I arrived back in Texas late last night after a very nice trip to Orange County. Monday evening I did an event at Whale of a Tale Bookshop near UC Irvine. Thanks to everyone who came out. My suitcase was a lot lighter after giving out so many Battle of the Labyrinth t-shirts! We even had a big group of booksellers come from the local Borders, and I thought it was very ecumenical of Alex, the store owner, to welcome them! I did a reading from Battle of the Labyrinth and fielded some great questions from the audience. A lot of fans were curious what would happen after the fifth Percy Jackson book. It’s a little too early to say, but I doubt it will be my last visit to Camp Half-Blood. The more I write about the place, the more untold stories I find.
Case in point: I finished my newest Percy short story on the plane, and unearthed some amazing new facts about the camp. You’ll have to wait and see what I mean when I post the story later this spring. The story is one of Patrick’s tenth birthday presents, and since his birthday was last week, I’m behind schedule and he’s been chomping at the bit! Finally, I’ll be ready to read it to him after school today.
Back to Orange County . . . Yesterday I visited Hewes Middle School in Santa Ana and really had a good time talking to the kids. I met quite a few aspiring writers and signed a ton of books. Thanks to Jean LaBarbera, the librarian, for organizing the visit!
Now I’m home for a few days, working on my writing. Next week, off to Dallas!
