Blog Housekeeping & Internet Rumors

 Hello, fine readers!

 As you may have noticed, I've been gone... for a while. It was kind of unintentional, but I got caught between schoolwork, musical rehearsals, and my own laziness. I'm not going to try to make any more excuses or empty promises, but I will just tell you that I can 97% guarantee that this blog will be more active in the summer months. Final exams and the end of school are approaching in the next few weeks, so I may not have time to post during that time frame, but I will have plenty of time to write blog entries afterwards. Basically, what I'm saying is that you'll be seeing more of me during the summer. :)

 The next topic that I want to address is that of internet rumors. They show up all over social media sites before the release of a book -- Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, etc. Why are people so prone to believing them?

 Personally, I see many theories and lots of speculation, but not a lot of rumors. However, when I do come across one, I never believe it, and I'm urging you to do the same. Let's face it: when has a rumor proven to be true? How many rumors were there that Nico was going to die in the House of Hades, and did that happen? There are very rare circumstances when information or pages of books leak, but they're exactly that: rare. The only definite knowledge that we have about upcoming Riordan books is what the publishers release, or the small bits of information that Uncle Rick uses to troll us on Twitter. So please, don't get yourself worried about rumors, especially if they sound a little bit crazy.

 Oh, and another thing related to that: the things that I post on my blog about upcoming releases are NOT rumors, unless I specifically use the words "I heard a rumor that [fill in the blank with a rumor]". Everything on my blog is either me relaying something that was officially announced, or pure speculation and my own theories. Much of the time, it's a combination of both of those. But please, never take my thoughts and think of them as definite. I like to introduce possibilities, but not definite happenings (because I don't know them... I'm not psychic!). Please, don't take my posts as rumors, because they really aren't.

 In conclusion, I will be back with some hopefully interesting posts about the Blood of Olympus cover, my re-reading of The Lightning Thief, and maybe a couple of blog entries on my BoO theories. And in the mean time, DON'T BELIEVE INTERNET RUMORS! Have a great day, half-bloods! :)

What did I miss at the House of Hades tour?

 Long time, no post... sorry about that...

 Didn't get a chance to go to the House of Hades book tour? Worry not!



This is a full recap of him at Politics and Prose in Washington, D.C.. I'd imagine that he did the same speech (or whatever you'd like to call it) at all of the events, so this is what you probably missed.

 The video is a good recap of his endeavors as a child, college student, teacher, and writer. It's also a good thing to watch if you're wondering what it's like to get published, because it did take him quite a while. Enjoy!!

Mystery Locations

Warning! May contain Mark of Athena and kind-of-ish-but-not-really House of Hades spoilers!

 Since I didn't get around to writing a post yesterday, here is a second post for today!

 Recently, Rick Riordan has been posting pictures of "mystery locations" for The House of Hades on his Instagram account, which are basically real places that the characters are going to visit in the book. Let's find out what they are!

Mystery Location #1

Google Search says... nothing. -_-

 Google search says... The Fountain of Neptune in Bologna, Italy!

Mystery Location #2

Google search says... St. Mark's Clock Tower in Venice, Italy!

Mystery Location #3

Google Search says... the Ruins of Salona in Solin, Croatia! We will also see demigods encounter a god here.

Mystery Location #4

Google search says... Valletta, Malta! The Argo II will dock here.

 It definitely sounds like we're going to have a lot of Europe in store this book!

 2 DAYS!

Last Olympian Deleted Scene

Warning! May contain Last Olympian spoilers!

 Recently, Rick Riordan revealed a scene that he spoke of quite a while ago and mentioned again just recently. (I thought it was kind of tantalizing for him to mention it in the first place, but isn't that the point of his job? Trolling, that is.) Ever since he first brought it up, I've wanted to read it. Now, I've gotten my wish!

 The scene happens during the Last Olympian, after Morpheus puts all of the mortals to sleep. I won't spoil anymore of it for you, so here it is! :)

House of Hades Excerpt - Video and Discussion

Warning! May contain Mark of Athena spoilers!




Hi there, demigods! I just thought we should discuss this awesome video because... well... IT'S A HOUSE OF HADES EXCERPT! The actual text of this is probably less than a page, but that's trivial.

As far as the video itself goes, it's very intense, dramatic, and overall perfect. The elements of the dark background, ominous glow on Uncle Rick and the book, and gradually advancing and fading words coalesce to make an artistic and enthralling visual. I find the closer-up angles of Rick's face to be somewhat creepy, especially with the lighting highlighting every small detail. (Not that he's creepy or anything...) He reads the excerpt very trollishly, which is always appreciated. /sarc/ Anyway, it's definitely enough to give people chills.

The actual content of the excerpt... atu;lehiaowteulaiw;etawj;lit6ahwotaw4hawtya;wtba

Excuse me while I FREAK OUT. 

My main question: WHY DO THEY NEED TO HAVE THE PAIN THRESHOLD OF SOMEONE IN THE FIELDS OF PUNISHMENT?!?!?!?!

There are five rivers surrounding the Underworld: Styx, Cocytus, Lethe, Phlegethon, and Acheron. The Styx is the river which people swear oaths on; the Cocytus is the river which is known as the river of cries/lamentation; the Lethe is the river which the deceased drink from to forget their earthly lives; the Phlegethon is the fire river; and the Acheron is the river of woe. 

Percy and Annabeth have just come from the Cocytus. According to legend (or Google, but whatever), the dead who were not able to pay Charon sufficiently had to walk along its banks for the rest of eternity. Now that I think about it, didn't those people just stay in the waiting room at DOA Studios? Hm.

Even so, I can just imagine what it would be like in that area. A bunch of crying dead people who were in serious need of drachmas probably tried mugging Percy and Annabeth. Or worse.

The Phlegethon is the river of fire, and I can't seem to find much more about it on the internet, which makes me even more curious. Referring back to my initial question... why? Why is it that they need to drink from this river? Why would they need that kind of pain threshold? Couldn't they just go for a dip in the Styx again? 

What do you think of this excerpt? What happened to Percy and Annabeth before they got to the Phlegethon? Why do they need to drink from it? Leave your thoughts in the comments! :)

Uncle Rick at BEA13

 Hey guys! I found this video a few days ago, and I thought it was absolutely hilarious. I think Uncle Rick could do stand up. xD The video is his speech from Book Expo America 2013. Enjoy! :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8-Slm2gMWg&feature=youtu.be

A Very Special Birthday

Today is the day of the birth of the source of our feels.

Our favorite troll.

Our favorite author.

The creator of Percabeth.

Also known as... Rick Riordan.

I encourage you all to go to twitter and tweet him a happy birthday message.

And I leave you with this.

POVs in House of Hades

Warning! Contains Mark of Athena spoilers!

 Hi there, demigods!

 The other day on Twitter, Rick Riordan wrote:

"RT: @NickyMouuse please tell me Nico gets a POV in The House of Hades./Already PLENTY of POVs, so no. But he has a big part."

 Well, I guess all of the Nico point of view theories have been debunked from that one simple tweet. Sorry, Nico lovers. 

 However, this did get me thinking. Who will the POVs be? I've already given you my opinion on who I want them to be, but who will they be? (My opinion is in this post)

 I think they'll be: 

1. Annabeth
2. Hazel
3. Jason
4. Frank

 Annabeth is one of the two in Tartarus, and RR has used Percy's POV for 7 books. I think that he might see it as Annabeth's time to shine. 

 Hazel, Jason, and Frank didn't have a POV in Mark of Athena, and I think it's as simple as that. Uncle Rick probably wants to split it up equally... at least I would, if I were in his position. It only makes sense that he would do that. 

 The people have to be one of the Seven, so the ones that I said make the most sense. (I could be wrong. That's always a possibility.) Also, the four I predicted balances out the number of guys and the number of girls.

 That was a pretty short, simple post, but I feel that I owe it to you. So... Happy birthday, even if it isn't your birthday. xD

Twitter Q&A Discussion

Warning! May contain Last Olympian spoilers!

 Hey hey hey! Uncle Rick did a spontaneous Twitter Q&A session a few weeks ago. If you're interested in reading it, the full transcript can be found here. Once you read that, come back here and we'll talk. :) (Well, actually, I'll type, and you can read and comment.)

 First, we can tell from a lot of Rick's answers that he's pretty good with deadlines. We're always screaming at him to write faster, but he actually writes fairly fast for an author. A book a year is pretty impressive, or at least I think it is.

 Another thing: HE LOVES TO TROLL! Seriously.

RT: @coleenmikaelson Would you give some teasers/spoilers for HOO? :) / No! (cackles maniacally) 

RT: @ThatQurlCris Do you get writers' block? /Not usually but.... ah, dang it. I was going to say something. Oh well.

 EVILLLLL! Plus, he's sassy. I don't care how much he insists that he's "cantankerous", but he's not. He's just plain sassy. Or maybe he would prefer that I call it sarcasm. Eh, whatever. It's sassiness to me... It's not like he's going to read this or anything.

 We also learned some things about House of Hades. More Nico, some Grover, no Reyna Beauregard (lol that would be crazy), no cliffhanger worse than MoA.

 SO, yeah. I'm kinda lazy today, and there really isn't too much to say or analyze about this... Bye!

New Percy-Narrated Book?

 On Saturday, Rick Riordan gave his IRA keynote address titled "Reading Myths and the Myths of Reading". It's really long, and you should read all of it if you're feeling up to the challenge. However, there is one important part that I thought I should share with you:

"I will announce this here for the first time, right now I’m working on a new book of the Greek myths, told from Percy Jackson’s point of view. My hope is to offer the original stories, but told in a modern perspective that appeals to our kids today. I decided to setaside the earlier anthologies, as much as I love them – Hamilton, D’Aulaires, Evslin, Greene – because the writing is a little dated. Instead, I’ve leapfrogged straight back to the primary sources. I’m using Ovid, Hesiod, Homer and many others, and trying to cast the entire scope of Greek mythology afresh. John Rocco, who does my covers, is illustrating, and we’re hoping to create something that’s going to be useful in your libraries and classrooms."

 YAY! This is kind of vague right now, just from this quote. He's basically saying that he'll be writing a book of traditional Greek myths, but he's going to write it in Percy's POV to make it more interesting and appealing to kids... or anyone, really. Personally, I've tried reading books of Greek myths, and I can't get through them because the prose is so boring and outdated. Hopefully this will make reading myths, instead of being told them (which is the way I prefer), more interesting to myself and others like me. Uncle Rick also made some statements about this via his Twitter account.

Rick Riordan ‏@camphalfblood32m

Ever read a collection of the original myths? Imagine that, but the way Percy would tell them. Tentative title: Percy Jackson's Greek Gods

Expand

Rick Riordan ‏@camphalfblood43m

*But* it's not a new series, and it's not *about* Percy. He's the narrator. It doesn't tell you anything about Percy's future either way.

Expand

Rick Riordan ‏@camphalfblood45m

True: I'm writing a new book of the original Greek myths in Percy Jackson's point of view. I'm having tons of fun with it. No pub date yet.

 I think that the tweets clarify it a little bit more. It's not about Percy, it's narrated by him. Even though we won't be following Percy's adventures, I'm still excited! Feel free to leave your opinions on this in the comments. :)

My Three Theories of Why Rick Keeps Us Hanging

Warning! Contains mega-spoilers for all books in the series up to the Mark of Athena! So just don't read this if you haven't read MoA.

 The Sea of Monsters made our jaws drop. We finished the book in awe, with wonderstruck looks spread across our faces. The Lost Hero left us pleading and begging for Percy, and also very angry, yet still afraid for Percy's fate. The Son of Neptune stopped in the middle of the awesome part. WHAT OTHER FAMILY, PERCY?! The book just ends! And The Mark of Athena... Let's not even go there. The Mark of Athena taught us what a cliffhanger REALLY is, and even gave a whole new meaning to the term. 

 But why does Rick Riordan insist on ending his books like this? There's always that feeling of suspense and anticipation that fills you up after finishing one of his books. Let's go through all of the painful endings he has given us in PJO and HoO:

• The Lightning Thief: Uhm, yeah. Luke's evil and he wants to overthrow Olympus, along with the evil titan Kronos.
• The Sea of Monsters: The daughter of Zeus pops out of a tree. Book ends abruptly and dramatically.
• The Titan's Curse: LUKE FELL OFF OF A FLIPPING CLIFF AND HE'S STILL FLIPPING ALIVE. Oh, and Grover is thisclose to finding Pan, but you gotta wait 'til the next book! Sorry!
• The Battle of the Labyrinth: "Hey Percy! Let's eat blue cake and talk about something that the readers can't know about until halfway through the next book!" :D -Nico di Angelo
• The Last Olympian: Rachel spews out a prophecy that Chiron claims is "for a whole other generation". Liar.
• The Lost Hero: Percy's at another, less welcoming camp. He doesn't know who he is, and he's probably dead. :)
• The Son of Neptune: Ends right before Percy is about to introduce the Romans to his Greek family.
• The Mark of Athena: PERCY AND ANNABETH FALL OFF OF A FLIPPING ACTUAL CLIFF INTO THE FLIPPIN' ETERNAL PIT OF HECK.

 Now that you understand the problem with this... why does he do it? I have three ideas, and I've decided to share them with you.

MY THREE THEORIES AS TO WHY RICK RIORDAN LIKES TO LEAVE US HANGING:

1. For his own personal, evil enjoyment. He has control over an entire fictional world. Why not take advantage of that? We (this fandom, including myself) let this guy control our every emotion--feels, if you will. He's kinda just living it up.
2. His publishers. They want the money and the customers, so they send a sumo-wrestler to his house while he's working. The sumo-wrestler stands over him threateningly, growling, "Wreck their feels," or, "Dangle them by their thumbs over the dark pits of Tartarus with their favorite couple." Metaphorically, of course.
3. His mom. Maybe she lives off of the money he makes from the series! Then, when he goes to visit her, she smiles and says, "Hi, Ricky! Come in for some cookies!" Ten minutes into the visit, she whispers in his ear, "Ricky, I need a new house. Richard Russell Riordan, make it good and make it hurt."

 Now, I don't know his mom, but I doubt that she's as cruel as I depicted her. I'd like to apologize for portraying you like this, Mrs. Riordan. xD It's just a little real-life head canon of mine. But there's always that small chance... Just kidding. Well, maybe.

**Note: Much of the inspiration for the bulleted portion of this post is drawn from here.

Upcoming Special Dates Update

'Sup, half-bloods?

I have some very special dates to share with you!

May 7th, 2013 - Paperback edition of the Serpent's Shadow comes out, INCLUDING a special Kane Chronicles/Percy Jackson crossover short story, The Son of Sobek!

May 31st, 2013 - House of Hades cover reveal!

June 18th, 2013 - Son of Sobek e-single release

August 16th, 2013 - Sea of Monsters movie release (in theaters)

October 8th, 2013 - HOUSE OF HADES RELEASE!!!!!!!!!

Now, a bit about the e-single. It includes both text and audio, with the story read by Rick Riordan himself! I don't know of a price yet, but I'm sure that will be released soon enough, along with the cover artwork for the e-single.

Something even more exciting about the e-single: IT COMES WITH A SPECIAL PREVIEW OF THE HOUSE OF HADES! (Which is probably why they're choosing to release it so much later.)

Don't worry, a free preview will be available closer to the release date. You just have to wait a little bit longer if you aren't buying the e-version of Son of Sobek (it does NOT come in the paper version).

I hope you're all excited! I am!!

And I will close this post with a heartfelt quote from Uncle Rick himself.

"Glad you're excited! Sorry about the trolling, but ahhhhh! I does not EXIST right NOW! I have to finish WRITING it first!!!"

Haha! Have a great day, demigods!

Tartarus and Houdini

Warning! May contain Lightning Thief and Mark of Athena spoilers!

 Hey! Again, I apologize for abandoning you. You know, this is getting to be a normal apology... Not good. I need to work on that.

 Anyway, I've just finished re-reading the Lightning Thief for the bazillionth time. (Actually, it was more like the fifth or sixth time, but who's counting?) My mind is filled to the brim with amazing things to post, and those posts should be coming soon. (Notice I said should. I don't want to make any promises. Oh, and the next Percy/Carter fanfic chapter should be posted soon as well.)

 So, where was I? Oh, yeah. Tartarus. I found an interesting passage in TLT when I was reading, and it made me think of Percy and Annabeth's current situation.

 Do you remember the Nereid that looked like Percy's mom whom he met at the bottom of the Mississippi? She talked about how he (Percy) was going to the Underworld, and she mentioned a few demigods who had survived a trip. She first mentioned Hercules and Orpheus, who were both traditional Greek heroes. But, she also mentioned another demigod: Harry Houdini... *pause for dramatic effect* who could escape even the depths of Tartarus. 

 When I read that, my initial reaction was, "THERE IS HOPE!!!!!!!!!"

 This makes me beyond excited. If you don't know who Houdini was, he was an illusionist (magician) and escape artist, his claim to fame being the latter. Even if Percy and Annabeth Houdini, there should still be a way for them to get out, right? Houdini was an escape artist, but that doesn't mean it's unachievable for non-escape artists! 

 We all should remember this passage while we anticipate the release of House of Hades, even if it sounds somewhat doubtful. There must be a way. There is hope!

The Equinox Q&A has ended!

Did you know that Reyna is Puerto Rican? Or that Uncle Rick prefers Ogygia over Olympus? Or that Nico likes Chinese food? Or that in high school, RR and his now-wife had a ship name? Neither did I... until this weekend.

Uncle Rick answers these questions and more! Read the full Q&A transcript here:

http://rickriordan.blogspot.com/2012/09/the-equinox-q-from-twitter.html

(Thank goodness he got to it before I did this time! That was wayyyy too much work, and then HE had to post it like a day later... -_-)

Equinox

Yes, there is good news in addition to the bad news from yesterday. Some of you may already know this, but...
THERE'S GOING TO BE ANOTHER TWITTER Q&A!
This time, it's for the fall equinox, instead of the summer solstice. It will be on the weekend of September 22nd. Start thinking of questions you might want to ask, but don't send them yet! Also, RR encourages you to read his FAQ page first, in case your question has already been answered there. :)

Here's my question:
Why exactly is he doing this for the equinox? We all know that every deadline in Percy Jackson is a solstice. No one in these books really cares about an equinox! Percy's in school during the equinoxes!

But let's not complain... this is better than waiting until the winter solstice!

My Laziness, MoA Tour Dates, Twitter Hacked, and More

I'M SO SORRY FOR ABANDONING YOU! *cries*
I am! Will you forgive me??? I'm just too lazy to type up these really long posts... What, that's not a good enough excuse? Hmph. Well then. I haven't even gotten out of bed yet today. I'm blogging to you  when I'M JUST WAKING UP. Isn't that good enough for you? Well, that reminds me. I'm kinda hungry. I should go eat... yeah I'm gonna do that. Be right back! (Not that you'll notice, since this isn't going to be posted until I'm done with the whole thing. Oh, well, I'll be right back.:))

I'M BACK!

Anyway, a few things have been happening lately in the world of Heroes of Olympus and Rick Riordan, one of which I'm saving for a future post. The first is some bad news: Uncle Rick's twitter got hacked. D:

Last night, I looked at his Twitter account. He was un-verified and his picture was some random blonde chick. What happened?

But the good news is: Later he tweeted that he was back to normal and it seems that he wasn't the only one who was hacked. It's a bug going around Twitter with verified accounts. Well, I checked, and his Twitter is just fine! Phew.

The second thing is also some bad news... temporary bad news. Yesterday, the Mark of Athena tour dates were supposed to be announced. Nada. :(

So that's what's going on. Expect another post very soon... and this is good news! :)

New PJO Short Story

WHAT COULD THIS BE?!?!?! Whatever it is, I'm excited!

Drew in the Serpent's Shadow Follow-Up

Warning! May contain Lost Hero and Serpent's Shadow spoilers!

I just thought of something. Rick Riordan did say that Drew in the Lost Hero and Drew in the Serpent's Shadow are the same person. But I have something that might contradict that.

Apparently, Drew goes to a mortal school, right? But the Lost Hero takes place in the winter, when normal mortal school usually takes place (along with spring and fall, of course). So why was Drew at camp when she should be in school? Hmmm....

Twitter Q&A Complete List

Here is a complete list of all of the questions and answers from RR's Twitter summer solstice celebration, as promised!!

Q: @Maggheera Is Drew in the Serpent's Shadow the same Drew as the one in The Lost Hero? 
A: Yes. :D


Q: @Sir_Cumstances Why are you so great at writing cliffhangers?! 
A: A true cliffhanger means characters end the story in imminent danger. Most of my endings aren't actually cliffhangers. They just leave unanswered questions. Mark of Athena, however, ah... never mind.


Q: @EliCharisseDR would u go to manila one day? i really want ur autograph! 
A: I kinda doubt it, sry. Travel abroad is hard w/my deadlines. Sadly no international travel anywhere anytime soon. The next few years, I have to stay home and write or the books won't get done on time!


Q: @Stay_Always I have a big exam tomorrow, could you wish me luck? :) 
A: Good luck! You totally got this.


Q: @Pob584 how did Frank & Hazel kill the Giant in S.o.N when they can only be killed by Gods & Demi-gods working together?
A: The giant Alcyoneus is unique. He is only immortal in the land where he spawned, in this case, Alaska. Once outside, he's fair game.


Q: @brogueskittles Tell me Nico is safe! Tell me he's gonna have a bigger role! 
A: Nico has a key role in MoA but demigods are rarely safe!


Q: @GirlOfAthena My mom is eternally grateful to you for making me love reading. Now she has to say "STOP READING, GIRL!" 
A: Love it! :D


Q: @AtrociouslyMad Will we be getting a Percy and Annabeth reunion in MoA or not? 
A: Don't think it's too much of a spoler to say yes.


Q: @pqpayne please say hi to Brazil! 
A: Olá, meus amigos do Brasil! I love you guys!


Q @TheSwiftFactor ARE YOU PLANNING A CROSSOVER? (Kane/Heroes). 
A: If I did, that would be way down the line. Heroes & Norse series first.


Q: @emmeheinrich What are you reading now? 
A: Just started Shadow & Bone by @LBardugo. Russian mythology-based YA. Really good so far!


Q: @cs412 How come, in the new series, not all demigods have ADHD and dyslexia? 
A: That's true in PJO too. Many demigods do, but not all.


Q: @Clavinerise Y don't u ask ur sons to help u write?
A: I'm editing Haley's 1st manuscript now, but he's writing his own story. :D


Q: @LivFanIano Is percy one of the 4 narrators of Mark of Athena? 
A: Have to wait & see 
Q: Any chance of an advanced copy? 
A: No!


Q: @freshsmileyface After MoA, are you going to come to Canada? 
A: Been to Toronto & Vancouver several times. Don't know yet for future. Publisher sets the tour stops. I don't choose, so I can't take requests. Usually I don't know where I'm going until right before the tour. Actually, I often don't know where I'm going in general.. But that's just me.


Q: @ItsSimplyGaby Is there anything that you could say about the Leo/Sammy thing in MoA? 
A: No spoilers. Sorry! But it will be explained in MoA.


Q: @ellierugen are you ever going to come to england? 
A: Afraid you missed me. Been there dozens of times, but now I can't b/c of deadlines.


Q: @rubys_universe if you could be a god of anything what would it be? 
A: The god of time so I could make more. I never seem to have enough.


Q: @karimelgendi Dude no offense but don't you have a deadline... 
A: Haha. Tell that to my editor. And the ppl who want the books faster! :D


Q: @maisumamariana_The Heroes of Olympus is going to have how many books? 
A: Five.


Sry, questions quickly get buried beneath other questions. Some1 asked PC or MAC & what my writing desk looks like. PC and Mac. I write on Mac. Haley prefers editing format on a PC, so I use both. 

Q: @nasyamatram how do you handle writer's blocks?

A: outline first. That way I don't get to the middle of the story & get stuck (as much)

Q: JacquelyneKampe do you have any tips for a new writer? 
A: Yes, on my FAQ page:http://bit.ly/mxv6UI Short answer: read a lot, write a lot


Q: @MsErmaynee have you ever been criticized for your books ? 
A: Gasp! Never! (sarcasm) Sure. Not everyone likes every book, but that's ok. I feel fortunate that so many people DO like them!


Q: @o_Tyson Thanks for showing me reading is not an "adult thing." 
A: Young readers lead the way these days! Adults follow your trends.


Q: @AshaAshaAsha13 when your books are finally published, are they mostly changes you made revising, or are they the original draft?
A: There is no such thing as a perfect first draft. It's impossible. 90% of writing is revising, over and over.


Q: @haymitch_drunk Have you read the Harry Potter or the Hunger Games? 
A: Yes. As I've tweeted before, I love them both.


Q: @HermioneMila When is Annabeth's birthday? 
A: I don't know. I've never had a reason to determine it, at least not yet.


Q: (got buried) Have I ever been to Russia? 
A: I visited St. Petersburg on vacation. Beautiful city. I've never done an event in Russia. As I said, I had to stop touring internationally, as I can't write this fast and travel the world, too. Getting the books done comes first!


Q: @OlympusTributes what happened to Calypso? 
A: She will make an appearance later in the Heroes series. Right now, that's all I can say.


Q: @tom_emily Do you ever do book signings at book stores in San Antonio? 
A: Almost every tour. Just did one in May. Check website in Sept.


Q: @JoshuaDanielss Out of the characters in the HoO, which is your favorite to write about? 
A: Gleeson Hedge. He cracks me up. Also Leo.


Q: @kklorman What is your favorite book that you've written? 
A: It's usually the most recent one, b/c it's freshest in my mind. Hard to say!


Q: @heyitsgea i have a friend who wants to become a writer & she's writing fanfictions now,any word of encouragement? 
A: Fanfic is not a bad way to practice writing IMHO. I learned a lot writing D&D stories when I was younger. But move on to your own ideas!


Q: @Filhade_Hades what is your favorite book? 
A: The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Got me into mythology & reading when I was about 12.


Q: @DemigodOfDrew Have you read Game of Thrones? 
A: Yes, was reading it LONG before the TV show. Awesome series, but def mature stuff!


Q: @TheCliffhangers What other mythologies besides Greek/Roman, Egyptian & Norse would you like to write about?
A: That's 6-7 years in the future, so I have no idea. I can only write 1-2 books max a year, and I've got 2 Heroes and 3 Norse still to do! All I can tell you is if you've thought about it, I probably have too & I've got more ideas than I'll be able to write in a lifetime!


Q: @2cute4urscreen Do you usually listen to music while writing? 
A: I love all kinds of music but I can't listen to it while writing. Some faves: Classic: Dylan, Stones, Beatles; modern: Black Keys, Jack White, Arcade Fire, Decembrists, Mumford & Sons, Adele. I could go on.


Q: @_AmamosPJ when you're not writing, what do you do for fun? :) 
A: I play guitar, read, swim w/the kids, MMORPG, sometimes go on cruises


Q: @BarcaCatalan10 When u were a teenager, were u the best student in each class? A: Haha. Hardly. I was like Percy. I got kicked out of classes for being a troublemaker & I barely passed math. My writing got me through English, but I never read the books. Of course my karmic punishment was that I grew up and became an English teacher, but I can relate to reluctant readers.


Q: @im_a_halfblood Are you planning on writing another Camp Half-Blood series? A: Like I said, that's waaaay far in the future. But some day, I'd like to do 1 more CHB series where all the action actually happens at camp, b/c most of the other books happen on quests. That's part of the story that hasn't been told, & would be fun. But like I said, that's way, way in the future, so don't hold your breath.


Q: (got buried) Any characters based on real life? 
A: Yeah. Mrs. Dodds is a real math teacher, but she's not actually a monster. Mr. Brunner (aka Chiron) is a real Latin teacher. Travis & Connor Stoll, Beckendorf, Miranda & Nico are named for former students of mine.


Q: @alondrasanche21 If you hadn't written any Percy Jackson books what would you be doing now?
A: I'd still be teaching, which I loved!


Q: @Laura_FB_ what is your favorite TV show? 
A: Probably Dr. Who. Been watching it since the '80s. Old series, new, love them all.


Q: How many questions do you get a day? (this ? ironically got buried under other ?s) 
A: Too many to answer, which is why I usually can't!


Q: @AngelOz13 Do you feel nervous when your books come out? 
A: Every single time! I do my best, but I always worry you guys won't like it.


Q: @jvolr I heard a rumor that Thalia will die in The Mark of Athena, you confirm? 
A: I can confirm that you shouldn't listen to rumors.


Q: @Real_me5 any advice for people who want to be teachers?
A: Do volunteer work w/kids to make sure you've got the right temperament. Get as much teaching experience as you can, subbing or whatever. You'll know very quickly if you're cut out to teach. We need good teachers! And the second year of teaching is 500% easier than the first year. Don't get discouraged and don't give up!


Q: @OnlyDemigods_Hi Uncle Rick, what's your favorite character from the Percy Jackson? 
A: Grover or Tyson. They're so fun to write about.


Q: @helloandie Have you ever cried while writing? A: Only because the first draft is so bad and my deadline is so close. :D No, actually I got teary-eyed when I wrote one scene in Mark of Athena, and no, I can't tell you what it was. Yes, I know that's mean.


Q: @camphalfblood What did you think about this nickname: Uncle Rick? 
A: Honored! Did you know Tio has its root in the word Theo, for god?


Q: @caseyjaneolvis my nickname for you is Ricky! 
A: That was my nickname as a little boy, so I'm used to it!


Q: @Jackieromano199 after the TitansCurse, Annabeth and Percy's Grey streaks are never mentioned...shouldn't someone question them?
A: Actually that question will be addressed in Mark of Athena.


Q: Someone (sry got buried) asked what's my favorite ship in my books. 
A: The Argo II. Oh . . . not that kind of ship?


Q: @pinkypoodle12 do you think you belong in Camp Half-Blood or Camp Jupiter? 
A: No. I would fail in either place! However, I can see living at Brooklyn House and studying magic. I would ace Advanced Napping class w/Bast.


Q: Do I follow the Spurs (basketball)? 
A: Gotta confess, I'm not much of a sports fan. Probably because I have zero athletic coordination. Playing catch w/my sons basically means we go outside and take turns hitting each other in the head with the ball.


Q: @CarlsonJin123  I talked to a YouTube channel called RiordanRick. Was that account really you? 
A: Nope. Only legit accts are on my site. Usually I can't respond to ppl on the Internet. Too many questions, gotta stay focused on writing. This weekend is a rare exception. This account is verified. http://Rickriordan.com is my site. Aside from that, if somebody writes you back, that's a good sign it ain't me.


Q:@juliadalbosco Do you keep an edition of your books in another language besides english? 
A: My garage is full of them. 35 diff languages!


Q: @kklorman2 Who would you rather have: Festus or Blackjack? 
A: At the risk of hurting Blackjack's feelings, Festus for sure.


Q: @TheNightCountry why is the book cover art different from the UK and the USA versions? A: different publishers make diff. covers. The thinking is UK kids r attracted to different cover art than US kids. *shrug* Each publisher has final say over the cover in that country.


Q: @somalinector i think you should do a blog on the do's and don't's on how to write novel. 
A: 1st 'don't': more writing, less blogging!


Q: @DanielleEmmie Q: Do you write cliffhanger endings on purpose? 
A: Yep used to do that in class when I told stories. My students hated it! But they were always eager to come to class the next day and hear what happened next. When I wrote Percy, I imagined telling it to my class.


Q: @rotiunyel How do you stay focused whilst writing? I always get distracted... 
A: Me too! That's why I had to shut off email access.


Q: @MooWarrior You said that you MMORPG. Which ones do you play? 
A: Name it, I've played it. But I just dabble, not hardcore. No time!


Okay, guys, gotta stop reading tweets & go back to writing mode. Thx for all the questions. Maybe we'll do this again next solstice! I leave you with this -- a collection of new covers from around the world: http://bit.ly/L7Jo0s. And most of the questions I didn't get to answer were already answered in my previous tweets or on the FAQ: http://bit.ly/9ZDQBE Bye! 


So that's it :( His entire Thursday through Sunday Q&A. Some of the tweets were REALLY interesting. And I hope that if he gives Annabeth a birthday, it's February 17th :) I also wonder what he was writing when his eyes started getting teary....