A: Meh, third choice behind llama and penguin.
Q:
@OMGPercy Would Coach Hedge have an important role too?
A: Haha, wait until you see what he does in MoA. Yes, he gets a lot of play.
Q:
@cassinolotus in Hunger Games there is twins named Castor and Pollux and in Percy Jackson too. Is that coincidence?
A: Greek mythology.
You do know The Hunger Games is a re-imagining of the Theseus myth, right? 14 tributes go into the Labyrinth each year to face the Minotaur.
Q:
@SamDuremdes Are Katie Gardner and Travis Stoll in a relationship?
A: Not that I’m aware of.
Q
@JeonginT has it crossed your mind to include Asian myths?
A: Yes, but there are more cool mythologies than I can write in a lifetime!
Q:
@meio_sangrenta SO every single thing we ask you are in The Mark Of Athena?
A: Well, I did warn you up front I will not give spoilers!
Q:
@FandomFan357 what was your favorite part about the lightning thief movie?
A: Didnât see it. Check my FAQ.
A: No, the female equivalent is a nymph.
A: Yes, after I finished PJO. It helped me form the idea for the Heroes series.
A: Ha, no. You’ll get the reunion pretty quick in MoA.
Q:
@mollyhallettx Do you ever get writers block? If so, how do you get out of one?!
A: Sure. Check ‘advice for writers’ on my website.
A: I don’t have much extra time, but I read & play guitar & hang out w/family
Q:
@JustynaChojecka Are you planning to write anything about arthurian legends? I know first Norse mitology. Poland loves you, Uncle Rick
A: Thx! No, I don’t plan Arthurian. Yes, Norse first. After that, we’ll have to see.
A: The first one. Not really my thing, but I’m not exactly the target audience.
Q:
@Raacchan would you prefer stay at ogygia or olympus?
A: Wow, hard question. I’m more of an introvert, so maybe Ogygia.
A: No, English & history, but both tie in to classics.
A: I’m always nervous before every book comes out! Hope you guys enjoy it!
Q:
@IBreathePercyJ you would like to visit Brazil? Brazilian demigods love you!
A: Love you guys too! Hopefully some day, but like I said.. The next few years are going to be too crazy with writing deadlines for me to travel to all the different countries.
A: Haha. Uh, probably Chiron if I could figure out the costume.
Q: @justshupup231 Should I be paying attention in English right now?
A: As a former English teacher, I have to say, âYes!â đ
Q:
@RobnettAlex Why is Blackjack a mare in SoM, then a male in Titan’s curse?
A: Percy wasnât looking closely. Or maybe I made a mistake.
A: Awesome. Oni, kappa, etc. Sons are big anime/manga fans.
Q:
@HannahCorker On average, how long does it take you to write a book?
A: One year, from concept to publication.
A: Chiron (the teacher) & Uncle Amos (the kindly mentor) đ
Q:
@OriGutierrez15 Are you aware that the shipping name for Percy/Annabeth amongst your fans is Percabeth?
A: I may have noticed that a few thousand times. Ship names are not new. When my wife Becky & I were in high school, ppl called us âBrick.â
Q:
@reddeerdawn Did you ever have detention like me right now or were you an angel?
A: Only detention? I got kicked out of classes when I was in high school and almost got expelled for running an underground newspaper.
A: My favorite books as a kid. Got me writing. Movies were good too.
Q:
@demonzan Just thought I’d mention since ur doing Norse in the future, u should check out Marvel’s take on Thor & Loki. Great variety.
A: Dude, I have Marvel Thor comics going back to the 1960s. Read them forever. Love the comics, but my series will be nothing like that.
Q:
@MileyMyLollyPop Is it true that someone REALLY important’s going to die in Mark of Athena?
A: You shouldn’t listen to internet rumors.
Q:
@CoryKrush Do you like Harry Potter? If so, what’s your favorite book?
A: Yep! Prisoner of Azkaban.
Q: @demigodwitch_You know if it’s a long time for “The Mark of Athena” to be launched in Brazil? A: I don’t get info for other countries. The best thing to do is ask a local bookseller or ask the publisher in your country. They may be able to tell you. For Brazil:
@intrinseca
Q: @MrsFlickerman_what’s the best thing about writing books?
A: Finishing!
Q:
@harmonicaplayaa I loved your son’s short story; if you ever move on from mythology, do you think you’d pass the reins to him?
A: Haley’s got his own novel just about finished (not mythology) + getting ready for college next year. Too soon to know if he’d want PJO!
Q:
@natchewybar6 Will you ever make a story where Sadie and Carter meet Annabeth and Percy?
A: If I did, that would be way down the road. Lot of other books to write first — Finish Heroes, do Norse series. Then we’ll see.
Q:
@Reyna_Jones “I’ll read a never-before-released section of an upcoming Percy Jackson story.” ) Will I ever see this?
A: Only if you come to one of the events! And of course, once the story is finally published, but that will be quite a while.
A: Uh, well I’m not a god, but my wife is pretty divine. So . . .
Q:
@Jeffrey_C_J question from my daughter-Will the Titans show up again, also, where do you get your ideas for the monsters?
A: You will see a Titan or two later in Heroes. The monsters are all straight from mythology. I don’t make up any of them!
A: Much too early to tell you. I know, but won’t even start writing it until next year.
Q:
@Anna_Rowebot favorite person playing the doctor on doctor who and reason why?
A: Classic doctors: Tom Baker, funny, quirky, cool scarf. New Doctor Who series, honestly I like all three, but I’m sorry Eccleston only had one season.
Q:
@g_revvy Have you ever heard the term “troll”? I would kinda classify you as one Uncle Rick!! A: Who me? Nah.
Q:
@thebigthreeZPH is MoA gonna kill me softly? Am I gonna need a box of tissue?!
A: More likely you will curse me for another cliffhanger.
But a different sort of cliffhanger. That’s all I can say about that . . . but, I anticipate some impatient readers starting, like, Oct. 3.
Q:
@ElencoPJO San Francisco is a special city for you?
A: Yes, I taught there for six years & my sons were born in the Bay Area.
Q:
@PercysJacksons did you read the Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare?
A: I havenât, though I know theyâre very popular.
A: I like them all. Greek is easiest, but theyâre all fun.
Q:
@Ian_clark123 Does Percy and Sally reunite. Also is there a lot of art in the Signed Box Version
A: Percy doesn’t get to see his mom in MoA, no. He’s going to be a little too busy. The signed boxed edition has special art on the endpaper
A: Let me ask . . . Yeah. He says he’s okay. But we’re hungry. Gonna get some Chinese food. BBL.
A: Yes, I miss my students & doing cool activities in class, but not the grading! I still kind of feel like a teacher, though. Only now I have several million kids in my “class.”
A: Do you know a lot of middle-aged guys who like sappy romance novels?
A: I was never diagnosed, but my father is and my son is, plus reading was hard for me when young. So…
A: No, there are already soooo many characters to juggle w/the seven prophecy demigods.
A: I read the first three when I was younger. They were okay, but not my fave.
I prefer C.S. Lewis’s Space Trilogy. For fantasy, I prefer Tolkien.
Q:
@HoranNialls Will Grover show up in The Heroes of Olympus series again?
A: He doesn’t have a big part, no. He’s off doing nature stuff. However, the story I will preview at the events will feature the return of Grover.
Q:
@Isabel_Chlo1D Why is Athena’s hair black and all her children’s hair is blonde?
A: Not ALL of her children have blond hair.
A: Leo is wondering the same thing. That’s all I can say!
Q:
@lordfirework why put the Olympus in the 600Âș floor? or it was just a random choice of number? A: Like many things I do, it was random!
Q:
@squirtone will we get more about Bianca Di Angelo in next books?
A: Only in Nico’s memories. She’s dead and moved on to a new life.
A: Patrick is 14. Haley WAS 16 when he wrote that story. He just turned 18. Remember there’s a delay of about a year to get a book published, because it has to be revised, edited, typeset, printed, etc., etc.
Q:
@fernandabing Octavian: Will we get to know him better in MoA?!
A: Yes, though you might not like him any better.
Q:
@LanaleeTremone Does the Great Fire of Rome have anything to do with the Mark of Athena prophecy?
A: Good guess! But actually no.
Q:
@LoveFromBooks7 If Percy loses only the cap for Riptide as the sword is in use, will it reappear in his pocket?
A: Yes, it reappears.
A: Not sure yet. Right now his 1st choice is Emerson in Boston (for writing, obviously :D)
Q:
@SushiSaggi Is Annabeth based on someone in your life? If so, then who?
A: No. Sort of a combination of many students I taught.
Q:
@GigiAmorimC what’s your favorite animal of the underworld?
A: Mrs. O’Leary the hellhound, natch!
Q:
@godblessdemi_ did Hera leave Percy memories of Annabeth on purpose?
A: I think it was just too strong a memory to erase fully.
Q:
@WeLoveHPJV If you could talk to a god/goddess, or a demigod, for a day who would you choose?
A: Maybe Hestia, least likely to kill me.
Q:
@loraliy what would you have thought 20 yrs ago if someone told you you’d be a famous author? A: I wouldâve laughed. âYeah, right.â
A: No, sheâs back at Camp Half-Blood.
A: Yes, they are called centaurides. Not many stories about them.
A: Setne in The Serpentâs Shadow, though Mark of Athena has some awesome ones.
Q:
@bbellatriz Which book did you like most about writing?
A: Maybe The Lost Hero. Itâs hard to say.
Q:
@Cheishya would you ever write a book that is not related to greek mythology?
A: Already have! 39 Clues, Kane, my adult mysteries. Yes, I have ideas for non-myth books. The problem is I have more ideas than I’ll ever be able to write, since each book = 1 year of work.
A: She’s around, just doesn’t have a big part in Heroes.
Q:
@SB_and_WG will you be writing another Percy related series once HoO is done?
A: It’s WAY too early to talk about that! Dunno yet.
Q:
@LaPurpleSpark73 How did the REAL Charlie Beckendorf feel about you killing off the character?
A: I havenât talked to him! Heâs nothing like Beckendorf in the books. I just borrowed the name.
I only name a few characters after real ppl, and they are ppl I know personally. Travis/Connor Stoll, Mrs. Dodds, Mr. Brunner.
Q
@RachelKang2 What color is Clarisse’s hair? Sometimes it’s brown, sometimes it’s blond.
A Kinda both: sort of stringy blondish brown.
A: The bully from Lightning Thief. Sheâs going about her mortal life. I actually wrote a scene for Last Olympian where Percy stumbles across her, but the book was getting too long so I cut it.
Q: Did you think that the PJ books would be read and liked by “older” people (I’m 30 and a proud Percy french fan)?
A: No. I taught ages 9-14 so that was my target audience and still is, but older readers are always welcome!
Q:
@Cheishya what would you do if all your characters knock on your door in the middle of the night?
A: This is why I donât publish my address! I’d assume I’m dreaming and go back to sleep.
A: Ice cream!
Q:
@SamN_93 do you prefer to turn into a bird or have control of water ?
A: tough choice. Probably water. I don’t like heights.
A: I have visited St. Petersburg. Beautiful city!
A: Demigod siblings? No. Not as far as he is aware.
Q:
@Rachel_HG_PJ what was the saddest death you had to write and why?
A: Silena in the Last Olympian; b/c it was a noble death & brave.
A: Oo. Good one. Advantage Set. Much sneakier.
Q:
@VitorVaz7 coffee or tea? Books or movies? Beach or farm?
A: Coffee, books, farm. (though I like the other choices too)
A: Ya, pretty crazy! (That was last year) Massive crowd.
A: Yes, I really have to, or I’d get stuck halfway through.
Q: @alicia_workmanwould you ever try Peanut Butter Enchiladas? My friend made it up.
A: Shudder. sounds hideous, but points for creativity!
A: Well, have to be careful of spoilers, but the end of Sea of Monsters.
Q:
@joelgodin68 do you have the ending of the HoO series ready in your mind?
A: Yes, more or less. And no, I can’t tell you. đ
Q:
@kevin_culp Q on behalf of my daughter: Did you study any foreign languages in high school? A: Latin (no surprise)
A: Mrs. O’Leary. I love dogs, especially if they can shadow travel and run over entire armies.
A: In the words of Princess Bride, “get used to disappointment.”
Q:
@xiomymurillo Did you ever think that Percy and Annabeth could be reincarnations of other heroes, like Perseus and Atalanta?
A: That had never occurred to me. Good question. I think the old heroes are in Elysium, though, so probably not.
Q:
@Little_Dedo What was it like writing 3rd person for Percy and seeing him through other characters’ eyes?
A: Actually it was really cool!
I wanted to do the Heroes series in a different way, because it kept things interesting for me. I didn’t want to do the exact same as PJO.
Q:
@LaraPotterhead How did you come up with the idea to make Frank from Vancouver?
A: Heâs a shout-out to my Canadian readers. Plus I had just been to Vancouver & itâs an awesome city.
Q:
@1Dfan_1197 Will CHB t-shirts also be available in the Philippines?
A: No. They were printed as promos specifically for the US events. There is no other way to get them. But people often make their own shirts, and thatâs awesome!
Q: @amyhuynh_Which of the book covers from the PJ series or HoO series is your favourite?
A: I love John Rocco’s US covers. I think my favorite is The Titan’s Curse for PJO, Serpent’s Shadow for KC, and Lost Hero for HoO.
Q:
@Niaz_Abedini Uncle Rick, have you checked out any of PJO tumblrs?
A: Nah, I donât have time to surf around the Internet anymore!
A: No, sorry. Too many of you & I usually canât even read tweets, much less respond!
Q:
@Merlin4578 Will you permit some of your readers to like suggest some things and names for characters?
A: I canât take suggestions, sorry! Iâve got all the ideas Iâm going to use & I donât name characters after fans b/c WAY too many requests.
Q:
@LVtenyomYRI do you know the publisher of your book for indonesia?
A: Noura. They just sent a picture for me to sign for a bookstore.
A: Many places! Japan, Hawaii, Istanbul, Paris.
A: Haha, thx. But I had a good night’s sleep.
Q:
@ApollosFavKid If you were a magician, which path of the gods would you choose?
A: Is it bad that I’d go chaos magic w/Set?
Q:
@ItsAlwaysMagic I Can’t wait for MoA but in Brazil Just in May 2013. WHy they do this to me? A: Well, translating takes a long time!
Q:
@LalaD9 Most of the gods are in the US, but Boreas is in Canada, so are there any gods in Mexico?
A: I’d imagine Aztec and Mayan gods.
Q:
@DeeTheDoo Uncle Rick, what did EXACTLY happen to Michael Yew after he disappeared?
A: I honestly don’t know. Assume he died.
Q:
@TeamDemigod You are reading a PJO story for us in Toronto right?
A: Yep! At each event.
Q: Indian release date/writing about Indian mythology?
A. I don’t get info for other countries. Indian legends are cool, but have to be a little more careful as Hinduism is a living religion. Having said that, I love the Ramayana and the many stories of the gods. Hanuman is my favorite. No immediate plans to tackle them. Too busy!
Q:
@AlwaysPercabeth Are Maenads a very real terrifying interpretation of FANGIRLS?
A: Haha. Maybe. They are authentic myths, though.
Q:
@Theotaket Have you work in collaboration w/ the team of PJ Sea of Monsters film?
A: Nope. I just write the books. As I’m always saying, I have nothing whatsoever to do w/the movies, so don’t ask me anything. Guarantee you, I don’t know!
A: I haven’t yet, but it is one of my son Patrick’s absolute favorites.
Q:
@_bianca_125 uncle rick why are you so talented at writing rickhangers?
A: Rickhangers? ROFL. You just coined a new term.
A: Not really in Heroes. In the future, I don’t know yet. Too early to say!
Q:
@Kadija_B you said you got teary eyed when you wrote a scene in MOA. Does that mean we’re all gonna have a heart attack ?
A: No, I don’t think so. It’s just kind of a sweet, sad scene. Not a major tragedy or anything. I can’t get more specific.