The past two weeks I’ve had the luxury of visiting with fans on Twitter as my manuscript for The House of Hades has been with my editor. Now I’ve got to head back to ‘full-time writing’ land, but if you missed our exchanges on Twitter, I’m copying a transcript below. I had a great time answering these questions!
RT: @bloggernot hurry up writing, Rick! / (Yoda voice) “There is no ‘hurry up.’ Only ‘get it right.'” Write faster = write worse.
RT: @liamtomewill Heroes of Olympus be the last time we’ll read about Percy, Jason and company? / Several years too early to say.
RT: @coleenmikaelsonWould you give some teasers/spoilers for HOO? 🙂 / No! (cackles maniacally)
Good opportunity to invite new tweeps to read my FAQ: https://rickriordan.com/about-rick/faq.aspx …Most things ppl ask me are addressed there.
RT: @Hand9_RemyCan you tell us the name of the 5th book HOO ? / WAY too early for that. It’ll be printed at the end of HoH, as usual.
RT: @Maddiemoo17if a god/goddess was in mortal form, what would happen if he/she got hit by a car? / Time for a new car.
I have been called sassy. Please. A 48-year-old man cannot be sassy. Cantankerous perhaps. (Shakes cane. Get off my lawn!)
RT: @LynnPHorancan you please post a picture of you playin guitar.. PLEAAAAASE?? 🙂 / pic.twitter.com/45WDmDcbt1
Oh wait. Wrong pic. Here’s me back in the day, circa 1984. And yes, that’s my real hair. pic.twitter.com/UxMWL0lKR4
RT: if you give leo a girlfriend can you name her after me. / You realize I’ve gotten this request 6,784,231 times. No sry. But Leo sez thx.
I really do appreciate how attached readers get to my characters. It’s cool that they want even the secondary characters to stay safe.
Me: ‘Grover stepped on a twig.’ Reader: ‘Ah, how could you kill that twig! That twig was my favorite character!!’
RT: @rohmatullohA Rick look at me and Hermes. i met him last week 😀
pic.twitter.com/TvZCgkKFju/ Awesome!
RT: @bethimusprimeI think the other fandoms are calling a therapist for us.
pic.twitter.com/Ubaj4cNZ1Z/Disturbing? Perhaps. But I like it!
Supposedly I have 122K followers. Think it’s actually 22K & one enthusiastic Brazilian w/100K Twitter accounts. Thank you, my one super fan!
RT: @Odaircubesdid you ever had Greek or Latin Classes in high school? /Latin, yes. It was very helpful.
RT: @geekishlyA friend & I discussed how knowledgeable you are about locations in your books. How many have you been to? /Most of them.
RT:@thishalfbloodwhat you pretend to write after percy jackson? /Think I’ll pretend to write the Great American Novel, but do a MG fantasy.
Reading Best Served Cold, an excellent fantasy. Forgot how much pain @LordGrimdark likes to inflict on his characters. *Wince.*
RT: @oqueidrewWhat would be if it were not a writer? / Probably still teaching, and that would be fine. I liked teaching.
RT: @VioletOwlsHow many times will you rip our hearts out and stamp on them in HoH? /Well, I haven’t actually counted….
RT: @ThatQurlCrisDo you get writers’ block? /Not usually but…. ah, dang it. I was going to say something. Oh well.
RT: @livingpercy what do you enjoy doing when not writing books? /Sleeping. Also, I play guitar, read, and hang out with my family.
RT: @ClavineriseDo fans attack you when you go to the mall? /What a scary thought. No. Though I will now be paranoid. Thanks.
RT: @ahsengarfieldWill we see more Nico Di Angelo on The House of Hades? /Yes. Quite a bit.
RT: @notrustingducksyou’re awesome bro ok Thanks for throwing my otp into Tartarus by the way /No problem! Oh, that was sarcasm…
RT: @Books_FollowerDid you know you are better than any school teacher? /But I am a school teacher. I just don’t have to grade papers now!
RT: @mkwisslerDo you think your fans have influenced your writing as your series progresses? /some. Fans convinced me to write about Egypt.
And of course, just the fact that I *have* fans who are waiting to read the next book is awesome. That keeps me excited about writing.
RT: @MvLannisterThere is any chance of Jason and Reyna staying together? /They never were together.
RT: @choconouiswhy do i have a feeling that hoh is going to have the worst cliffhanger yet ? /Nah. Nothing could be worse than MoA.
RT: @belongtohalewhat inspires you to write often? /Deadlines.
RT @CadeMeuSatiro_how you see yourself in 20 years? /If I’m still alive and still writing, I’ll be happy.
RT: @MoonieBalloonie@camphalfblood – Maybe they will, one day. Get to it,
RT @KSkogs2113I’m studying to be a math teacher but your books have me wanting to get a history endorsement! /We need more good teachers!
RT: @dindagaleI hope Luke Castellan will show up on the next book. / Sadly (SPOILER) he’s dead.
RT: @amandatbh the turn around time for you to write a book is so fast. u go u wizard./Thanks. Usually I hear FASTER, FASTER, FASTER!
Which is a nice compliment too, by the way, but I can’t really speed up the process anymore than I already have.
RT: @NatTaylor97How is planning for the Norse series going? Are you excited? /Excited but still a ways off before I start writing that.
RT: @hadespleaseI hope Haley had some input on House of Hades. /He is busy finishing up his own novel, but yes I asked his advice.
All I can tell you about upcoming releases, including first sneak peeks: http://rickriordan.blogspot.com/2013/03/upcoming-release-dates.html …
RT: @EllenStargazer@camphalfblood is officially the first person i stalk online. Demigod fever heavily diagnosed / Take some ambrosia!
RT: @Harun_bala2000we’re probably gonna get a major plot twist like Reyna Beauregard or something /clever idea, but no. : )
RT: @lolpercyyou’ve met with JK Rowling? / No, strangely she doesn’t come to San Antonio TX very often.
RT: @percablethis there going to be an epilogue at the end of HoO? / No, I dislike epilogues. Twenty years later, blah, blah, blah.
Honestly, I don’t kill that many characters. Never killed a main character. If NO good guys EVER died, that wouldn’t be realistic, even in a fantasy.
RT: @peluciodoronDo you like more of PJ or Heroes of Olympus? / Heroes is more challenging & keeps me interested b/c the many POVs.
@wtflovarow You think of any actor playing Leo Valdez?/ I never cast my own characters. I have absolutely no interest in that. Leo is Leo.
RT: @PotterPendragonDo you like Game of Thrones? /Yes, though as with all things, THE BOOKS ARE BETTER.
RT: @FieryValdezthoughts on John Green?/ Don’t know him, haven’t read him, but I know he’s got a big following.
RT:@HungerGamesFCBRare you excited to write a trilogy with suzanne and cassandra? / Uh, what? Great authors, but we don’t collaborate. Two writers writing together doesn’t always work. Just b/c you like pizza and ice cream does not mean they’d taste good mashed together.
RT: @SublimePotterDO YOU HAVE LUNCH WITH OTHER AUTHORS AND LAUGH AS YOU PLOT ANOTHER DEATH OF A FICTIONAL CHARACTER? / Maybe…
RT: @Deeneryssarcasm you’re becoming one of your characters / someone once said: ‘You cannot create a character that isn’t partially you.’
RT: @p0intofviewany emotional scenes coming up in HoH? / No. There will be absolutely no emotions expressed in this book. 😛
RT: @karlitabohemeWill we know anything about Grover in HoH? /Okay, very minor spoiler. Yes, you’ll see Grover briefly in House of Hades.
RT: @larryth1ngswho is your inspiration for leo? / Leo is totally made up, though I love his character.
RT: @Brawl483MatthewWill there be more Kane Chronicles in the future? /Just “Son of Sobek” short for now. Heroes is keeping me busy!
RT: will Tartarus scenes be 18+ / Since I write middle grade novels, aimed at ages 8-14, I’d have to go with NO, ARE YOU CRAZY?
RT: @wantstromwickwhat was your inspiration for Sadie? /My mom. Like Sadie, she was an American girl raised in England.
RT: @_iamzionyou are the best serial killer / Uh . . . thanks?
RT: @ImThisWeirdKidwho’s your inspiration for Nico? / A former student of mine named, wait for it, Nico. As far as I know, not a Hades kid.
RT: @likej0nesyou could give reyna a surname? /You will learn her surname in HoH, and no, I’m not taking requests. 😀
RT: @sausagecurlsany tips for aspiring authors? / Tons: https://rickriordan.com/about-rick/writingadvice.aspx …
RT: @OhGloryWitcheswill there be new characters in House of Hades? /Because we don’t have enough characters already?
RT: @JoeeCaraigWOULD YOU DRESS UP AS THE EASTER BUNNY IF ASKED?/ How do you know I’m not already dressed as the Easter Bunny?
RT: @AlexaLovesYoupeople just don’t read your FAQ, do they? /But you get a gold star. 😀 https://rickriordan.com/about-rick/faq.aspx …
And guys, if you want to talk movies, you’re seriously in the wrong place. I have no info & am not the person to follow or comment to.
RT: I just heard a myth that Leo will die in The House of Hades…Is it true? / I heard a rumor that Internet rumors are just rumors. No one knows what will happen except me, my editor and my family. No one will know until Oct. 8. Anything you see online is pure guessing.
RT: “why does it take so long to write a book?” One year is very fast, actually. Some authors take 3, 5, 10 years to complete a single book.
Unfortunately, no plans to visit [insert name of your country here]. Got to stay home and write!
RT: @juliem13bDon’t you live in the US, though? A: No, Texas. Believe me, it’s another country entirely. Or planet…
RT: I NEED YOU TO WRITE ABOUT VIKINGS / y u no read FAQ? https://rickriordan.com/about-rick/faq.aspx …
Awesome! Percy would approve. RT: @queenofsheba29 blue banana bread, in honor of Percy Jackson 🙂 pic.twitter.com/2uIIRtl8sm
Being a novelist constantly asked about movies is like being a cardiologist constantly asked about brain surgery. That ain’t my department.
MT: “state writing test. Please send my kids some encouraging words!” A: Dear kids, state tests are just as pointless as you suspect.
But hang in there. You are bright and creative, despite our broken education system. You will prevail! (Hope an HONEST reply is okay)
