Soooooo excited because Rick Riordan FINALLY unveiled the cover and synopsis to the newest Heroes of Olympus book, House of Hades, coming out October 8, 2013!
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Synopsis: At the conclusion of The Mark of Athena, Annabeth and Percy tumble into a pit leading straight to the Underworld. The other five demigods have to put aside their grief and follow Percy’s instructions to find the mortal side of the Doors of Death. If they can fight their way through the Gaea’s forces, and Percy and Annabeth can survive the House of Hades, then the Seven will be able to seal the Doors both sides and prevent the giants from raising Gaea. But, Leo wonders, if the Doors are sealed, how will Percy and Annabeth be able to escape?
They have no choice. If the demigods don’t succeed, Gaea’s armies will never die. They have no time. In about a month, the Romans will march on Camp Half-Blood. The stakes are higher than ever in this adventure that dives into the depths of Tartarus.
About the Author: Born: June 5, 1964
Place of Birth: San Antonio, TX
Education: Attended Alamo Heights High School in San Antonio. Worked as an editor for the school newspaper and won third place in state for UIL feature writing. Also got in trouble for publishing an underground newspaper that made fun of the school, especially the losing football team. (The football team later egged my car). Began college at North Texas State (because I thought I wanted to be a guitar player and they had the best music program), but then transferred to the University of Texas at Austin. Graduated with a double major in English and history. Got certified to teach English and history from UT San Antonio. Did my student teaching in the San Antonio Independent School District.
Childhood influences: The first book I remember reading for fun was the Lord of the Rings. I probably read it ten times. I also liked Greek and Norse mythology since I was in middle school. I read mostly fantasy and science fiction in high school, then got interested in mysteries when I got to college. My parents were both teachers. My mom was a musician and an artist, too. My dad was a ceramicist (he made stuff out of clay), so I grew up in a very artistic family. I started writing when I was in middle school. The first story I submitted for publication was when I was 13. It wasn’t published. My first published works were two short stories in the UTSA literary magazine.
Work experience: When I was in college, I worked for three years as the music director at a summer camp, Camp Capers. This is where I got the idea for Camp Half-Blood. My first full-time job was teaching middle school in New Braunfels, Texas. After that, my wife and I moved to San Francisco. We lived there for eight years and I taught at Presidio Hill School. Then we had our two sons, Haley and Patrick, and we moved back home to San Antonio. I taught at Saint Mary’s Hall (English and social studies, grades 6-8) for six years, then stopped teaching to become a full-time writer. I taught mythology almost every year that I was a teacher. It was always my favorite thing, and the students always liked it, too!
Family: I live with my wife and two sons, Haley and Patrick.
Pets: one dog (a Golden Labrador mix) and two black cats.
Favorite book I wrote: That’s a hard question for a writer. It’s like asking which of your children is your favorite. I like them all for different reasons.
Favorite character in my books: Also hard to answer! Probably Grover or Tyson because they’re so much fun to write about.
In my spare time: I like to read, swim, play guitar, and travel with my family. I also play video games with my kids (World of Warcraft or games on the Wii)
Also, a new trailer for the upcoming movie adaptation SEA OF MONSTERS, book two in the PERCY JACKSON SERIES came out! Cannot wait for August 7, 2013!
