Red Pyramid Nominated for Red House, and other news

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

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

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

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

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!