I’ve found that mixing vacation time and book signings is pretty much impossible. For this trip, I needed to travel in stealth mode, do my research, and spend some uninterrupted time with my family. So apologies for that, but the trip was great. I learned a lot, and kept stumbling over gods everywhere I went.

First up, a look at Copenhagen, Denmark. What a beautiful city! We spent three days there before our cruise, wandering the canals and parks and harbors, eating great food, visiting museums and Tivoli Gardens, the amusement park said to have inspired Disney Land.

The weather was cool and sunny, so we really lucked out. The first day we walked along the docks and saw the Little Mermaid statue, though we liked the nearby ‘Mutant Mermaid’ statue much better. I’ve always had a soft spot for mutants.

We got some local ice cream on homemade waffle cones. (The Danes actually serve ice cream on real waffles – genius!) and found a great pizza place for dinner.

You can see from our pictures that gods were everywhere. Poseidon and Hermes guard the gates from the harbor to the queen’s palace:

Nike overlooks the docks:

Zeus was peeking out the window of a museum:

I even learned a new myth. A fountain in the middle of town shows the Norse goddess Gefion, who created Denmark. According to legend, the king of Sweden owed Gefion a favor. She asked for land. He told her she could have as much land as she could plow in one day and one night. She changed her four sons, whom she’d had with a giant, into massive bulls, harnessed them to a plough, and carved out the main island on which Copenhagen resides. The king of Sweden was not amused to lose so much land, but he stood by his promise, and Denmark was formed.

Our second day in town, we visited a couple of museums. The National Museum had a great collection of Greek, Egyptian and Norse art, and the nearby Carlsberg Museum was having a exhibition on Cleopatra’s world.

I especially liked the huge Viking rune stones:

And I loved the illustration of the Egyptian griffin – the best picture of Freak I’ve found yet!

After that, we visited Tivoli Gardens and rode the rides. Awesome place. If you like amusement parks, you really need to check it out. In many ways, Tivoli is the grandfather of all modern theme parks. Even here, we couldn’t escape the gods. One of the roller coasters was named the Odin Express.

On day three we checked out the Copenhagen Zoo and spent some quality time with Khufu’s relatives, the baboons. Check out the picture of the baboon baby!

We’ve been to zoos all over the place – it’s one of the things we love to do as a family, and the Copenhagen Zoo was one of our favorites. It has the only Tasmanian devil exhibit outside of Australia. Boy, those things are so ugly even Bes would look away.

All the Danes we met were super nice. We loved the ice cream, shopping at the Netto, and eating Danish pastries. This is definitely a city I’d like to visit again. After an amazing few days, we boarded our cruise ship for a trip up the Baltic Sea. More on that in my next post!

The Lost Hero in Chinese

2011-07-12T13:50:00.000-06:00

Thanks to my publisher in Taiwan, Yuan-Liou, for sharing the latest promotional materials for my three series.

Above is the Chinese cover for The Lost Hero, hot off the presses.

Under that is a cool bookmark for the Percy Jackson series. I wish I could scan it so you can see the holographic features, but when you turn it, lightning flashes and the PJ logo appears.

Finally, two sides of a Kane Chronicles bookmark with the Eye of Horus. Love it!

Rick's Recent Reads

2011-07-10T07:38:00.000-06:00

Even in the midst of frantic writing, I have to read! It recharges my batteries and lets me know what’s happening in the world of books.

Two novels I recently finished:

Hell is Empty, by Craig Johnson. The latest in a series about Wyoming sheriff Walt Longmire, this is the first Johnson novel I’ve read, and the first adult mystery I’ve read in quite a while. I’m not sure what attracted me to the book – probably the title, and the premise of following a psychotic killer into the wilderness. Hey, we’ve all been there, right? Normally I’d start a series at the beginning, but I had no trouble following the action. I like Walt Longmire’s character. He’s a widower, a father, an older man who can’t always chase down the crooks like he used to – and yet he treks into the freezing Big Horn Mountains alone rather than waiting for backup to save two hostages who have been abducted by a fugitive prisoner. Walt’s a good man and a good narrator, and although most of this book is Walt adventuring on his own, I can tell he’s got a great cast of supporting characters. Vic, Omar and the Cheyenne Nation (yes, that’s a character) are my favorites. Even characters that were created for this volume alone really pop.

Johnson knows his territory. He writes vividly and lovingly about Wyoming. I’ve never been there, but now I can picture it clearly. This is one of those books that lets you travel in your imagination. There is a fair amount of mysticism in the story – or ‘woo-woo’ if you wish. The book is overtly designed to parallel Dante’s Inferno, right down to the Native American guide Virgil who helps Walt through the mountains. We’re not always sure what Walt is seeing and what he is imagining. Are there spirits at work, or is Walt suffering from his head injuries? These elements didn’t bother me, but it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, so I thought I’d mention it. As for me, I really enjoyed my time with Walt and will definitely be buying the earlier books in Craig Johnson’s series. If you’re a mystery fan, check them out!

This Dark Endeavor, by Kenneth Oppel. I don’t often request an advance reading copy of a book. In fact, I’m usually declining ARCs because I’m offered more than I could possibly read. However, when I heard about Oppel’s latest project, a prequel to Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, I immediately asked if I could read an advance copy, and I was lucky enough to get it.

I’m a big fan of Oppel’s previous series that began with Airborn. I’m also a fan of the Romantics, like the Shelleys. It’s no coincidence that Percy Jackson is named Percy. Short for Perseus, yes, but Percy Shelley, who was enamored with Greek myths and wrote extensively about them, also liked to fancy that his name was derived from the old Greek hero. In one letter, his wife calls him “my own Perseus.” But I digress . . .

For many years, I’ve thought the Frankenstein story was ripe for retelling as a YA novel. It’s one of those ideas that I toyed with but never had time to pursue. I’m very glad Oppel beat me to it, because he does it beautifully.

This Dark Endeavour introduces 15-year-old Victor Frankenstein. Oppel has taken the liberty of giving Victor a twin brother Konrad, and while you may be thinking, ‘oh, lord, not the old twin brother plot device,’ it works well in this book and comes across as fresh and perfectly plausible. In fact, it’s vital to the story. When Konrad falls ill, Victor is driven to find a cure, even if that means turning to the forbidden secrets of alchemy. And so, from the best of motives, a dark obsession is born – to unlock the secrets of life and death.

There is much more to the story, though. Victor’s search for ingredients sends him and his friends on many harrowing adventures. I won’t give any spoilers, especially since the book isn’t out yet, but I can tell you this is a true page-turner.

Most importantly, there is Elizabeth, the distant cousin of the Frankenstein family – a spirited, fiercely independent young woman, devoutly Catholic, beautiful, headstrong, and drawn to both Konrad and Victor for very different reasons. It’s the love triangle between these three multidimensional characters that really drives the narrative. There are no easy answers, no true villains and heroes. I found myself cheering for Victor, and yet hating him at times. Konrad comes across as noble, and yet insufferably perfect. Elizabeth is mercurial, yet perfectly true to her convictions. Oppel really brings them to life, which in a Frankenstein novel has many levels of meaning, I suppose.

The book explores faith and science, loyalty and hypocrisy, love and jealousy – all the things that young readers, and even older readers, struggle with. In his earlier work Airborn, Oppel updated the classic Jules Verne/Robert Louis Stevenson adventures and pioneered what would later be called ‘steampunk.’ In This Dark Endeavor, Oppel has reinvented the gothic thriller for modern readers. The narrative crackles with tension, emotions run high, and the atmosphere is perfectly dark and brooding. The Shelleys would be proud. I definitely recommend you check out the book when it’s published August 23. I anticipate This Dark Endeavor will get a lot of attention, and rightly so.

Obrigado, Brasil!

2011-06-30T07:34:00.000-06:00

I just got a lovely care package in the mail from my Brazilian publisher Intrinseca. The Lost Hero was recently released there, and to celebrate the occasion the fine folks at Intrinseca made metal coin badges, bookmarks, messages in a bottle, and Portuguese Camp Half-Blood T-shirts. That's me above, ready to go to Acampamento Meio-Sangue.

It's great seeing my books become popular in so many countries, but I'd have to say Brazil has some of the most avid Percy Jackson fans. After the U.S., my website gets the most hits from Brazil. Clearly, Intrinseca did a great job translating the books into Portuguese, and Brazilian readers love mythology! I'm very grateful to my fans in Brazil for all their support. Unfortunately, I can't travel internationally for the next few years because of my insane writing schedule, so I won't be able to visit Brazil in person anytime soon, but some day I'd love to. Until then, thanks for reading!

Music, Mullets, and a Journey of Three Decades

2011-06-27T19:59:00.001-06:00

I’ve promised many people over the years that I’d post a picture of myself in my days as a folk rock singer. Well, here you go: the ultimate blackmail shot. No, that’s not Tony Orlando. That’s me, circa 1983. That’s my real hair, and that’s my fine mustache.

What prompted me to post it now? Last night Becky and I went to a Lyle Lovett/John Hiatt concert at the Majestic Theater here in San Antonio, which brought back a lot of memories. In the 1980s, when I was in college, I briefly set aside my dream of being a novelist to concentrate on music. Two of my high school friends and I formed a folk rock trio and started playing around South Texas. I wrote some original songs, but mostly we did covers of Bob Dylan, the Rolling Stones, Neil Young, the Beatles . . . well, you can probably tell what kind of music we played just by looking at my hair.

Anyway, one of our very first steady gigs was at Grins Restaurant in San Marcos. The owner Johnny had also given a break to then-unknown artists Robert Earl Keen and Lyle Lovett. At the concert last night, Lyle Lovett mentioned his days at Grins, and it made me smile. Fortunately for the world, Lyle Lovett went on to great things in the music industry. Just as fortunately for the world, my band did not. However, we started in the same place. In fact, our audition at Grins happened on a night Lyle’s friend Robert Earl Keen was playing. We packed the place with our friends. During one of the band’s breaks, Robert Earl let us use his sound system. We played a few songs, our friends applauded wildly, and then we left, along with most of the people in the restaurant. I’m sure Robert Earl was not pleased. Then again, he went on to a very successful career like Lyle, unlike our band!

Our band played for several years, and while we weren’t wildly popular, we had some good times. I made enough money to avoid getting a day job in college. When I became a teacher, I quickly realized that late night gigs and early mornings in the classroom did not mix well. I gave up performing, though music remained important to me. I turned my attention back to my other dream – writing novels – but even now, as I’m writing this, my Martin D-45 is sitting next to me, and I’ll often pick it up and play a tune from the old days.

Since the 1980s, Lyle Lovett has been one of the musicians who provided a soundtrack for our lives. Becky and I saw him at Gruene Hall very early in his career, when he first launched his Large Band. We saw him in the 1990s while we were living in the San Francisco Bay Area, and his music soothed some of our homesickness for Texas. Now that we’ve moved back home to San Antonio, seeing him last night felt like coming full circle. My favorite quote from him at the concert, paraphrased: “When I was growing up in Houston, I wanted to be a musician, but ‘making stuff up’ wasn’t a real job where I came from. Thanks to you all (the audience) it became one.” I can relate to that! I’m grateful to have made a career telling stories – and it’s thanks to my readers.

So it seemed the right time to look back at my folk rock publicity photo from the 1980s. That guy with the weird hair . . . he has no idea what crazy turns his life will take. He will not become a rock star – thank goodness – but he will get to do two other things he’s always dreamed of: become a successful teacher, and become a published author. He wouldn’t believe me if I told him just how well his books will be received. So thanks, Lyle Lovett, for reminding me just how great a journey the last three decades have been, and how lucky I am to be making up stuff for a living!

A Father's Day Post

2011-06-18T18:49:00.003-06:00

At my BooksmART event in Dallas last weekend, one of the things that struck me was how many dads attended with their kids. Despite the crowds and the heat, these dads were perfectly happy to wait in the blazing hot sun to let their children meet me and get their books signed. Everyone seemed to be in a great mood. I always love seeing dads come out with their kids for an event about reading, and it makes me appreciate how my own father started me on my path to becoming an author. I've done several posts in the past on Mother's Day, but it seems appropriate this weekend to honor my dad, the first storyteller in my life.

The pictures above were unearthed from the oldest family album I have. It miraculously survived the fire that destroyed my mom's house in the 1980s, and offers a glimpse of my earliest years.

My parents got married very young, and didn't exactly plan on having a son so soon! The top photo shows my dad holding me in an Aggie baby outfit, since both my parents went to school at Texas A&M. What strikes me is how young my dad looks in this picture -- even younger than my brother Brady is now, and they look so similar. I was thirty when my own first son was born. Even then it was hard. It gives me a lot of respect for how well my dad did with me when he was barely out of high school. I remember him being patient and caring with a good sense of humor. I doubt I could've done so well in my twenties. No -- I'm sure I couldn't have.

Below that is a picture of my dad introducing me to the Texas Gulf Coast. My dad loves the coast, and has retired to Port Aransas, which is probably where this picture was taken. Some of my earliest memories are of camping on the beach, designing a flag to fly over our tent as if we were founding a medieval castle. We'd feed the seagulls, build amazing sand castles, and eat sandwiches with sand in them (for the longest time, I thought that's why they called them 'sandwiches'). I'll admit I never was one for the ocean when I was young, and even now it takes a certain amount of courage for me to approach a beach. Jellyfish and deep water terrified me. Gutting fish grossed me out. And the movie Jaws certainly didn't help. But I still have many good memories of those times. Even the time my parents woke me up in the middle of the night and hastily broke camp to escape an incoming hurricane -- in retrospect, the memory is exciting and vivid.

Third photo: Another water shot! I'm thinking that's the Alamo Heights public pool in San Antonio, though I could be wrong. I know we went there many times. My dad was and is such an avid fan of the water, I suppose it's no wonder I would grow up and write about Percy Jackson, son of the sea god!

The next picture is actually dated: June 1, 1965, when I was almost one year old. My dad is taking me to the San Antonio Zoo, one of the best zoos in the country, where I spent a good chunk of my childhood. When I got a little older, my favorite part was the Mold-a-Rama machines, which made wax replicas of the animals as you watched. Amazingly, those machines are still working today, so I got to take my own sons there to start their own collections. In fact, I have shots of me with my sons, Haley and Patrick, that are almost identical to this photo of me with my dad.

The next shot -- oh dear! How did that get in there? That's my dad and my maternal grandmother giving me an outdoor bath. Yes, this is the sort of shot parents are always threatening to show your girlfriend when you grow up. Why am I taking a bath outside? Could be I was playing in the mud. Or possibly this was before we invented indoor plumbing. Nah . . . probably the mud.

The black and white shot: again, it's amazing how much my dad looks like my younger brother, or vice versa. This is the earliest shot of me and my dad together, just after I was born in the Methodist Hospital in San Antonio. He looks remarkably calm, given that I did not show up on schedule. As the story goes, the doctor who was supposed to deliver me was about to go on vacation, and showed up at the operating room wearing his Hawaiian shirt. Again, echoes of Percy Jackson's life! I was even delivered by Dr. Tommy Bahama.

Below that is a scene any father can relate to: total exhaustion. I'm not sure who looks more wiped out in that picture, me or my dad, but I also look very safe and comfortable. When I was a little older, I clearly remember crawling into bed between my parents and cuddling up to my dad, listening to his breathing until I fell asleep. He had a strong, reassuring presence.

Below that, me looking very surprised, like I'm thinking, "Holy Cow! That's my dad!" My dad looks happy and relaxed, despite the fact he was juggling college at A&M and unexpected fatherhood.

Finally, a picture of me hitting the pavement to look for work. Yes, times were tough back then. No . . . actually I just love that shot. You have to dig the hat. Obviously I'd just learned to walk, and these were some of my first steps.

These give you a sense of me and my dad in our earliest years together, but one thing they don't show is how often we read together. My dad read to me all the time. I still have the battered copy of Tales of the Western World, now long since out of print, from which my dad read me Native American myths and tall tales from the pioneers. These started my lifelong love of mythology. I also loved Doctor Seuss and P.D. Eastman's Go, Dog, Go, which I made my dad tell me endless times. Hop On Pop, of course, was another favorite, especially since it gave me an excuse to act out jumping on my dad's belly, which he took with good grace despite the fact that I was not a light child.

When I became a teacher years later, I would often extol the importance of reading to children at home. Having parents who read is critical, because modeling that behavior will show children that reading is an important and enjoyable part of family life. What I don't often acknowledge is how much influence my dad had on my own development. He took the time to read. He loved stories, and he instilled that love in me.

He also made it clear that he valued creativity, and nurtured his own artistic side. When I was quite young, he took up pottery, learned to use the wheel, and befriended a local ceramicist who taught him how to build and use a kiln. I learned along with him, first at the art studios of the McNay Museum, then later at his friend's extremely hippie encampment/art studio built from an upside-down radar dome in the woods near Universal City. I was never very good at the potter's wheel, but I loved to make clay sculptures, and got to help make a 'kiln god' statue, a sort of good luck talisman for a new kiln that supposedly helped pots not get broken when fired. Talk about hands-on mythology!

I started making clay dinosaurs, too. When my father would sell his ceramics at weekend art shows, he'd let me come along and sell my dinosaurs. Amazingly, they sold. I remember one particular piece that came out of the kiln kind of melted. It looked like the dinosaur was having a heart attack. My dad said, "Well, bring it along. Maybe some sucker will buy it!"

Sure enough, a guy came to our booth and broke out laughing when he saw the deformed dinosaur. He brought out his money, and I turned to my dad proudly and announced, "You were right, Dad! Some sucker did buy it!" My dad turned bright red and kept his painful smile in place, shaking his head for me to shut up. The guy bought the statue anyway.

The point is: My dad was both a creative person and a storyteller. Like my mom, he was also a teacher, and worked in the San Antonio public schools for many years. Really, the foundation for who I would become was laid in those early years, watching and learning from my father. Without a strong role model like him, I doubt I would've ever become a writer.

So to my dad -- thank you! I haven't said that enough. And thanks to all those dads who take time to read to their kids, encourage their imagination and nurture their interests, even if it means standing in the hot sun for an hour to meet some author! You may not know just how great a gift you're giving to your children, but believe me -- the value of what you are doing is immense. Happy Father's Day, everyone!

Memorabilia from the Tour

2011-06-18T09:19:00.000-06:00

I just got a care package in the mail -- a collection of letters, drawings, and other cool stuff that fans brought me at my signings for The Throne of Fire last month. My publisher kept track of all this so I wouldn't lose it while traveling, and now I have a chance to look back and remember all the great moments of the tour.

Above is a small sampling from the fans. First up, a beautiful 'Cup of Gratitude' from Noelle and Eric at ZPOTS studio pottery in Vermont. My dad is a potter, and some of my fondest childhood memories are making ceramic dinosaurs with his help, then attending weekend art fairs with him where we'd sell our stuff. So I'm always appreciative of ceramics. Thanks, guys!

The black and white sketch of Percy in front of the Saint Louis Arch is by Daniel H. Great work, Daniel! That must have taken you a long time.

The shout-out to the Kane Chronicles is from Kyle O., a reader/artist who waited a long time to meet me. Thanks for coming to the event!

The color drawing of Percy is by Paul R., age 10, from Missouri. Percy sure looks fierce!

Below that is a photo of me with Sophia S. at the Texas Library Association last year. Her mom brought me a copy of the photo this time around, and it was great to see them again!

The next photo is Bobby, in his excellent Poseidon costume from Halloween. Careful with that trident, Bobby. We don't need any more hurricanes!

One of my favorites: Olivia M. drew that sketch of Grover offering me a soup can. Can you believe Olivia did that while waiting in line? That's a lot of talent! And gee, thanks for the soup can, Grover.

The stable full of monsters was drawn by Katie M., who must really love animals. She even signs the 'i' in her name with a paw print for a dot. Clever!

Thank you to Kayleigh, who drew me the 'Booktastic' sign while she waited in line!

The warlike picture of Nico di Angelo is compliments of Raphael P. I definitely would not mess with Nico here. Looks like he's in a bad mood.

And finally, thanks to Mandy R. for the manga-like take on Percy, Grover and Annabeth. They look like they're ready to join the cast of one of the anime programs my sons watch!

Some of the goodies not pictured:

Mariah A. shared a wonderful letter about how Percy Jackson changed her life. She is ADHD/dyslexic, and she wanted me to know that those books turned her into a reader. I couldn't imagine a greater compliment, Mariah. Thank you, and keep reading!

Lily T. shared a note and a link to her blog about reading. Way to go, Lily! Good luck with your blog.

Sigrid (great mythology name) from Poland, Maine wanted me to know that my books are so popular in her school that the kids are nicknamed after my characters. She is Thalia. Good choice!

Adri K. gave me a thank you letter and said her 'wish came true' when I wrote The Red Pyramid and The Lost Hero. She takes issue with all the other kids in the signing line who claim to be my biggest fan. She says SHE is my biggest fan. Well, I appreciate it, but I don't want to cause any competition or fighting. As far as I'm concerned, all my fans are the greatest.

Sabah M. shared a copy of her school report, "If You Knew Me," which focuses on how much she loves the Percy Jackson series. She did great research for the report. Even I learned things about me. Well done!

Thanks to Tracey Bromley Goodwin and Holly Oberacker for sharing a copy of their book, Navigating ADHD. I haven't had a chance to read it yet, but we can use more books on this subject for families looking for reassurance, information and support!

And finally, thanks to Mrs. Milsark's 6th grade reading class at Ft. Zumwalt West Middle School for the great poster. It's too big to scan, but all the kids signed it with great comments. Hope you all have a wonderful summer and keep reading!

That's just a small fraction of the stuff I received during the tour, but as you can tell, I've got the best job in the world, and the best fans. Thanks to everyone else who wrote, too. Sadly, I'm no longer able to respond personally to everyone because of the sheer volume of mail, but I do read your letters and appreciate them very much! From time to time, I update my FAQ page to answer questions I get a lot.

In other news: I'm working furiously over the course of the summer to finish up Kane Chronicles 3. No title yet -- that will be the last thing I come up with, but work is going well. The Son of Neptune is on schedule for an October 4 publication. Can't wait to share it with you!

Everything is going well here at Zeus House. It's a hot and dry Texas summer, but we're spending a lot of time in the pool (when I'm not writing, of course). Last night I was swimming at sunset, watching the Mexican free-tail bats spiral overhead catching mosquitos. Go, bats!

My recent reads:

In the Garden of Beasts, Erik Larsen: a fascinating story about the American ambassador to Nazi Germany in the 1930s. Hindsight is twenty-twenty, but this book does a good job recapturing a time when everyone was desperate to believe that the Nazis actually wanted peace. The book shows how the ambassador's idealistic young daughter initially bought into Hitler's charisma, but soon realized the truth. A chilling and riveting story, In the Garden of Beasts shows how an entire nation of otherwise reasonable people can be seduced by an evil movement, and kept paralyzed by fear.

The Search for WondLa, by Tony DiTerlizzi. This book makes me wish I could draw. From the co-creator of Spiderwick Chronicles, The Search for Wondla is a fabulous cross between sci fi and fantasy. A young girl, raised in an underground bunker by a motherly robot, is suddenly forced to the surface and finds that the world is radically changed -- if it's even the planet she thought it was. The story is fascinating by itself, but the illustrations add a whole new dimension to the adventure. Highly recommended.

Satori, by Don Winslow. This is a prequel to one of the best-loved thrillers of all time, Shibumi by Trevanian. Stepping in so many years later to reincarnate the hero-assassin Nicholai Hel is a massive undertaking. I can only imagine how daunting this must have been to Don Winslow, but he does a fabulous job. The character of Nicholai is true-to-form, and the story is rich in authentic details of the 1950s Cold War. If you like thrillers and international intrigue, you can't go wrong with this one.

That's it for now. I'd better get back to writing! I hope everyone has a safe and relaxing summer, full of good books!

The Son of Neptune cover revealed!

2011-05-26T06:16:00.003-06:00

I'm so excited! Last night at my Lincoln Center event with James Patterson, we revealed the cover for The Son of Neptune for the first time. You can also read a sneak peek from the book at heroesofolympus.com. I hope you enjoy!

The book will be out October 4. Stay tuned for more information. We'll be holding Olympian Week from Oct. 4-10, seven days of celebrations for the new book across the country. Bookstores or libraries that would like to host an event can visit camphalfblood.com for full details and sweepstakes rules. Even if your town isn't chosen as one of the seven sites, you can still participate. The site will soon have tons of party ideas for hosting your own celebration.

Last night's event at Lincoln Center was so much fun. It was a sold-out crowd of extremely excited kids, parents and teachers. Thanks also to everyone who joined us via webcast. Today I'm heading home to San Antonio where I'll spend the summer writing Kane Chronicles 3. More on that later!

Olympian Week Announced!

2011-05-23T08:25:00.004-06:00

Exciting news about The Son of Neptune! Disney-Hyperion Books is holding a contest to pick seven locations around the US -- one for each of the seven Great Prophecy demigods -- that will host a live event with me, October 4-10, for the launch of Son of Neptune. Bookstores or libraries can submit their proposals for the ultimate toga party, and seven winners will be chosen. I have no idea where I will be heading, but I'm sure we'll have seven amazing parties. Could your town be one of the locations? Encourage your local bookseller or librarian to enter!

Full details can be found at camphalfblood.com. Good luck, all!

And check back later in the week. I'll have more fun info to announce on Thursday.

Some Things Never Change!

2011-05-20T07:06:00.003-06:00

I ran across this quote today while researching some Ancient Greek writers. I've seen the quote before, but it makes me chuckle every time so I thought I'd share it. How many times have you heard people complaining about the youth of today? Well . . .

"I see no hope for the future of our people if they are dependent on

frivolous youth of today, for certainly all youth are reckless beyond

words... When I was young, we were taught to be discreet and

respectful of elders, but the present youth are exceedingly

disrespectful and impatient of restraint."

-- Hesiod, 8th century BC

In other words, "Kids today!" That's Hesiod above. He does look like the kind of guy to yell, "Get off my lawn!" doesn't he? Every generation seems to think that civilization is doomed because the kids today have no respect, no discipline, no work ethic, et cetera. We've been saying this for at least three thousand years, and yet somehow we've managed to survive as a species. Me? I'm more hopeful than Hesiod. I get to meet a lot of today's youth at book signings, schools, and public events, and if my young readers are any indication, I think the next generation is going to do just fine!

Percy goes to Rome!

2011-05-12T11:30:00.000-06:00

Mondadori Publishers in Italy just sent these great photos of a window display for Percy Jackson in Rome. Seems appropriate, given the Roman focus in Heroes of Olympus! The Italians didn't publish the PJO series until recently. This display is for book #3, The Titan's Curse. You can check out the Italian Percy Jackson website, too!

From Massachusetts to New York

2011-05-09T06:35:00.000-06:00

The last two days in Massachusetts have been great. We arrived in Northampton for an event with Odyssey Bookshop. Cute town! All kinds of funky shops on Main Street, and we arrived in time for the Pride Parade on Saturday morning, so the crowd in town was buoyant and colorful to say the least. We had a sunny day, and the event was held at the beautiful campus of Mount Holyoke. Not sure how many people we had – hundreds and hundreds – but we definitely filled the auditorium. We had some great costumes in the crowd: Sadies, Zias, Annabeths, and a sprinkling of monsters and gods. Lots of fun! Special thanks to Mo Willems and family, who had me over for dinner afterwards, despite the fact that Mo himself was just back from tour. What a treat to have a home-cooked meal with friends in the middle of a week of travel.

Yesterday we drove into Cape Cod, where I hadn’t been in twenty-five years, since Becky and I were on our honeymoon road trip. Still as beautiful as I remember (Becky and Cape Cod, take your pick!). The Titcomb Bookstore has a tradition of taking a picture of visiting authors in front of a colonial guy’s statue in front of the store. Unfortunately the original colonial dude was recently run over by a car, so I had to take my picture with his wooden stunt double. Oh well, better the statue get run over than the author. Our event at the local high school had over a thousand people, which is pretty incredible for off-season Cape Cod and Mother’s Day! The local kids did some fabulous hieroglyphic artwork to decorate the stage and presented me with a lightning bolt award – the first ever ‘Sandwich Children’s Choice Award.’ (Sandwich being the town, not the meal.) We had more terrific costumes in the crowd, including Cleopatra and a satyr with horns and beard. Everyone was so nice and welcoming.

Some of my favorite questions:

Q: How many times did you . . . um . . . print this book?

A: Well, I think the first printing for Throne of Fire was about 1.5 million.

Q: No, I mean . . . um . . . how many times did you revise it?

A: Oh! Yes, the answer is about the same.

Q: Would you make the next book thicker, please?

A: I don’t want to make them much longer than they already are. I didn’t really plan it, but Lost Hero and Red Pyramid were over 500 pages, and that’s about the outer limit of what I want to write, since I don’t want the story to drag. Also, if I made them any longer, you’d have to wait longer for me to finish them, and I don’t think you want that!

Q: Would you ever do something on Norse mythology?

A: This is definitely the question du jour because of the Thor film. Believe me, I’ve had ideas for a Norse series for many years, long before the film came out. The problem is finding the time to write it. Maybe once I’ve finished the two series I’ve got going, I can turn to that, but right now my hands are full. Haven’t seen the Thor movie yet, as I’ve been on tour, but I plan to. I grew up on the Thor comics. Like the film, the comics take some pretty huge liberties with the Norse myths, but they’re still fun.

Today we’re off to Rhinebeck, New York, for a sold-out event with Oblong Books. I think there is still standing room available, however, so if you want to join the signing line and you live in the area, please come by!

And it bears repeating I don’t make the tour! I just go where the publisher sends me. It’s been wonderful visiting so many great places I’ve never been, but sadly the tour has to be short so I can get back to writing. I appreciate all the invitations and pleas to visit your town, state or country. But with a book coming out every six months, I can’t do much traveling. The most important thing right now is to get the books finished so you guys don’t have to wait! Thanks for all the great feedback on Throne of Fire, too. I’m so glad you’re enjoying it!

Two Days in Vermont

2011-05-06T18:25:00.003-06:00

Just arrived in Massachusetts after two days in the mountains of Vermont. I'd never been to the state before. What a beautiful place.

Yesterday I had an event with Northshire Bookstore, which is an amazing shop. My favorite part was the inscription "Nothing is Written in Stone," which is written in stone on the walkway to the front door. Over five hundred people showed up at the local school auditorium. I had a great time talking with the kids and signing their books. I stayed at the Equinox Hotel in Manchester Village, and I can highly recommend it if you are in the area. The tavern serves some mean fish and chips, and apparently Teddy Roosevelt spent some time at the hotel.

Today, I had a rare free morning, so I arranged a falconry lesson with the British School of Falconry which is near the hotel. It seemed appropriate, as I write about Horus the falcon god, and I can honestly say I got some great new insights on these beautiful birds. I envy Carter Kane, being able to turn into one! My guide and falconer, Jay, took me through the barn and introduced me to the birds -- mostly Harris hawks, but also a beautiful eagle named Elsie, pictured above on the floor of her cage.

First we took out a small male hawk named Harris. That's him above on Jay's glove, and then me with Harris in front of the white building. I learned how to let the hawk perch on my glove, cast him off, and call him back. They work for tiny slivers of steak, or lures made from chicken wings, which they love to tear up. I found out that several English terms come from falconry. You use 'bait and switch' to trade the bird's prey for a reward. 'Hoodwinked' comes from a failed attempt to pull the falcon's hood over its head. 'Under your thumb' refers to keeping the jess (the falcon's leash) secured under your thumb so the bird doesn't fly away. An 'old codger' is a man too old to hunt, who looks after the 'cadge' on which the falcons are transported -- thus a 'cadger.' And of course, Jay and I discussed how falconry was the sport of kings going back thousands of years, and how the bird was revered in Ancient Egypt.

After learning the basics we headed to Hildene, which is an estate founded by Abraham Lincoln's son. We took two falcons into the woods -- Haggis and Wallis -- and let them follow us around. They hopped from tree to tree, looking for prey. They did try to catch a gray squirrel, but fortunately for the squirrel, it got away. Do feel sorry for the birds, though. They had a great time and had plenty of meat slivers as rewards. It was an extremely cool experience, and if you ever have the chance to do it, I highly recommend it.

After my time in the wild, we drove to Brattleboro for an event with the Book Cellar. The building that houses the store recently burned down, which has been a huge loss for the community, but I was glad that the event was able to go forward, and it was great to see the town come out to support the booksellers. Now we're in Northampton, MA, where we'll be doing an event with the Odyssey Bookshop tomorrow. I'll let you know how it goes!

In other news, The Red Pyramid has now been on the New York Times bestseller list for fifty-two consecutive weeks -- a full year. Percy and The Lost Hero are also riding high. Thanks, readers!

Thank you, Mainers!

2011-05-05T05:35:00.000-06:00

I had a great time in South Portland last night. Thanks to the 2000 people who showed up at Borders, despite the cold rainy weather. A special shout-out to my wife’s Aunt Donna and our cousin Bradley who made the drive to see me. They live in Maine and we don’t get to see them much, but it was great to catch up, albeit briefly. Thanks also to the local elementary schools, who made a life-sized Percy Jackson display for the store. Borders had arranged face-painting, a hieroglyph hunt and other cool activities, so there was plenty to do.

Everyone was so polite and enthusiastic, despite the long signing line. I met several ‘Sadie Kanes’ with combat boots and highlighted streaks in their hair. One even had her own boomerang wand, and was accompanied by Thalia Grace, with aegis shield and a sword. Awesome!

Favorite comment of the night: I signed a book for a young girl who looked down at the inscription with absolute disgust. “What is that?” she demanded. I replied, “Er, that’s my signature.” I almost thought she was going to demand I erase it, or shout, “How dare you defile my book!” She accepted the explanation, but still looked pretty repulsed. Yes, my signature is not very pretty. Oh, well. Guess I’ll have to work on that.

Some of the many good questions:

Q: Will I ever do a Norse mythology series?

A: I’d love to, but with Kane and Heroes, I’ve got my hands full at the moment. It will be several years before I could even start on something like that.

Q: Would I ever do a crossover series with Kane and Percy’s world?

A: I don’t know. It’s an interesting idea, but for now I think it’s best to keep the worlds separate to avoid utter confusion. Again, so many ideas, but each one takes a long time to write!

Q: Do I do school visits?

A: Sadly, not anymore. I did hundreds and hundreds while Percy was being published, but now there just isn’t enough time in the calendar year to meet my deadlines and travel that much. Sorry about that! Has anyone perfected author cloning yet?

Q: Favorite character?

A: Bes from the Kane Chronicles, Tyson from the Percy series, and Leo from Heroes of Olympus -- so far. The answer is always changing.

Q: Do you like Greek mythology?

A: What gave me away?

Q: Why did you set a scene at Bar Harbor, Maine in the Titan’s Curse?

A: I had totally forgotten that! My wife and I had been through Maine only once before, twenty-five years ago on our Honeymoon, and we stayed overnight at Bar Harbor. I always remembered it, and decided to set a scene there.

Today, we’re off to Vermont for an event in Manchester Village with Northshire Bookstore. If you live in the area, I hope to see you there!

Princeton Launch Party

2011-05-04T06:09:00.002-06:00

Thanks to everyone who came to the Throne of Fire launch event in Princeton last night. We had over a thousand people. The Barnes & Noble staff had everything so well organized the line went smoothly and I think everyone went home happy. It was great meeting so many awesome fans!

Above is a picture of the super-cool bookmarks Disney has made for Throne of Fire. We'll be giving these away at the events!

Last night at the signing, I met two Sadies and one Carter. Most interesting name: Messiah. Some of the best questions: “Who did you base Jason after?” Surprisingly, no one has asked me that before. The answer is Jason in Greek mythology, with a lot of modernizing, of course. “How many hours a day do you write?” I got this one quite a bit. The answer: It varies. Usually 3-8 hours. “How long does it take to write a book?” Answer: usually one year, but I’ve managed to speed it up to every six months, though I won’t keep up that pace forever, just until I finish the two concurrent series, Kane and Heroes of Olympus. “How many books for Kane?” Three. A lot of fans asked if I would do more than that. Well, I don’t know. Maybe one of these days, but for now three books is the right number to tell the story of the Kanes and their fight with Apophis. And best question that wasn’t asked (brought to my attention in the fan’s blog): “Does Khufu eat kangaroos?” Ha! I love it. I’m sure if he could catch one, he would try.

Especially interesting to me were the fans’ favorite books. Some liked the Kane series best. Some like Percy. Some liked Heroes. Many had already finished Throne of Fire (wow!) and loved it, thankfully. They were already asking for the next (out next May, no title yet, still in the works). Many kids, fortunately, liked all three series! Every book had its own cheering squad. And of course, everyone asked me which book I liked the best. It’s just too hard to pick, like asking a parent to pick their favorite child. I told one fan that, and he rolled his eyes in exasperation. “Every writer says that!” Yep, but it’s true!

This morning I leave New York and head to South Portland for an event at Borders. My first ever event in Maine, so if you live in the area, I hope you’ll come by!

Children Choices Awards and Throne of Fire

2011-05-03T12:52:00.001-06:00

Greetings from New York City, and happy release day for The Throne of Fire!

I arrived in Manhattan last night for the Children’s Choice Book Awards. I had no anticipation of winning, so I prepared no comments, even though my wife Becky had warned me it would be better to arrive prepared. Now she can say, “I told you so!” The Red Pyramid won for best 5^th-6^th grade book, which was amazing enough. Then I was called up again when I won 'Author of the Year’ for The Lost Hero. Holy Hera! I really wasn’t expecting that, especially given the incredible authors who were on the nomination list. Thanks to all the young readers who cast votes – over half a million of them! If you’d like to read coverage of the event, check out the article in USA Today.

I had a great time at the reception, catching up with friends and colleagues. It was great to see Jeff Kinney, Suzanne Collins and Jon Scieszka again (Jon made an appearance as noted book author Snooki – which stole the show). I got to meet Cassandra Clare, Holly Black, Katherine Patterson and Laurie Halse Anderson for the first time, along with many other amazing authors. The award for Red Pyramid was presented by Walter Dean Myers, whose books I taught many times in my classroom. That was a surreal moment! LeVar Burton (aka Geordi LaForge and the host of Reading Rainbow) wrapped up the evening with his remarks, and was just as gracious and warm in person as he is on the screen. Plus the party had excellent deserts and a wonderful setting overlooking the Hudson River at sunset. Who could ask for more?

Today, the Throne of Fire arrives! I hope you all enjoy it. The first printed review I’ve seen is from Booklist, which declares:

“Riordan combines hard-hitting action scenes, powerful magic, and comic relief with the internal waves of love, jealousy, and self-doubt that make his young heroes so very human. The book concludes with glossaries of Egyptian commands and terms as well as gods and goddesses, but even readers who lose track of the details will enjoy the high-energy story as it races toward a conclusion. Lit by flashes of humor, this fantasy adventure is an engaging addition to the Kane Chronicles series.”

Now I’m off to the Barnes and Noble in Princeton, New Jersey for the first event this evening, then it’s on to South Portland, Maine, tomorrow. For full tour details, check my calendar. I’ll keep you posted from the road!

Easter in Vegas

2011-04-27T17:23:00.002-06:00

The Riordans just got back from Las Vegas, where we spent some good family time before I head off next week on tour. This was our fourth trip to Vegas, and it was good to catch up with my friends at the Lotus Hotel & Casino, where I’ve got a platinum membership, naturally. Boy, time really flies in that place. I also got to visit Khonsu the moon god in his penthouse suite at the Luxor pyramid for some high-stakes gaming. Oh wait . . . you haven’t met Khonsu yet? That will change next week when the Throne of Fire comes out.

When not dealing with demigods and magical creatures, we had some more typical mortal fun. We stayed at the Aria Hotel in the City Center and really enjoyed it. Great gelato place downstairs! I’m not advocating gambling, mind you, but I did get my picture taken at the Rome & Egypt slot machine, which is right next to Zeus II and Zeus III. It seemed appropriate. Our first night we had dinner at Wolfgang Puck’s pizzeria in the City Center. Patrick’s verdict: “This pizza is almost as good as Costco’s!” I’m sure Mr. Puck is delighted to hear that.

Friday we walked all over the strip, enjoying the dry weather. The temperature wasn’t too different from San Antonio, but that lack of humidity made it feel almost cool. We saw the dolphins and white tigers at the Mirage. You can see my picture above at the ‘R’ in the giant sign for the Beatles’ Revolution lounge. Then we went shopping at the Venetian and tried the city’s monorail, which was new since our last visit. At night, we saw the Tournament of Kings at Excalibur. Huzzah! It was Ye Olde Cheesy Spectacle, but we enjoyed it. Apparently the Emperor of Australia won the jousting. We’re still trying to figure that out . . .

Saturday we started the day at Circus Circus, which we’ve been visiting since the kids were tiny. I think they could spend all day at the midway, but we would run out of bag space for stuffed animals. Afterwards, we visited Madame Tussaud’s and went to see David Copperfield at the MGM. He was very good, and funnier than I’d expected. He made thirteen adults disappear, after choosing them by randomly throwing giant balls into the audience. Haley and Patrick were so excited that I might disappear, but I didn’t end up chosen. I’m not sure whether to be insulted or not . . .

Sunday we visited the game room at New York, New York, searching in vain for the place that sells fried Twinkies, according to Anthony Bourdain. Didn’t find it. Oh well. Maybe next time. Then it was on to the big event of the weekend – an Easter Day helicopter ride to the Grand Canyon. Our pilot Bob (pictured with me above) knew my books and we had a great talk on the way back about good fantasy novels. If you need a good helicopter tour when you’re in Vegas, definitely ask for Pilot Bob at Sundance Tours. He’s the best! We flew over Hoover Dam and saw the new bridge, which Percy really would've appreciated in The Titan's Curse when he was running from skeletons. The canyon itself was as awe-inspiring as advertised, and yes, we did in fact go out on the Skywalk. Fortunately, there were no evil wind spirits active that day.

All in all, it was a wonderful Easter weekend! Now, I have a few days at home to rest up before The Throne of Fire tour. If you’re in the New England area, I hope to see you at an event!

James Patterson & Rick Riordan Live!

2011-04-25T07:58:00.005-06:00

I'm delighted to announce that I'll be sharing the stage with master storyteller James Patterson at the Lincoln Center in New York City on May 25. Our conversation will be hosted by the always amazing Al Roker. We'll give you the inside look at our work for young adult readers. It will be an exciting evening, and I'm honored to participate! Tickets go on sale April 30. All proceeds from the tickets will be donated to FirstBook. For more details or to order tickets, check here. Hope to see you there!

The Throne of Fire Tour!

2011-04-14T05:22:00.002-06:00

Tour details have been announced for the Throne of Fire. I hope to see some of you at an event! For full details, check my web calendar.

The tour focuses on New England this time, and the cool thing is that I've never been to any of these places before (except for my hometown Barnes & Noble in San Antoni0). It'll be great visiting new cities and meeting new fans! The downside, of course, is that the tour isn't quite as long because of my writing schedule, and I'm sorry I won't get to see you if you live in a different part of the country. But don't be too sad. I'll be touring again in the fall for Son of Neptune. Remember, I don't make the tour. I just go where the publisher tells me, and that's for the best. I couldn't possibly choose between so many cool places around the country! If you're not able to make an event, most of the stores below will be happy to take orders for personalized books in advance. Just call the store before my event, and they'll ship you your books afterwards!

Tuesday, May 3

Time: 6:00 pm

Barnes & Noble Booksellers @ MarketFair Mall
Princeton, NJ 08540

www.bn.com

Wednesday, May 4

Time: 6:00 pm

Borders
South Portland, ME 04106

http://www.borders.com/online/store/StoreDetailView_133

Thursday, May 5

Time: 6:00 pm

Northshire Bookstore
Manchester Center, VT 05255

http://northshire.com/

Friday, May 6

Time: 5:00 pm

The Book Cellar

Brattleboro, VT 05301

www.bookcellarvt.com

Saturday, May 7

Time: 3:00 pm

The Odyssey Bookshop
South Hadley, MA 01075

http://www.odysseybks.com

Sunday, May 8

Time: 2:00 pm

Titcomb’s Bookshop
East Sandwich, MA 02537

http://titcombsbookshop.com

Monday, May 9

Time: 6:00 pm

Oblong Books

Rhinebeck, NY

http://oblongbooks.com

Saturday, May 14

Time: 4:00 pm

Barnes & Noble in the Shops at La Cantera

San Antonio, TX 78256

www.bn.com

Saturday, June 11

Dallas Museum of Art BooksmART Festival

Dallas, TX 75201

www.DallasMuseumofArt.org

Friday, June 24

Time: 6:00 PM

Barnes & Noble

Metairie, LA

The News from Zeus House

2011-04-02T07:44:00.005-06:00

April is here already? Gods of Olympus! Time has been flying. That tends to happen when I’m buried in a manuscript.

I’ve been working furiously on the revisions for The Son of Neptune. I’m through the third draft, which means it’s down to just a little fine-tuning before I send it to my editor. Again, it’s a long process getting a book published, so this doesn’t mean the book is finished early or ready to read. It has to go through several more drafts with my editor and copyeditor, then typesetting, et cetera, et cetera. But I’m confident the book will be out on time this October. When I have more details about the cover, sneak peeks, and all of that, I will let you know, but it will be a few more months.

In the meantime, 39 Clues: Vespers Rising comes out Tuesday, April 5! It’s a book written in four parts, following the Cahill family from their origins to the present, and introducing a sinister new enemy family: the Vespers. I got to write the first part, going back in time to the incident that made the Cahills so powerful. 39 Clues veterans Gordon Korman, Jude Watson and Peter Lerangis wrote the other three parts, and as you might expect, they’re awesome. I hope you all like the book!

In one month, on May 3, the Kanes are back in town! The Throne of Fire, second volume of the Kane Chronicles, will be released, and I’m very excited about it. I just got a copy of the book, hot off the presses, and it looks fabulous. The Egyptian gods section of my website has been updated to give you a taste of things to come, and if you haven’t yet read chapter one, you can get that sneak peek on the Disney Kane Chronicles site. More information will be coming your way over the next month, so stay tuned!

If you’re new to the blog, you may be wondering why I call our house ‘Zeus House’. When we moved in, almost two years ago, we picked a stormy green/gray paint for the exterior that was appropriately named ‘Zeus.’ Since then, we’ve also added white countertops in our bathroom that are ‘Zeus white.’ So yeah . . . we’ve got a theme going. We haven’t been hit by lightning yet, so I guess Zeus doesn’t mind. Of course right now in San Antonio everything is covered in yellow oak pollen, which is pretty gross. We need a good rain!

In other news, I just saw the first sketches for The Red Pyramid graphic novel, and it’s going to be amazing. The Sea of Monsters graphic novel is also going really well. Wait until you see Tyson in comic form. Ha! I’ll keep you posted on those as the release dates get closer. The Percy Jackson series continues chugging along on the bestseller list – 194 weeks now, which is just mind-boggling. The Lost Hero and the Red Pyramid are still fixtures on the chapter book list, as well. Thank you, readers, for recommending the books. Like I always say, I’ve got the best readers in the world. Sorry I can’t be more open to individual communications right now, but as you can guess, writing two series at once is really keeping my nose to the grindstone.

Speaking of which, I’d better get back to it. Have a good week, everyone!

Children's Choice Book Awards

2011-03-14T06:05:00.003-06:00

Voting for the Children's Choice Book Awards is now underway, and I'm honored to be nominated for The Red Pyramid (grades 5-6 category) and author of the year. Wow! I'm in amazing company on both lists. Visit the website if you'd like to vote!

Thanks, Kiddos!

2011-03-12T08:05:00.006-06:00

Thanks to everyone who voted in the Kiddo Awards on James Patterson's Read Kiddo Read website! I just learned that The Lost Hero won the 2011 award for the ages 10 & up category. As always, this is the kind of award that means the most to me, because it's decided directly by kids -- the audience I'm trying to reach! I'm very honored you guys liked the book so much. If you haven't checked out the Read Kiddo Read site yet, you definitely should. They have some great suggested reading lists.

In other news, I'm afraid my last month has been boringly consistent. I'm still plugging away on the revisions of The Son of Neptune. The good news is I'm on track. The book is scheduled to be published in October, and it should be arriving on time. (No, not early. No chance of that!) We may have a cover and a sneak peek chapter to show you at the beginning of the summer, but I'll get back to you when I know more for sure.

Kane Chronicles 2: The Throne of Fire is all done and being readied for printing. It comes out May 3. I will be doing a tour for it, but I don't have details yet. As soon as I do, I'll let you know. Next month, Disney-Hyperion will be releasing some new character art for the book (yes, folks, including Anubis) and I hope you like it!

Rick's reading list: Right now I'm working my way through Patrick Rothfuss's Wise Man's Fear, a sequel to his debut The Name of the Wind. I'm so glad Mr. Rothfuss took his time on this book. I know how hard that can be with the many pressures to produce. His second book is every bit as fabulous as his first. This is a must-read for fantasy fans. If Charles Dickens were alive in the 21st century writing epic fantasy, it would sound like this. Rothfuss is one of those writers who raises the bar and the reputation of an entire genre when he produces a book.

This week is spring break in the Riordan house. We're staying close to home since I have to write, but the weather in South Texas is great, and we plan on spending a lot of time in the swimming pool. If you're traveling for vacation, stay safe and bring some good books.

Finally, let's all keep the people of Japan in our thoughts. The magnitude of this tsunami tragedy is just horrifying. This is an excellent time to give what we can to disaster relief charities and remember that we really are a global community. We've got to help out our neighbors as we would wish to be helped.

Red Pyramid Nominated for Red House, and other news

2011-02-28T10:00:00.003-06:00

I just learned that The Red Pyramid has been shortlisted for the 2011 Red House Children's Book Award in the UK! The award is voted on directly by young readers, and is organized by the Federation of Children's Book Groups, a wonderful organization advocating for youth literacy in Britain. You can check out the shortlist and vote online here.

I was lucky enough to win the Red House Award in 2006 for The Lightning Thief, and feel very honored to have The Red Pyramid on the shortlist, especially since I drew on my own travels through the UK, visiting schools and talking with British children, to create the story. I also drew on my mother's own backstory. Like Sadie Kane, my mom was an American girl who grew up in London, and she felt quite a bit of cultural confusion when she finally moved back to the States! I hope young readers in the UK will enjoy Red Pyramid, and its sequel The Throne of Fire when it comes out in May. And just in case you're wondering, yes, those are the UK covers above. Same books, different looks.

In other news, the Rick Riordan website has recently been updated with tons of cool new content, and there's more to come! Check out the gallery of Egyptian gods, get a closer look at Greek mythology, and find out what's being conjured up at the House of Life. The FAQ section and interview with Rick are constantly being expanded and updated, so if you've got any questions -- those are the best places to look!

If you missed my earlier post about contact information, do be aware that I've shut myself off from almost all forms of communication so I can keep up with my deadlines. Unfortunately, it will have to be that way for the next year or so at least since I'm in a marathon to juggle two series that I love -- Kane Chronicles and Heroes of Olympus -- but the good news is I'm on track. The writing is going very well, I'm happy with the books, and everything should be out on time. The Son of Neptune, which I'm polishing up right now, will be published October 2011.

And now it's back to writing. Have a good week, everyone!

The Red Pyramid goes to Taiwan

2011-02-15T09:44:00.002-06:00

Thanks to Yuan Liou Publishing for sharing these pictures from the Taipei Book Fair. The Red Pyramid, as you can see, is their main promotion for the show, and Percy Jackson is also featured prominently. So cool to see the titles in Chinese!

The Week in Review

2011-02-13T09:37:00.001-06:00

Strange to think that only a week ago we were dealing with snow. It’s been something like fifteen years since San Antonio last saw the white stuff, and the Riordan boys had a great time trying to figure it out. We had limited success with the cardboard sled Haley christened ‘the Big Shoe.’ He decided that he needed an oar, but he settled for a lot of pushes. Patrick had an excellent time making snowballs, most of which were aimed at me. We saw lots of animal tracks in the street, proof positive that we have deer, raccoons, possum, and armadillos in the neighborhood. The kids’ only complaint: they were already off school for a teacher in-service day, so they missed their chance at their first and probably only snow day.

All in all, it was a fun change of pace, though my heart goes out to those who have been buried in blizzards this winter. At least for us, the snow came and went in twenty-four hours. Now, thankfully, we’re back to sunny skies and temperatures in the sixties, which is about right for South Texas this time of year.

In other news, we recently made a deal to have the Percy Jackson series published in Iceland by the publisher Odinseye. How could I refuse an offer from a publisher with such a great name? By my count, that makes thirty-six foreign languages for Percy. The series continues to ride high on the bestseller lists in the U.S. and many other countries, thanks to you wonderful readers! Last week I also saw the first sketches for the graphic novel version of The Sea of Monsters, and I’m very excited. It’s going to look amazing. And I’m pleased to announce that Disney will be releasing a graphic novel version of The Red Pyramid in 2012. We’re in the very early planning stages, but I’ll keep you posted.

My next public events will be in May, for the Throne of Fire, Kane Chronicles #2. As soon as I have details of where I’m going, I will post them on my website. Remember, I don’t plan the tour myself. I just go where the publisher tells me, so apologies in advance if I’m not able to visit your city!

What am I reading? Let’s see. I just finished two great books by authors named Morris. The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt by Edmund Morris was a vivid, beautifully written biography. The descriptions of the Dakota Badlands were so good they made me feel cold and awestruck by the landscape, even though I’ve never been there. I could feel the suffocating heat and see the tropical colors of Cuba, and felt as if I’d personally charged up San Juan Hill with Teddy and the Rough Riders. If you like reading history, I highly recommend this book. I’ve now moved on to the next volume in Morris’s trilogy, Theodore Rex.

I also devoured The Squire’s Tale, by Gerald Morris, the first of a ten-book series based on Arthurian legends. Thanks to Elizabeth Bluemle, who recommended these books in her blog. I wasn’t familiar with them, and as usual, you can trust a good independent bookseller to steer you right! Morris weaves the legends of King Arthur into a fresh, funny narrative about Terence, the squire to Sir Gawain, and their adventures through medieval England, which is as colorful, crazy and comical as Alice’s Wonderland. If you’ve got a young reader who likes adventure stories with knights, magic, dragons, and wizards, you should definitely check out The Squire’s Tale. It’s a highly accessible, fun and easy read, and the best part – it’s the beginning of a ten-book series with all volumes already published. No waiting. Woohoo!

Next up on my fiction to-be-read list, The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett. I’m about a quarter of the way through and loving it so far. So many people have recommended this book to me, and I don’t know why I’m only now getting to it. I’m a sucker for the Middle Ages.

I don’t talk about books that I didn’t like, but I must mention that I read a very hyped e-book on my Kindle – or tried to read it. About a hundred pages in, I started wondering why it seemed so poorly written. How did this get past an editor? Then I looked at the Kindle site and realized it was published straight to e-book. Ah, it didn’t get past an editor because apparently it never had one. I will be more careful in the future to check the provenance of e-books. Don’t get me wrong. While I still buy a huge quantity of physical books, I love my Kindle and my iPad, too. They are great for travel especially. But publishers and editors do serve a vital role in shaping manuscripts and making sure they are ready for prime time. It’s possible to circumvent this process with the advent of e-reading, but that’s not necessarily a good thing for readers. Caveat emptor.

Finally, an update on The Son of Neptune. I have a complete manuscript and am working my way through the revisions. Understand: complete does not mean readable, not even close. I have a lot more polishing and reworking to do, and then there will be even more revisions once my editor goes over it, but I’m confident we’ll get it to you on time in October. When we have an exact release date, I’ll let you know. And nope – no hints. Sorry! It’s way too early for that.

I hope everyone has a good week. Keep reading!

Contact Information Update

2011-02-03T14:24:00.003-06:00

I recently updated my contact information on my website. Because of my intense writing schedule, I've had to cut off most ways for people to get in touch with me. Unfortunately, I'm easily distracted, and answering email, letters, tweets, Facebook, etc. eats into my time too much. I think you guys would rather have me spending my time finishing the next book.

Be aware that there are quite a few fake Rick Riordan Facebook accounts and other social networking pages. A good rule of thumb: if someone sends you a message online, it isn't me. I don't have time, and I don't do that! Also be aware that all past email addresses for my old websites have been disabled. Some of these will still show up on internet searches, but they are no longer functional, so don't bother with them!

As for physical mailing addresses, the only one for fan mail is the publisher's address. I don't accept fan mail at any other address. If by some miracle a fan letter gets directly to my home address, I will not read or acknowledge it. Again, I have to protect my writing time and my family's privacy. Chances are, though, if you try another address, your letter will never get to me. You'd be amazed how many other 'Rick Riordans' there are out there, and how many are mad at me because they are getting my mail.

Sorry I can't be more available to individual fans, but like I say in my FAQ, the best way I can communicate with you guys right now is by writing the best books I can as quickly as possible!

Here is the contact information as posted on my website:

Contact by email

Unfortunately at the present time Rick is not able to accept email through his website because of his writing schedule. In order to get the next book finished in a timely fashion so you don’t have to wait any longer than necessary to read it, he has to keep focused on the writing! However, you can check the FAQ page for answers to the most commonly asked questions.

Facebook, Twitter, and other social networking sites:

Click here for Rick's Facebook page. Rick's blog feeds into his Facebook page, and he does accept friend requests from time to time, but Rick is not an active Facebook user. He doesn't read or respond to emails through Facebook. As mentioned above, this is so he can keep focused on his writing.

You can follow Rick on Twitter at @camphalfblood. This is a good way to keep up with the latest from Rick, but he does not reply to direct queries through Twitter.

BE AWARE: Any other Facebook pages or Twitter accounts claiming to be Rick Riordan or authorized by Rick Riordan are not. Always be skeptical when someone makes a claim about their identity on the Internet. People pretend to be someone else all the time. If you get an email, instant message or other communication from someone online claiming to be Rick Riordan, it is NOT from Rick. He does not use any accounts except the ones above, and does not initiate communications with people online.

Contact by regular mail
You can send letters to Rick in care of his publisher:

Rick Riordan
c/o Hyperion Books for Children
114 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10011

This is the ONLY address through which Rick accepts fan mail. If you try to send mail to any other address, it will not reach Rick and will not be answered. Be aware that it can take several months for mail to be forwarded to Rick through the publisher. Rick always reads fan letters, but due to the large volume of mail he receives, he cannot respond personally to letters.

Please DO NOT ATTEMPT TO SEND BOOKS OR OTHER ITEMS THROUGH THE MAIL FOR AUTOGRAPHS. We cannot accommodate such shipments, and will not be responsible for the condition or return of any items sent through the mail.

Comics as the Origin of Percy Jackson

2011-02-01T07:18:00.003-06:00

More fun from the family archives! These two comic books were recently unearthed at my parents' house. I read these as a child but haven't seen them in at least thirty years. I often tell people that Greek gods were our first superheroes, but I think I'd forgotten just how much of an impact comic books had on my love for mythology.

The Superman issue is from 1963 and features our old friend the sorceress Circe, who turns Superman into a lion. If she can appear in Metropolis and battle the Man of Steel, I suppose it wasn't a stretch that she could open a spa in the Sea of Monsters and turn Percy Jackson into a guinea pig.

The other very strange comic is from 1969. What Samson from the Bible is doing as a superhero battling King Nephtoon (seriously?) is beyond me, but I'm sure in '69 people were digging this 'far out' story. Interestingly, in this story the action in Neptune's realm takes place in the sea right next to an alternate version of New York City. Yes, I'm sure that was somewhere in the back of my mind when I was thinking of Percy's visit to his dad's palace.

Of course, I read all the standard anthologies of Greek myths, too, but these comics definitely helped me formulate the idea, somewhere in my subconscious, that mythology could happen in the modern world -- and be comical as well as adventurous!

A Blast from the Mad Past

2011-01-29T19:42:00.003-06:00

Wow, here's one from deep in the Riordan family archives. My mom and stepdad unearthed this old Mad Magazine from 1961 with JFK on the cover and a section devoted to Greek & Roman mythology.

In case you're wondering, I wasn't born yet in 1961, so this magazine probably belonged to my Uncle Rees. I grew up reading hand-me-down comics from my uncles, including Mad Magazine and a huge collection of Gold and Silver Age DC and Marvel comics, which probably would be worth big money today, but alas, they are long gone to who-knows-where.

At any rate, it's likely I read this very issue as a kid, and since I was a huge mythology geek even as a youngster, I was no doubt influenced by the Mad comic treatment of Greek mythology. Just goes to show you, mythology has been popular for ages -- even as far back as the Dark Ages of 1961!

Top Five Misconceptions about Writing: A Keynote Address from '06

2011-01-26T07:29:00.007-06:00

I was searching my blog archives today and stumbled across this speech I gave to the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers conference in Denver, Colorado back in 2006. It's interesting to read now that my career is a few years farther along. So much has changed, but really, my perspective hasn't. I think the main points still apply. See what you think.

Keynote Address: Why Write Novels?

As you may have heard, I recently made the change from teaching middle school and writing adult murder mysteries to writing full-time, primarily young adult fantasy. People often ask me why. I’d like to set the rumors straight. It is not because once I was out of the middle school classroom, I suddenly lost my desire to contemplate murder.

No. In fact, I enjoy teaching and writing for kids. But there’s one thing I’ve learned doing elementary school visits over the last few years: Assume nothing. On one of my first school visits to a second grade class in San Antonio, I was talking with the kids about cover art for books. I showed them a poster-sized version of the cover for The Lightning Thief and told them that this is what the book would look like. The kids gasped in amazement. One girl said, “Will it really be that big?” I tried to explain that no, books weren’t really that large. Then every child in the class pointed to a nearby easel, where they did have a book as large as my poster. Like I said: Assume nothing.

And so I’m going to use this keynote address to pose a simple question: Why write novels? Here we are at a writers’ conference, learning to create and hopefully publish books. But why? There is so much else to do, why should we aspire to write books?

Well, Sherlock Holmes once said that when you eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth. So maybe we should start by dispelling some misconceptions about writing books, thereby eliminating the reasons we do not -- or should not -- aspire to writing.

So here, ladies and gentlemen, are Rick’s top five misconceptions about writing.

1. Writing is a responsible career choice. The question that surprised me most after I published my first novel was, ‘What did you do before you were published?’ The assumption: Now that I was a published writer, it must be my full-time job. I was probably lounging by the pool all day with a Martini and a laptop computer. Surely, writing had superseded my old life. In truth, as we know, writing is very rarely a full-time job. Depending on which survey you believe, the average salary of a published writer is between $2000-7000 a year. Now these numbers are a few years old, but still, even if we assume that this salary range has doubled, it’s obvious that most writers will never quit their day jobs. When I explained to people that I was still a full-time school teacher, they would give me sympathetic looks. I tried explaining that I loved teaching. I was not anxious to leave my calling. For some strange reason, no one believed me. When I finally did become a full-time writer, everyone was so impressed. Finally, I was a “real” writer. Strangers would congratulate me. Many people wrote to ask my advice on how they too could become a full-time writer. They would say, “I want to change careers and become a writer. I’ve got this great idea for a book . . .” I hated to admit that I couldn’t explain how I got to write full-time, much less explain how they could do it. If they had an idea for a book now, it would be five years minimum before they saw any money from that idea. It took me ten years before I became a full-time writer, and even then I didn’t plan it. So is writing a responsible career choice? I’d have to say no. A possible career, yes. But this is not a good reason to start writing books.

2. I write because it’s fun! Everyone should try it! The most oft-repeated anecdote in the writer’s world: A writer is at a cocktail party, having a conversation with another man. The writer says, ‘What do you for a living?’ The other man says, ‘I’m a brain surgeon. How about you?’ The writer says, ‘I write novels.’ ‘Fascinating!’ the surgeon says. ‘You know, I’m thinking about writing a book when I retire.’ Writer: ‘What a coincidence! When I retire, I’m thinking about taking up brain surgery!’ The point is two-fold: writing is not easy, but many people believe that they have a story inside them. Wanting to be a writer is a common dream, right up there with owning a restaurant and playing pro sports. About five years ago NPR did a survey of people walking through a Barnes & Noble bookstore in Washington D.C. The question they asked: Do you think you have a novel inside you? 81% said yes. But what separates the idea from the reality? A lot of insanity and a touch of masochism. Writing isn’t digging ditches, I’ll grant you, but it is extraordinarily hard work. We don’t write simply because we think it sounds like fun. It isn’t true that anyone can do it.

3. Writing a book is the first step toward a TV/movie deal. Oh, if I had a dime for every time someone asked me, ‘When is the movie coming out?’ Or even better: ‘Can I be in the movie?’ In our culture, books are very small potatoes compared to movies. In fact, books are often seen as minor preludes, stepping stones toward the ultimate expression of the idea: the movie version. This is in spite of the fact that almost no one walks out of a theater and exclaims: ‘Wow, that was so much better than the book!’ Frank McCourt, in his most recent memoir, was talking about all the attention he got for the movie of Angela’s Ashes. He said in America, it’s all about the Movie. You could write the Manhattan phone directory and everyone would ask, ‘So when’s the movie?’ Of course, this obsession is not just limited to America. I get that question from all over the world. Even my local pizza delivery guy is infatuated with the idea. He showed up on my doorstep and asked if his wife could have a part in my movie. I had to break it to him that I had as much control over that as he did. The pizza guy came bearing food. He had a better chance of getting onto the set. The infatuation is understandable, but I hope we are not writing books simply as a prelude to the movies. If we are, we will be disappointed. The number of books optioned for movies or television is miniscule compared to the number of books published, which in turn is miniscule compared to the number of manuscripts submitted to publishers. Even if a book gets optioned for feature film, a film agent recently estimated for me that the odds of the book actually becoming a movie were about one in twenty. The average time? Anywhere from two to fifty years. Narnia and Lord of the Rings took a generation. The Golden Compass, an extremely popular children’s book, is just now going into casting. The book is fifteen years old. Even Lemony Snicket and Harry Potter took years of work. A few years ago, I was having lunch with a friend who is a screenwriter in L.A. He’s produced and written several TV shows you’ve probably heard of. His big goal, however, was to publish a novel. I asked him why. He was doing very well for himself. His work was known by millions. And yet what he really loved was the idea of writing a book, knowing full-well it would probably be a midlist title that received very little attention and made no money. He told me it was about ownership. In Hollywood, everything is done by committee. Nothing is really yours. A book is different. A book is yours. Anyone who has ever had a book turned into a movie can probably tell you about the pain of watching something you created twisted and turned into something else by Hollywood. So I hope we are not writing for Hollywood.

4. We write to get famous. My favorite question kids often ask: Have you met any famous writers? Kids are great about keeping you in your place. But when they ask this, it does make me realize that even writers I consider ‘famous’ are not known to the general public. It takes huge publicity to get noticed by the nation as a whole, not just the book-reading population, which is a tiny fraction of the nation. What writers are recognized by the general public? Can you name more than a dozen who are household names? Because of this, people judge writers on the exceptions, rather than the rule. We are all compared to J.K Rowling, which is sort of like judging everyone in America based on George W. Bush. Writers, by and large, are not famous. Publicists will tell you how difficult it is to get media attention for a book, any book, unless there is some timely controversial tie-in, or unless it was written by a celebrity. I got a taste for how distorted the view of fame and writers was when I did an interview last year with an Irish tabloid newspaper. I did a simple interview about The Lightning Thief. When the tabloid article came out, I was amazed to learn that I was a dying, bestselling American author desperate to find Irish kin who could inherit my fortune. The tabloid even provided a hotline number for their readers. They’d had to do some serious image-enhancing to make me print-worthy, but there I was, right next to an article about David Hasselhoff and an ad for naughty Korean nurses. You see what you have to look forward to when you’re a famous writer? So please, don’t write to get famous!

5. Finally, my favorite: We write because we have the time. A question I got asked constantly when I was a teacher: ‘How do you possibly find the time to write?’ I didn’t have a good answer. I simply found the time because I had to. I would write in the early morning and again at night. I wrote about three or four hours a day, maximum. When I quit teaching, I had illusions that I’d get twice as much done. In fact, I still write about three to four hours a day. That seems to be my maximum output. I feel just as busy now as I ever have. People often tell me that they hope to write some day, when they retire, when they’re not so busy. My response? Don’t wait. That day will never come. We are always too busy to write. No book has ever been written because the author had spare time to write it.

So if all those are misconceptions, why are we sitting here? If we cannot expect fame, or money, or even a stable career, why do we write books?

We write, I hope, because we have a story to tell. How easy it is to lose sight of that, but the goal of writing is telling a good story. To be a writer, it’s not enough simply to love the idea of writing, or to dream of being published. You have to forget that. You have to find the story you must tell – the story so important to you personally that you have no choice but to write it. For me, I first got that feeling with Big Red Tequila, a story about a detective who goes home to Texas from San Francisco. It was a story born out of homesickness. I would have written it for myself whether it got published or not. But it felt different from anything else I’d ever done. I knew, deep down, that this story would get published. Then, with the Percy Jackson series, I had that sense again. I was writing a modern myth, an allegory to help my son make sense of who he was. I would have written it whether it was published or not. And it’s that very fact that made it publishable.

Find that story.

What will help you in your journey? Read a lot. Write a lot. Do your homework on the publishing industry and be professional. All of that is important. But most of all, make sure you have something to say. And if it’s any consolation, when that story is ready to come out, you’ll know it. It will find you. At least, that’s the way it was for me.

In conclusion, I’d like to turn that old anecdote about the cocktail party around. One time at a party, there were these hundred writers and a keynote speaker. The audience said, ‘We’re hoping to be writers someday.’ And the keynote speaker said, ‘What a coincidence. Some day I hope to be a reader . . . of your novels.’ Good luck, and keep writing!

Demigods of the Week

2011-01-22T07:48:00.002-06:00

Becky came across this fun picture of the kids at Roosevelt Elementary in Great Falls, Montana. As part of their reading challenge, the kids spent lunchtime with Zeus, getting quizzed about The Lightning Thief. I don't know about you, but I'd hate to get a wrong answer with Zeus standing right over me with that lightning bolt!

Kudos to the students of Roosevelt for being great readers, and to community volunteer Nichol for donning the cape, beard and lightning bolt!

Kane Chronicles update

2011-01-14T08:13:00.003-06:00

The Disney site for the Kane Chronicles has now been updated. You can read the first chapter of The Throne of Fire, and also download the first chapter of the audio book, thanks to Brilliance Audio. Enjoy! More fun stuff will be coming to the site as the May 3 publication date gets closer, so stay tuned.

The Throne of Fire

2011-01-13T07:07:00.002-06:00

The news broke this morning in USA Today! The title for Kane Chronicles Two is The Throne of Fire, which will be released May 3. John Rocco's cover above may give you some hint about Carter and Sadie's adventures, and if you want more, you can read the first chapter exclusively for the next 24 hours on USA Today's website. Hope you enjoy!

Rick’s Recent Reads, and Other News

2011-01-12T11:20:00.003-06:00

Even while furiously working on a manuscript, I have to find time to read. I can hear the grumbling from fans: “Why are you reading when you have a book to write?” Ah, but writers have to read, just as doctors have to keep up on the latest research. Otherwise, we’d be very poor practitioners of our profession. Reading recharges my batteries, even though I normally read books that are very different from the ones I write.

Case in point: Blood of Ambrose by James Enge. This is a straightforward fantasy novel for a grownup audience. It’s set in a well-imagined fictional world where young Lathmar, the nominal king of the Ontil Empire, is facing a coup d’etat from his own Lord Protector, who is in league with some truly creepy dark forces. To the rescue comes Morlock Ambrosius, Lathmar’s great uncle, who is a centuries-old knight and magician from the Wardlands, accompanied by his faithful apprentice Wyrth the dwarf. Morlock is a wonderful character – powerful and noble, tragic and comic -- with more than a small nod to Don Quixote. The plot weaves from gruesome episode to gruesome episode, but balances the somber and sometimes downright horrifying action with some fine black humor. The novel is worth reading just to meet Velox, the flying, flaming, screaming horse. ‘Nuff said.

Also recommended: Boneshaker by Cherie Priest. Again, more of an adult novel, set in an alternate Civil War America where a horrible accident has turned Seattle into a quarantined wasteland filled with zombies. Briar, the widow of the mad scientist who caused the disaster, must enter the city to find her son, who has gone there determined to find evidence that will clear his father’s name. This is a highly original pageturner and a must-read for steampunk fans.

My most recent read: A Tale Dark and Grimm by Adam Gidwitz. This debut YA novel is getting a lot of well-deserved attention. Gidwitz manages to balance the grisly violence of the original Grimms’ fairy tales with a wonderful sense of humor and narrative voice, somewhat reminiscent of Lemony Snicket’s take on the penny dreadful, but also completely fresh and unique. Gidwitz weaves the fairy tales together into a single narrative featuring Hansel and Gretel, and does it so well you’ll be wondering if this was the way the stories were meant to be told back in the old days. Check it out!

And finally, a congratulatory shout-out to Helen Grant, whose novel The Vanishing of Katherine Linden just won the Alex Award. I will confess, I don’t keep up with the award announcements much. Last week, when Publishers Weekly tweeted, “All eyes in the publishing world are on San Diego,” my first thought was, “It’s time for Comic-con again?” Then my wife told me ALA was happening there. Oh, right, that too! She also let me know about Linden winning the Alex. At any rate, I was lucky enough to read an advanced copy of Grant’s novel and it still haunts me. Wonderful, creepy, atmospheric mystery that would fit perfectly in the darkest collection of Grimms' folktales.

As for my family, Becky just finished Bill Crider’s latest Sheriff Dan Rhodes mystery (wonderful series) and is looking forward to starting the new Robert Crais book.

My sixteen-year-old son Haley recommends the latest titles from Neal Shusterman: Bruiser, Everwild, and Unwind. He read each of them in a day, and can’t get enough. My twelve-year-old son Patrick just finished and loved Havoc, the sequel to Malice by Chris Wooding, and is now reading Tyger, Tyger by Kersten Hamilton.

In other news, my own writing is going well on the Son of Neptune. Tomorrow, expect some news about the second Kane Chronicles book! Until then, happy reading.

The Huck Finn Controversy

2011-01-07T11:27:00.004-06:00

Mark Twain sure is getting a lot of press these days, between the release of his uncensored autobiography and the plans to release a new edition of Huck Finn with ‘slave’ replacing the n-word and ‘Indian’ replacing ‘Injun.’

I’m not surprised that the latter story has caused a firestorm of criticism. Censorship, or even the perception of censorship, will always stir up emotions – and rightly so in a culture that puts a premium on the First Amendment guarantee of free speech.
I’ve been thinking a lot about this new edition of Huck Finn, trying to decide where I stand.

The issue became more personal when I saw the name of the professor who edited the new version. Dr. Alan Gribben was my professor many years ago at the University of Texas, and was responsible for igniting my interest in Mark Twain and helping me find my own voice as a writer.

For the record, Dr. Gribben was an excellent teacher. He was very conscious of the racially charged language in Huck Finn, and was careful to put the novel in its historical context and explain Twain’s choice of words. In class, we spent several days discussing Twain’s language and having a free and open debate about what it was like to read this text in a modern multiracial classroom. As uncomfortable as the ‘n-word’ might be, Dr. Gribben believed firmly that for our purposes, as college English students, the author’s text should be read as it was originally written. He even went out of his way to order editions of Mark Twain’s books that preserved the original page layouts and illustrations.

Am I surprised, then, that Dr. Gribben has edited a version of Huck Finn that replaces the n-word with slave? Not really. Nor can I muster much righteous indignation against the idea.

To be sure, as an author, I am instinctively opposed to censorship. I believe that the author’s intent and word choice should be respected. Students should have access to a variety of unedited opinions, including the unexpurgated text of diverse authors. As a teacher, I believe that history should not be whitewashed. Difficult topics like racism need to be addressed, and books like Huck Finn can help do this. This whole controversy, in fact, is a teachable moment. I hope social studies and English teachers across the country are having discussions about this news story in their classrooms.

On the other hand, I have taught Huck Finn in the classroom – unedited, unabridged. I have taught the book with African American students. It can be done well. It can be a positive experience. But it is a tricky, tricky proposition. I know that it can make students extremely uncomfortable, even with the most careful preparation and conversation. Faced with such a challenge, many educators and curriculum gurus will probably choose the path of least resistance. Rather than teaching Huck Finn in the original, they will simply remove one of the most important texts in American literature from their classrooms. Because of this, I can understand that in some cases, in some classrooms, an edited version of the novel might be a welcome teaching tool, and an appropriate choice.

If the debate were about replacing the language in all editions of Huck Finn, then of course, I would be opposed. But we’re not talking about that. We’re talking about offering an alternate version as a choice for classroom use. I don’t have any problem with offering teachers, students and general readers more choices, especially if it makes the text more accessible and causes less unease for students (and parents) who might otherwise have a hard time getting past the language to Twain’s message, which is a bitter indictment of slavery.

And let’s remember, tinkering with a classic text is hardly a new idea, nor is it usually done with as much delicacy and careful consideration. There are dozens of abridged “young reader” versions of Huck Finn in print that hack huge portions out of the text and also clean up or dumb down the language. There are numerous graphic novel versions. These are commonly used in classrooms without generating national headlines, and take much greater liberties with Twain’s story for worse reasons.
If we want to get upset about altering the author’s text, let’s start by throwing out those dreadful basal readers that offer only carefully abridged, carefully sanitized snippets from novels. Let’s ask students to read actual novels instead. And don’t get me started on the movie versions of novels that are frequently screened in the classroom to ‘supplement’ the unit. Talk about mangling the author’s intent. Watch any of the abominable film adaptations of Huck Finn and you’ll see what I mean. Compared to these things we let pass as educationally appropriate in the classroom, an optional version of Huck Finn that changes two racial epithets isn’t something I can get very angry about.

Of course, I’ll keep reading Mark Twain in the original. Most people will prefer this, and for good reason. Language is important. The author’s word choice is important. Judging from his classroom teaching and his many interviews, I have no doubt Dr. Gribben would agree. But if some teachers find a version without the n-word helpful for classroom teaching, I don’t have a problem with that. In fact, I would start the unit by explaining exactly how the text was modified, and why, and have a discussion in class about whether or not this was necessary. As I said earlier, this makes for a great teachable moment if the teacher has the dexterity to make use of it.

I have no doubt Alan Gribben understood that he was in for a storm of criticism when he announced the new version of Huck Finn, but he did it with the best of intentions, and I applaud his courage. Whether you agree with his decision or not, the controversy is sure to sell more copies of Huckleberry Finn and get more people reading the novel to see what the fuss is about. Mark Twain, who was no stranger to grabbing headlines, would surely approve.

Here’s to a Happy New Year!

2010-12-28T10:19:00.002-06:00

As 2010 draws to a close, it’s a good time to reflect on all the blessings I’ve had this year – most of all, my wonderful readers! Thanks to you guys, I love what I do, and I get up every morning with enthusiasm to write the next chapter.

The first New York Times bestseller list for 2011 has just been posted, with The Lost Hero at #1 on the children’s hardcover list for the tenth week. After 33 weeks, The Red Pyramid is also steaming right along at #3. Both Percy Jackson and 39 Clues remain strong on the children’s series list, as well. What more could I ask for? I’m also thankful that School Library Journal named The Red Pyramid a best book of 2010, and The Lost Hero has been named a best kids’ book of 2010 by both Barnes & Noble and Amazon.com. All in all, it was a banner year for me, and more excitement is yet to come.

Kane Chronicles 2 is set for release May 3, 2011. Stay tuned for more information about this in January. I’m working hard on The Son of Neptune (Heroes of Olympus 2) which will be out in October.

If you haven’t yet checked out my revamped website, please do! We’ll be adding new content throughout the spring.

I hope everyone has a safe and happy New Year. I’ll post again in 2011!

A Slow Christmas

2010-12-21T06:39:00.005-06:00

My stepdad sent me the pictures above with the caption "Why Christmas Comes Slowly." That's Dudley, their pet tortoise. We'll be visiting Dudley and the rest of the crew on Christmas Day. Dudley's species, by the way, can live up to seventy-five years, so Grandpa Mikey has already warned our kids that they will be enjoying Dudley at their own Christmas celebrations for many years to come.

The other picture is my folks' cat Pharaoh. If you follow the blog, you may remember Pharaoh as the kitten they rescued just as my Egyptian book The Red Pyramid came out. He's our Kane Chronicles mascot, although in this photo he doesn't seem to mind being Santa's helper . . . or Santa's napper.

Finally, a little video of Dudley racing to open his presents, with an assist from Chico the cat. I hope everyone enjoys a Christmas this leisurely!

Happy Holidays from Zeus House

2010-12-05T06:29:00.005-06:00

I won't be posting much since I'm in the midst of writing the next manuscript, but I wanted to take time to wish you all happy holidays! Within my family, I have Hanukkah celebrators, Christmas folk, and those who just enjoy a good winter solstice, so I'm keeping the greetings ecumenical!

The weather in South Texas has turned gorgeous, as it often does this time of year. Most of the allergy pollens have blown away. The heat and humidity are gone. It's crisp and cool with sunny skies -- great weather for writing. It's still early on The Son of Neptune, but I'm having great fun with it. No hints, sorry! Way too soon for that. The next big news to come your way will be the title and cover for Kane Chronicles 2. That will be announced in January, and the book comes out May 3. I've seen John Rocco's cover, and I can assure you he's crafted another masterpiece. More on that after the New Year.

The Riordan family is staying home this holiday, which is very nice after I did so much traveling on my book tour. As you can imagine, the last thing I want to see right now is another suitcase. We'll have our family celebrations, open presents, and eat too much as usual. Haley is finishing up his driver's ed course and doing great with it. He's also revising his manuscript, which I assured him is light years better than anything I wrote when I was sixteen. Patrick is gearing up for final exams, hanging with his buddies after school and doing a lot of reading. It's kind of strange having Patrick in sixth form at the same school where I taught sixth form while I wrote Percy Jackson. I feel like I'm watching from the other side of the looking glass, seeing his experience as a parent rather than a teacher this time around. He's loving his year so far.

Both boys just finished Scott Westerfeld's Behemoth and loved it. We had to get an extra copy as neither wanted to wait. Now they are clamoring for the next in the series. Haley started to complain about why it takes writers so long to finish a book, then he remembered who he was talking to. Yeah, I hear that a lot! Sadly, writing always takes a lot longer than reading.

As for me, I've been reading a lot of nonfiction -- research and otherwise. I just finished Stacy Schiff's new biography of Cleopatra, which was excellent. It's amazing what a rich portrait Schiff created when we have so few sources to draw from about Cleopatra's life. Now I'm reading a biography of Augustus Caesar by Anthony Everitt. I've been fascinated by the early Roman Empire ever since reading Robert Graves's I, Claudius (and seeing the TV version), so it's fun to revisit that time period. I also got a sneak peek at Brandon Mull's new fantasy Beyonders, which comes out in the spring. I really enjoyed Fablehaven, and I can safely say his readers will not be disappointed with his new series. It's great!

And speaking of readers, I want to send a shout out to demigod of the week Tavares. Becky came across an article in the New Haven Independent about this super reader. What a great picture of him with the Lost Hero! Keep reading, Tavares!

That's it for now. Back to writing. I hope everyone's holidays are happy and safe and full of good books.

Ricky's Report Card

2010-11-19T08:14:00.003-06:00

Here's a blast from the past. My mother recently unearthed my report card from the second grade. Yes, I was called Ricky back then. And, yes, I was constantly called Ricky Ricardo. What do I notice about my report card? First, the name Mrs. Bostick brings back all kinds of memories: copying math problems from the blackboard (I hated that!), listening to her read Mrs. Pigglewiggle and the Boxcar Children books aloud to us (I loved that!) and recess on the playground trying to get those swings to go all the way over the bar, my friends and I daring each other to jump off (I was stupid crazy!)

I notice that my dad's signature is eerily similar to mine. I see my assigned teacher for third grade: Mrs. Ziegler, looming in the future like an evil omen, and imagine the sound of thunder and rearing horses. (Frau Blucher!)

But mostly I notice my grades. Lowest marks? PE -- no surprise. I never could climb that stupid rope. Conduct -- no comment. And writing. B student. Nothing remarkable. My handwriting was lousy. My motivation was nonexistent. My work ethic? I'd rather be outside playing Godzilla and the Smog Monster with my buddies. Would anyone back then have pegged me as a future novelist? I imagine my teachers would've chuckled at the idea. 'Not likely,' they'd say. 'His penmanship is atrocious and he can't spell.' The moral, I suppose, is that grades never tell the whole story. We can't know what will happen to kids when they grow up. It may be that the average B student (or worse) will turn out to be the novelist. The kid who shirks his homework, spends his class time doodling pictures of dragons and daydreaming about jumping off swings and never coming down -- he may be the kid who makes the bestseller list.

The good news: It only takes a few caring teachers to nurture a child's future and shape his life. Mrs. Bostick was a wonderful reader. She got me interested in Charlotte's Web and The Trumpet of the Swans, even though I professed to hate reading back then. Later on, my eighth grade English teacher encouraged me to submit a short story to a magazine, and that started me on my path to becoming a writer. A few kind words, a show of interest, a vote of confidence to the right kid at the right time -- that makes all the difference. The only trick is to treat every kid as the 'right' kid, even if they make B's in conduct and writing!

Kane Chronicles 2: Release Date Announced

2010-11-12T06:48:00.003-06:00

The Kane Chronicles, Book Two is coming soon!

ABOUT THE BOOK:

In this exciting second installment of the three-book series, Carter and Sadie, offspring of the brilliant Egyptologist Dr. Julius Kane, embark on a worldwide search for the Book of Ra, but the House of Life and the gods of chaos are determined to stop them.

ISBN: 9781423140566

EAN: 978142314056651899

On Sale Date: 5/3/2011

Page Count: 528

Binding: Hardcover

-------------------------------------

My publisher just released the news flash above. The second Kane Chronicles book will be out May 3, 2011, and I can't wait to share it with you! We will reveal the cover, the title, and some sample chapters in January, so stay tuned for that. In the meantime you can check my website or the publisher's Kane Chronicles website for all things Egyptian. I wish I could share more, but I can tell you that Kane 2 features a new character who is possibly my favorite mythological god ever. Who is it? Wait and see!

In other news, I'm back from England and hard at work on The Son of Neptune (Heroes of Olympus 2). Thanks to everyone who came out to my public signings at Bluewater and Bromley. We had hundreds in each queue, and it was great to meet all the readers. Special credit goes to Sophie and Evie, who showed up in Camp Half-Blood T-shirts, one orange with English text, one purple with Latin. If you've read The Lost Hero, you know the significance! I wish I could've gotten to more cities in the UK, always one of my favorite places to visit, but it's probably best that I'm back home and back to writing. I have a feeling some people are anxious for that next book . . .

Until next time, keep reading and may the Eye of Horus watch over you!

A Week around England

2010-11-06T03:01:00.002-06:00

The UK tour continues! Tuesday I visited the American School in London and did my simulcast “Rick Riordan Virtually Live” from Forest Hill School. The webcast is now available to watch, so check it out!

Wednesday I was up early and on the train to Bath, one of my favorite cities. We had two very nice school visits and had a little time to walk through the city center as well. You can see some pictures of the visits above. Thanks to Gill, our guide for the day, who also oversees the Bath Book Festival. Everything went very smoothly, thanks to her! Then it was off on the train to the north of England.

Thursday I visited schools in Preston and Lancaster – both excellent visits with lots of excited kids. Thanks especially to Silverdell Books, who hosted the morning visit. Apparently, they make their own ice cream at the shop, but alas I didn’t get to visit. They sometimes make flavors in honor of their visiting authors. If I get my own recipe, I’ll let you know! Then I headed back to London.

Yesterday we went south and visited Eastbourne and Lancing. We couldn’t see the sea, as the day was cold and rainy, but the seagulls were everywhere, and even decided to participate in my afternoon talk. A flock landed on the roof of the sports hall and started cawing extremely loudly. At first I thought all the kids were squeaking their shoes, but it was just the gulls. I suppose Poseidon was sending them to tell me, “Stop doing presentations and get back to writing!” Indeed, I had a nightmare that night that I was forced to sign 15,0000 bookplates, which is probably close to the number of books I’ve signed this month. That’s a good indication it’s time to stop touring and get back to writing! Last night was Bonfire Night, but we left the southern coast before things got crazy with fireworks and burning Guy Fawkes in effigy. Here in central London, things were quiet – or as quiet as it ever gets Friday nights.

Today I was supposed to do a radio show on the BBC but the network is having a strike so I got the sleep late. Awfully accommodating of them! Later I have my two public signings at Waterstones Bluewater and Waterstones Bromley. I’ll let you know how they go!

The UK Tour Begins

2010-11-01T12:26:00.002-06:00

It's been a good beginning to the UK tour. Yesterday I visited the Wessex Book Festival in Winchester and spoke to a sold-out crowd of about 400. We had a nice time despite the cold rainy weather!

Today I was in London for media interviews. I started the day at the BBC Centre. The TARDIS had appeared outside, so naturally I had to get my picture in front of it. I knocked, but the Doctor wasn't answering. I appeared on the BBC 1 morning show, then taped a video for the children's show Blue Peter, which should be on the website by next week.

After that I visited the British Museum for a newspaper interview. That's me with the Nereid temple in the background, and standing next to Dionysus (aka Mr. D). I ended the day at Puffin Headquarters on the Strand. The view from the tenth floor is spectacular, as you can see above. I was looking right down at the top of Cleopatra's Needle, thinking of Sadie and Carter Kane.

Tomorrow I'll visit the American School in London in the morning and do our live webcast in the afternoon. There's still time to register and join us. Hope to see you online!

London Calling

2010-10-30T05:32:00.002-06:00

Greetings from the Waldorf Hotel in London. It’s a beautiful Saturday afternoon in England, which means it’s bound to rain soon, but that’s okay! I’m glad to be here and looking forward to my tour. Most of my events are private appearances at schools, not open to the public, but tomorrow (Halloween in the US) I’ll be appearing at the Wessex Book Festival in Winchester. I understand my event is sold out, but if you can’t join us in person I’ll let you know how it goes.

On Tuesday, I’ll be doing a live webcast from Puffin HQ. It’s not too late to join us online wherever you might be in the world: http://www.rickriordanvirtuallylive.co.uk/

After a week of media interviews and schools, I’ll be doing two public book signings for Waterstones on Saturday, November 6. I’ll be at their Bluewater West location at noon and Bromley at 3 PM. Feel free to join me in you’re in the area!

On my way over I decided to watch the BBC’s premiere episode of Sherlock, an updated 21^st Century take on Holmes and Watson. It’s amazing. I was thinking as I watched, “Wow, this is like Doctor Who meets Sherlock Holmes,” only to find out the screenplay was written by Steven Moffat of Doctor Who fame. Both main actors are fabulous. Benedict Cumberpatch (seriously, is it humanly possible to have a more British-sounding name?) plays Holmes as a mix between David Tennant’s Doctor Who and Hugh Laurie’s Dr. House, which is a good thing.

I’m also doing my final research reading for The Son of Neptune, but of course I can’t say much about that. I’ll have to wait to dive into the writing until I get back to the US, which is why I don't do as much traveling anymore! Never fear, the book should be ready on time October of 2011. Meanwhile, Kane Chronicles 2 is done and will be out this coming May. We’ll announce the title and cover most likely in January.

I’ll keep you posted during the week as I tour England. Happy reading!

Best Tour Picture Ever?

2010-10-26T06:24:00.003-06:00

One last tour picture I had to share -- look at that crowd! Thanks again to everyone who came to an event over the past two weeks. Thanks to you, The Lost Hero debuted at #1 on every major bestseller list and continues to dominate! And now, as I promised, I'm back to writing . . .

Lost Hero Wrap-up

2010-10-24T15:09:00.003-06:00

The US tour for The Lost Hero has officially ended! Our last event was at my hometown Barnes & Noble in San Antonio yesterday evening. Over four thousand people showed up, as you can see above. As usual, my friend Caren Creech and the rest of the staff had things well under control and the signing went very smoothly. Thanks to everyone who came to an event and waited so patiently to get books signed. It was wonderful to meet all of you and hear your feedback. There was a lot of excitement about both series, Kane Chronicles and Heroes of Olympus. Don't worry. I'm working hard on both!

Now I have a week to recuperate and finish some writing before heading to the UK. Most of the events over there will be visits to schools, but there are a few signings open to the public. Check my web calendar for details. Hopefully my hand heals up by then. I was doing okay until day 11 or 12 of the tour, but after signing tens of thousands of books, in the words of John Lennon, "I got blisters on me fingers!"