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Princeton Launch Party

Thanks to everyone who came to the Throne of Fire launch event in Princeton last night. We had over a thousand people. The Barnes & Noble staff had everything so well organized the line went smoothly and I think everyone went home happy. It was great meeting so many awesome fans!

Above is a picture of the super-cool bookmarks Disney has made for Throne of Fire. We’ll be giving these away at the events!

Last night at the signing, I met two Sadies and one Carter. Most interesting name: Messiah. Some of the best questions: “Who did you base Jason after?” Surprisingly, no one has asked me that before. The answer is Jason in Greek mythology, with a lot of modernizing, of course. “How many hours a day do you write?” I got this one quite a bit. The answer: It varies. Usually 3-8 hours. “How long does it take to write a book?” Answer: usually one year, but I’ve managed to speed it up to every six months, though I won’t keep up that pace forever, just until I finish the two concurrent series, Kane and Heroes of Olympus. “How many books for Kane?” Three. A lot of fans asked if I would do more than that. Well, I don’t know. Maybe one of these days, but for now three books is the right number to tell the story of the Kanes and their fight with Apophis. And best question that wasn’t asked (brought to my attention in the fan’s blog): “Does Khufu eat kangaroos?” Ha! I love it. I’m sure if he could catch one, he would try.

Especially interesting to me were the fans’ favorite books. Some liked the Kane series best. Some like Percy. Some liked Heroes. Many had already finished Throne of Fire (wow!) and loved it, thankfully. They were already asking for the next (out next May, no title yet, still in the works). Many kids, fortunately, liked all three series! Every book had its own cheering squad. And of course, everyone asked me which book I liked the best. It’s just too hard to pick, like asking a parent to pick their favorite child. I told one fan that, and he rolled his eyes in exasperation. “Every writer says that!” Yep, but it’s true!

This morning I leave New York and head to South Portland for an event at Borders. My first ever event in Maine, so if you live in the area, I hope you’ll come by!

Rick Riordan