Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard 

The date is almost upon us! Below is the press release from Disney Publishing about the first printing for Blood of Olympus. Three million copies . . . that\'s a lot.  Disney Publishing Worldwide Announces 3 Million-Copy First Printing of #1 Best-Selling Author Rick Riordan’s The Blood of Olympus, Finale in the Heroes of Olympus Series and Last Novel Featuring Percy JacksonThursday, 2 Oct 2014 | 12:24 PM ETBusiness Wire

National Laydown for Print and Digital is Tuesday, October 7, 2014

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Disney Publishing Worldwide (DPW) announced today a 3 million copy first printing of The Blood of Olympus, the fifth and final book in the New York Times #1 best-selling Heroes of Olympus series by Rick Riordan. The Blood of Olympus simultaneously releases in hardcover and as an eBook from Disney Publishing’s Disney-Hyperion imprint, and as an audio version through Listening Library on October 7, 2014. More than forty million books are currently in print in the U.S. across Riordan’s three series from Disney-Hyperion: Percy Jackson & the Olympians, The Kane Chronicles, and The Heroes of Olympus. The books have been translated into 37 languages in 36 countries.

As The Blood of Olympus opens, the Greek and Roman crewmembers of the Argo II have made progress in their many quests, but they still seem no closer to defeating the earth mother, Gaea. Her giants have risen—all of them, and they’re stronger than ever. They must be stopped before the Feast of Spes, when Gaea plans to have two demigods sacrificed in Athens. She needs their blood—the blood of Olympus—in order to wake. The demigods are having more frequent visions of a terrible battle at Camp Half-Blood. The Roman legion from Camp Jupiter, led by Octavian, is almost within striking distance.

Though it is tempting to take the Athena Parthenos to Athens to use as a secret weapon, the friends know that the huge statue belongs back on Long Island, where it might be able to stop a war between the two camps. The Athena Parthenos will go west; the Argo II will go east. The gods, still suffering from multiple personality disorder, are useless. How can a handful of young demigods hope to persevere against Gaea’s army of powerful giants? As dangerous as it is to head to Athens, they have no other option. They have sacrificed too much already. And if Gaea wakes, it is game over.

“The battle intensifies between Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter, and Gaea’s thirsty for blood,” said Suzanne Murphy, vice president and publisher, Disney Publishing Worldwide. “Filled with his usual edge-of-your seat excitement, Rick brings the action-packed Heroes of Olympus to an electrifying finale. It’s undoubtedly the best of his best.”

In support of the release of The Blood of Olympus, Riordan will embark on a multicity tour across the U.S. beginning on the national laydown date, October 7. Exclusive “Camp Half-Blood” and “Camp Jupiter” T-shirts, tattoos, hats and wristbands will be given out at each stop.

Porter Square Books (Cambridge, MA) – October 7 Indigo (Toronto, CAN) – October 8 Little Shop of Stories (Decatur, GA) – October 9 Books of Wonder and the New York Public Library (New York, NY) – October 10 Anderson’s Bookshop (Downer’s Grove, IL) – October 11 Boulder Book Store (Boulder, CO) – October 12 BookPeople (Austin, TX) – October 13 Barnes & Noble Ventura #2054 (Ventura, CA) – October 14 Kepler’s (Menlo Park, CA) – October 15 Apple Soho (New York, NY) – October 18 Boston Book Festival, Children’s Keynote (Boston, MA) – October 25 *NOTE: All stops on the tour are sold out, and tickets for the Barnes & Noble Ventura show on October 14th will be given out on a “first come, first served basis” the morning of the event.

Rick Riordan is the author of the award-winning New York Times #1 best-selling Percy Jackson & the Olympians series. In 2010 he launched two all-new series that both debuted at #1 on multiple best-seller lists: The Kane Chronicles and The Heroes of Olympus. He lives in Boston, Massachusetts, with his wife and two sons. For additional information about Rick, visit www.RickRiordan.com.

Disney Publishing Worldwide (DPW) is the world\'s largest publisher of children\'s books and magazines with over 700 million products sold each year. DPW consists of an extensive worldwide licensing structure as well as vertically integrated publishing imprints, including Disney Book Group in the U.S. and Disney Libri in Italy. DPW publishes a range of children\'s magazines globally, as well as Disney kids magazines in the U.S. Disney English is DPW\'s English language learning business, which includes Disney English learning centers in China and a worldwide retail-licensing program. DPW\'s digital products include bestselling eBook titles as well as original apps. Headquartered in Glendale, California, DPW publishes books, magazines, and digital products in 85 countries in 75 languages. For more information visit www.disneypublishing.com.

The Heroes of Olympus, Book Five: The Blood of Olympus

View more on Rick Riordan\'s website »

Published on October 04, 2014 05:17 • 344 views

So yesterday on our webcast from Mount Olympus (er, the Empire State Building) I announced the title of my Norse mythology series: Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard. So excited to share it with you! The first book will be out next October, 2015. The title for that first book will be announced at the back of Blood of Olympus.

And yes, I know what you\'re wondering. Chase . . . hmm, where have I heard that name before? Isn\'t that Annabeth\'s last name? Yes, it is. And no, that\'s not simply a coincidence. Beyond that, I\'m afraid I\'ll have to leave you guessing.

If you missed the webcast, you can still register to watch the archived version. As soon as it is available to see, School Library Journal will send you an email with the link. You do not have to be a librarian or teacher to register. Just choose "Other" when it asks you for your job description.

Published on September 24, 2014 04:43 • 2,945 views

The Blood of Olympus book tour -- the full scoop!

Here you go, demigods! Details for each Blood of Olympus event is posted below. Contact the host bookstore for more information on how to reserve a spot for each specific event.

This is important. If you\'re planning to come to an event, I don\'t want anybody going away disappointed. We\'ve been doing events differently the last few years as the crowds have gotten larger and larger. Again, check with each location for exact details, but in general, here\'s what happens:

When I arrive on location, before the event, I will be signing a thousand books. These autographed copies will be available for you to buy. In some cases, they are your ticket into the event. In some cases, you can choose to get a ticket without a book, or both.

The event will be about an hour long. I\'ll tell you all about how and why I wrote the books. I\'ll show you behind-the-scenes cover art that was never used. I\'ll make stupid jokes. I\'ll give you a sneak peek at my upcoming Norse series. And of course I\'ll answer your questions, as many as we have time for. It\'s always a blast!

We WON\'T be doing a signing line. There are a lot of reasons for that, but it all boils down to the size of the crowd. About three years ago, I realized that so many people were coming through the signing line that nobody was really getting a chance to meet me. We had to move so fast, just to make sure everyone got through the line, that it just wasn\'t a quality experience for anybody, including me.  I would either have to do a brief "Hi, how are ya?" speech and then launch straight into signing, or the store would sit me right down to sign. Kids would wait for two or three hours to get a two-second face-to-face with no chance to really interact. I couldn\'t sign all your books. I couldn\'t do pictures. I couldn\'t personalize the books. There was maybe time for one quick question, maybe. Well . . . it just wasn\'t working. Back in the old days, I was able to do all of that stuff, and of course everyone understandably wants a picture and wants all of their books signed, but even if I only spent thirty seconds with each fan (which is way too short to do all that) if a thousand fans show up, the signing would last eight hours. You see the problem? Also, to be honest, I\'m getting older, and sitting in a chair for so many hours each night was murdering my back.

Because of all this, I decided if we didn\'t have time to do a quality signing line (and with a thousand folks, there really is no way) we would make it a quality evening, with tons of time for the presentation and lots of Q&A.

Don\'t bring all your books from home, because I won\'t be able to sign them, but I wouldn\'t be able to do that even if we were doing a signing line. There are just too many people with too many copies. The good news: You\'ll still get a signed copy of The Blood of Olympus. You\'ll get a chance to ask your questions and really feel like you got to know me a little. And you won\'t have to wait in line for hours and hours!

Hope that makes sense. I\'m really excited for each of the events. Of course, every tour I wish we could go to more places, but with my writing schedule we just can\'t. I know you guys want the books to come out as quickly as possible, and that means I have to spend most of my time writing.

Apologies to all my international fans, too. I\'ve been invited to so many amazing countries, and I\'d like to visit them all, but sadly it just isn\'t possible. We can\'t even cover more than a fraction of the US in the time that we have! As I always tell people, however, the main way that I communicate with you is through my books. I may not be able to meet you in person, but the best way to get to know me is to read the books. Each one is a private conversation between me and the reader, and I love you guys! You\'re all awesome. So if I get to see you on the tour, fantastic, but either way, I hope you\'ll enjoy The Blood of Olympus!

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/></span></u></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>Tuesday, October 7, 2014: Boston/Cambridge-Brookline, MA</u></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><u><span style="text-decoration: none;"><br /></span></u></div><div class="MsoNormal"><u>Event hosted by:</u></div><div class="MsoNormal">Porter Square Books</div><div class="MsoNormal">25 White Street</div><div class="MsoNormal">Cambridge, MA 02140</div><div class="MsoNormal">617-491-2220<br /><br /><a href="http://www.portersquarebooks.com/even... </a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><u>Location of event:</u></div><div class="MsoNormal">Temple Ohabei Shalom</div><div class="MsoNormal">1187 Beacon Street</div><div class="MsoNormal">Brookline, MA 02446</div><div class="MsoNormal">617-277-6610</div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.ohabei.org/">http:... class="MsoNormal"><u><span style="text-decoration: none;"><br /></span></u></div><div class="MsoNormal"><u>Showtime:</u></div><div class="MsoNormal">7:00 PM ET</div><div class="MsoNormal"><u><span style="text-decoration: none;"><br /></span></u></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>Wednesday, October 8, 2014: Toronto, ONT, Canada </u></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><u><span style="text-decoration: none;"><br /></span></u></div><div class="MsoNormal"><u>Event hosted by:</u></div><div class="MsoNormal">Indigo Exclusive<br /><br /><a href="https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/indigo-ex... /><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><u><span style="text-decoration: none;"><br /></span></u></div><div class="MsoNormal"><u>Location of event:</u></div><div class="MsoNormal">Bloor Street United Church</div><div class="MsoNormal">300 Bloor Street West</div><div class="MsoNormal">Toronto, ON M55 1W3</div><div class="MsoNormal">416-924-7439</div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.bloorstreetunited.org/&quo... class="MsoNormal"><u><span style="text-decoration: none;"><br /></span></u></div><div class="MsoNormal"><u>Showtime:</u></div><div class="MsoNormal">7:00 PM ET</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="text-decoration: none;"><br /></span></u></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>Thursday, October 9, 2014: Atlanta/Decatur, GA </u></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><u><span style="text-decoration: none;"><br /></span></u></div><div class="MsoNormal"><u>Event hosted by:</u></div><div class="MsoNormal">Little Shop of Stories </div><div class="MsoNormal">133A East Court Square</div><div class="MsoNormal">Decatur, GA 30030</div><div class="MsoNormal">404-373-6300</div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.littleshopofstories.com/&q... class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><u>Location of event:</u></div><div class="MsoNormal">Glenn Auditorium at Emory</div><div class="MsoNormal">1652 North Decatur Road</div><div class="MsoNormal">Atlanta, GA 30302</div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://arts.emory.edu/plan-your-visit... class="MsoNormal"><u><span style="text-decoration: none;"><br /></span></u></div><div class="MsoNormal"><u>Showtime:</u></div><div class="MsoNormal">7:00 PM ET</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="text-decoration: none;"><br /></span></u></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>Friday, October 10, 2014: New York, NY </u></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><u><span style="text-decoration: none;"><br /></span></u></div><div class="MsoNormal"><u>Event hosted by:</u></div><div class="MsoNormal">Books of Wonder</div><div class="MsoNormal">18 West 18^th Street</div><div class="MsoNormal">New York, NY 10011</div><div class="MsoNormal">212-989-3270</div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.booksofwonder.com/"&g... class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><u>Location of event:</u></div><div class="MsoNormal">New York Public Library</div><div class="MsoNormal">Main Branch</div><div class="MsoNormal">Celeste Bartos Forum</div><div class="MsoNormal">5^th Avenue at 42^nd Street</div><div class="MsoNormal">New York, NY 10018</div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.nypl.org/events/programs/2... style="color: blue; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">http://www.nypl.org/events/programs/2... class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">*Note: </span></i><i><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">space is limited at the main branch event, but </span></span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">25 branch libraries across the city will also be participating via live video stream.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><u><span style="text-decoration: none;"><br /></span></u></div><div class="MsoNormal"><u>Showtime:</u></div><div class="MsoNormal">4:00 PM ET</div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>Saturday, October 11, 2014: Chicago/Downers Grove, IL</u></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><u><span style="text-decoration: none;"><br /></span></u></div><div class="MsoNormal"><u>Event hosted by:</u></div><div class="MsoNormal">Anderson’s Bookshop</div><div class="MsoNormal">5112 Main Street</div><div class="MsoNormal">Downers Grove, IL 60515</div><div class="MsoNormal">630-963-2665</div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/goog_98773687... /></a><a href="http://www.andersonsbookshop.com/even... class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><u>Location of event:</u></div><div class="MsoNormal">Tivoli Theatre</div><div class="MsoNormal">5021 Highland Avenue</div><div class="MsoNormal">Downers Grove, IL 60515</div><div class="MsoNormal">630-968-0219</div><div class="MsoNormal"><u><span style="text-decoration: none;"><br /></span></u></div><div class="MsoNormal"><u>Showtime:</u></div><div class="MsoNormal">4:00 PM CT</div><div class="MsoNormal"><u><span style="text-decoration: none;"><br /></span></u></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>Sunday, October 12, 2014: Boulder, CO</u></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><u><span style="text-decoration: none;"><br /></span></u></div><div class="MsoNormal"><u>Event hosted by:</u></div><div class="MsoNormal">Boulder Book Store</div><div class="MsoNormal">1107 Pearl Street</div><div class="MsoNormal">Boulder, CO 80302</div><div class="MsoNormal">303-447-2074</div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.boulderbookstore.com/&quot... class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><u>Location of event:</u></div><div class="MsoNormal">Boulder Theater</div><div class="MsoNormal">2032 14^th Street</div><div class="MsoNormal">Boulder, CO 80302</div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.bouldertheater.com/"&... class="MsoNormal"><u><span style="text-decoration: none;"><br /></span></u></div><div class="MsoNormal"><u>Showtime:</u></div><div class="MsoNormal">1:30 PM MT</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="text-decoration: none;"><br /></span></u></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>Monday, October 13, 2014: Austin, TX</u></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><u><span style="text-decoration: none;"><br /></span></u></div><div class="MsoNormal"><u>Event hosted by:</u></div><div class="MsoNormal">BookPeople</div><div class="MsoNormal">603 N. Lamar</div><div class="MsoNormal">Austin, TX 78703</div><div class="MsoNormal">512-472-5050</div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://bookpeople.com/event/site-rick... class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><u>Location of event:</u></div><div class="MsoNormal">Westlake Community Performing Arts Center</div><div class="MsoNormal">4100 Westbank Drive</div><div class="MsoNormal">Austin, TX 78746</div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://whstec.com/wcpac-info.htm&quot... style="color: #0000e9; font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">http://whstec.com/wcpac-info.htm</... style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><u><span style="text-decoration: none;"><br /></span></u></div><div class="MsoNormal"><u>Showtime:</u></div><div class="MsoNormal">6:00 PM CT</div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>Tuesday, October 14, 2014: Santa Barbara/Ventura, CA</u></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><u><span style="text-decoration: none;"><br /></span></u></div><div class="MsoNormal"><u>Event hosted by:</u></div><div class="MsoNormal">Barnes & Noble Ventura #2054</div><div class="MsoNormal">4820 Telephone Road</div><div class="MsoNormal">Ventura, CA 93003</div><div class="MsoNormal">805-339-0990</div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://store-locator.barnesandnoble.c... class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><u>Location of event:</u></div><div class="MsoNormal">Buena High School Auditorium (with Ventura Educational Partnership)</div><div class="MsoNormal">5670 Telegraph Road</div><div class="MsoNormal">Ventura, CA 93003</div><div class="MsoNormal"><u><span style="text-decoration: none;"><br /></span></u></div><div class="MsoNormal"><u>Showtime:</u></div><div class="MsoNormal">6:00 PM PT</div><div class="MsoNormal"><u><span style="text-decoration: none;"><br /></span></u></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>Wednesday, October 15, 2014: San Francisco/Menlo Park, CA</u></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><u><span style="text-decoration: none;"><br /></span></u></div><div class="MsoNormal"><u>Event hosted by:</u></div><div class="MsoNormal">Kepler’s </div><div class="MsoNormal">1010 El Camino Real</div><div class="MsoNormal">Menlo Park, CA 94025</div><div class="MsoNormal">650-861-7810</div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.keplers.com/event/rick-rio... class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><u>Location of event:</u></div><div class="MsoNormal">Fox Theater</div><div class="MsoNormal">2215 Broadway Street</div><div class="MsoNormal">Redwood City, CA 94063</div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://www.foxrwc.com/">http... class="MsoNormal"><u><span style="text-decoration: none;"><br /></span></u></div><div class="MsoNormal"><u>Showtime:</u></div><div class="MsoNormal">7:00 PM PT</div><div class="MsoNormal"><u><span style="text-decoration: none;"><br /></span></u></div>

Published on August 12, 2014 14:18 • 2,698 views

Get ready, demigods! The Blood of Olympus will be published October 7, 2014! Below are the cities I will be visiting on tour. Later in the week, when a few last details are worked out and the host stores are ready to take your calls and orders, I will give you the exact locations and information on how to get tickets to attend these events. Do be ready to reserve a spot promptly if you plan to attend, because if history is any guide, each event *will* sell out.

As usual, apologies if I\'m not coming to your city on this tour, but I\'m excited to visit all these venues!

In the meantime, I hope you enjoy Percy Jackson\'s Greek Gods, coming August 19 to a bookstore near you!

Published on August 11, 2014 14:23 • 1,672 views

SO excited about the new app from Disney Publishing: Demigods of Olympus! It\'s free to download for iOS and Android. Basically this is a digital library for your Riordan titles. You can purchase e-books to add to your collection or other cool titles from Disney, but you can also access new, original content where you are the hero.

In the first free story, My Two-Headed Guidance Counselor, written by yours truly, you become the demigod, and the choices you make will affect your destiny. Who is your godly parent? What is your fatal flaw? We don\'t know until you make your choices!

If you choose to follow the adventure, you can buy more installments of the story and pay as you go, gradually revealing your godly parentage and your destiny. Your demigod profile will depend on which choices you make in each story. The second one is up now for $2.99, The Library of Deadly Weapons.

Stay tuned for more installments, and we\'re hoping to add more demigod content as the app takes off. You can find the Apple version for iOS here.

Here\'s my demigod profile after playing (er, reading) the first story. My name is Clayton Sato, but there\'s still a lot I don\'t know about myself . . .

Published on August 07, 2014 06:07 • 2,392 views

So I took a quick trip to New York to sign books at the Disney offices. While in town, we visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art to say hello to Percy\'s old stomping grounds. No sign of Mrs. Dodds or the field trip from Yancy Academy, but we did run into some old friends:

Uncle Ferdinand, is that you? Well, it\'s one of Grover\'s satyr relatives, anyway, cast in bronze from Ancient Greece.

This lovely statue is labelled "A Wounded Amazon." She\'s missing one hand and is having a wardrobe malfunction, but if she\'s wounded otherwise she doesn\'t look unhappy about it. Unfortunately because of her damage, this Amazon is no longer able to offer free two-day shipping.

Pegasus meets pegasus! See, I didn\'t make up the idea that pegasi can be black. I think maybe these are Blackjack\'s great-great-grandparents.

This is a bronze siren from Renaissance Italy. Two serpentine fish tails means she\'s exceedingly good at doing the splits.

A cool bronze medallion from Venice called \'The Triumph of Neptune.\' I wonder if Frank saw something like this when he was in Venice. Hmm ... he was probably too busy killing poison cows.

This vase depicts a battle between the Greeks and the Amazons. Maybe that\'s how the Amazon lady above got wounded.I guess the Greeks weren\'t big fans of online shopping, because they had lots of wars with the Amazons.

This is a painting from the Italian Renaissance called "The Dream of Aeneas."  That\'s Aeneas, son of Aphrodite, asleep on the left. Perhaps he passed out because he was so tired after fleeing the fall of Troy and escaping to Italy. While he\'s asleep, Tiberinus the god of the River Tiber whispers in his ear, telling Aeneas that his city will one day be founded on the banks of the river. That city, of course, will be Rome. Cool picture, but I still like Tiberinus better as Gregory Peck.

This is a statue of an Ancient Greek youth, with a sphinx hovering in the background. The youth does not look very excited. Probably because the sphinx is going to make him take his standardized testing.

That\'s just a tiny sample of the cool stuff at the Met. If you go, see if you can retrace my steps!

This is a baby llama we spotted at the Central Park petting zoo as we were walking past. Why am I including this picture? BECAUSE IT\'S A BABY LLAMA. That is all.

Published on July 11, 2014 17:45 • 1,573 views

The UK cover for Blood of Olympus was released today. This is also the cover that will appear in other markets that typically get the UK covers -- Australia, New Zealand, India, etc.  I don\'t usually post the British covers, because they\'re really not my favorites, but this one is pretty good! The seven demigods look like twenty-year-old Abercrombie models, in my opinion, but whatever.

Published on June 26, 2014 11:54 • 3,041 views

Looking for a good middle-grade adventure this summer for you and your kids? LOOT by Jude Watson should be at the top of your list. Jude knows this territory well. Not only does she write beautiful prose worthy of the National Book Award (which she won, writing as Judy Blundell). She also understand what kids want in a fast-paced action story. She has written numerous novels set in the Star Wars universe, and is also a veteran of the 39 Clues, which I was lucky enough to be part of.

Still, none of that prepared me for the fantastic thrill ride of LOOT.

Imagine your dad is the world\'s most notorious jewel thief, Alfie McQuin. You live on the run, traveling from heist to heist, never attending school but learning all sorts of other skills -- how to bluff at poker, how to blend into crowds, how to con someone out of their money, how to pick any lock. Sound fun?

That\'s life for twelve-year-old March McQuin, until one night in Amsterdam when his dad falls from a roof (or was he pushed?) and lies dying on the cobblestones at March\'s feet. Alfie\'s last words seem to be a riddle: "Wait one month. Find jewels. Follow falls to day. No!"

Soon March is plunged into a dangerous search to find out what his dad was up to, and who might have killed him. He is reunited with a twin sister -- Jules, not jewels! -- whom he never knew he had. Together they race to find the secrets of Alfie McQuin\'s biggest, unfinished heist, but they\'re pursued by a crooked cop, a sinister old heiress, and many others who will do anything to stop them. Who can they trust? Can they even trust each other? The stakes are clear: If they succeed, they\'ll be set for life. If they fail, they\'ll be dead.

So many things I love about this book: the ultra-short chapters that keep you turning pages, the pitch-perfect dialogue, the supporting characters Darius and Izzy, the humor, the action, the twists and turns. Cursed jewels, a dangerous prophecy, a crash course in the history of thievery, acrobatics and grift . . . this is LOOT you can take to the bank. It\'s the perfect summer read for kids (or adults who like kids\' books!).  LOOT will be published June 24, but order your copy now!

Published on June 14, 2014 06:07 • 605 views

Greetings from Athena House, the Riordan family headquarters in Boston.

First, the Annabeth Chase/Sadie Kane crossover short story "The Staff of Serapis" is celebrating three weeks on the New York Times chapter book bestseller list. Not bad for an e-single! Thanks to my readers for all the great feedback. I\'m glad you\'ve enjoyed the story! If you haven\'t picked it up yet (virtually speaking) the version with the audible bundle features me narrating. In either version, you\'ll also get the first sneak peek chapter of The Blood of Olympus!

The Blood of Olympus is going through its final copy editing and typesetting, then it\'s off to the printers. It will be published as scheduled on October 7 in the U.S. and U.K. markets. No information yet on when it will appear in other countries. When in doubt, ask a bookseller in your area. And, no, absolutely no chance it will be published earlier. Proofing, printing, shipping, and distributing several million copies takes a long time.

What can I tell you about the book? It\'s roughly the same length as all the other volumes in Heroes of Olympus. Also, don\'t believe Internet rumors. It\'s very easy for trolls on social media (besides me) to create fake tweets or claim they have "confirmed information," but I have released no spoilers about what happens to any of the characters, and I won\'t release any.  You\'ll just have to wait and see what happens. There will be no cliffhangers, meaning no one will be left in imminent danger with no clear way out. But that does not mean you will know every single thing that happens to all the characters for the rest of their lives. I don\'t do epilogues. I hate epilogues. It\'s like nailing the coffin shut on the story, allowing for no further growth and leaving no room for the readers\' imaginations. Does that mean there could be other stories about demigods down the road? It\'s too soon to say, but Blood of Olympus will definitely bring closure to the Heroes of Olympus story arc. I hope you\'ll enjoy the conclusion!

One thing I will say: I am now starting work on my long-awaited Norse mythology series, the first volume of which will be out in fall 2015, and you will find out the title of the first book (and some hints about the main character) at the end of The Blood of Olympus. Raise your drinking horns to Odin!

A five-volume hardcover boxed set for the Heroes of Olympus should be available at the same time as The Blood of Olympus. I\'ll post more details about that when I get them.

The Lost Hero graphic novel! It looks awesome. And, no, that is not the hammer of Thor in Leo\'s hands. Sometimes a hammer is just a hammer, guys. On Twitter, artist Nate Powell posted a look inside the book to whet your appetite:

Oh, a fiery dragon in the palace of the North Wind. This can\'t be good . . .

And even before October 7, we have the release of Percy Jackson\'s Greek Gods on August 19, a day after Percy\'s birthday!

As you can tell, this is also HUGE -- a gorgeous coffee-table-sized volume full of color pictures from John Rocco. Percy Jackson narrates chapters on all the major Olympian gods, giving you the low-down in his own snarky way. Here\'s a peek inside:

Also, the silly chapter titles are back, like:

Zeus Kills Everyone, Demeter Turns Into Grainzilla,

Hephaestus Makes Me a Golden Llama (Not Really, But He Totally Should).

All this and more awaits you in Percy Jackson\'s Greek Gods.

Other things going on: I am presently writing the third crossover story in the Kane/Percy Jackson saga, in which Percy, Sadie, Carter and Annabeth finally team up all together. This will be told from Percy\'s point of view, a la the \'old school\' Percy Jackson novels. I\'m having a lot of fun with it. I\'ll get you more info -- the title, the publication date -- as soon as it\'s all confirmed.

I will be doing a nine-city North American tour for The Blood of Olympus starting on Oct. 7. I should be able to announce the locations soon. Stay tuned. For international fans, sorry, as always. I just don\'t have time to do tours in other countries and keep up with my deadlines. It\'s more important to me that I get the next book to you on time, and make it as good as possible!

If you haven\'t checked them out yet, the Percy Jackson paperback boxed set with the new covers is now available, with a free poster inside!

(Picture credit to Wes, who tweeted the boxed set his brother bought for him.)

No word yet on when/if the hardcover boxed set will get a new cover treatment, but for now, it\'s kind of nice you can still get the hardcovers with the original art, so you have a choice! Me, I love both the old and the new.

Phew! I think that\'s all the news for now. Stay tuned to my Twitter, Tumblr, or Instagram feeds for all the latest.

Published on June 12, 2014 06:04 • 1,819 views

As revealed today on USA Today, here is John Rocco\'s fabulous cover art for The Blood of Olympus! (This is for the U.S. version, which will be published October 7. I don\'t have any information for other countries.)

Your first chance to read a sneak peek from the book is Tuesday, May 20. If you purchase an e-copy of the short story "The Staff of Serapis," featuring Annabeth Chase and Sadie Kane, the first chapter of Blood of Olympus

will be included as a special \'thank you.\' The sneak peek will be available for free online a little later in the summer.

Hope you guys are excited for the fifth and final Heroes of Olympus adventure!

Published on May 14, 2014 12:40 • 6,325 views

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