 Fantasy: January 05, 2022 Issue [#11153] |
This week: Bits and Bytes about Rick Riordan Edited by: eyestar~*  
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 Happy New Year! I am happy to be your guest editor this week.
I enjoy mythical tales and so do some young folks I know as they carry with them these large tomes of fantasy books! One of the most popular authors is Rick Riordan. I had seen his name on the book "The 39 clues" but I was not familiar with his Olympian series until I saw the movie created from his novel "The Lightning Thief" when it first came out. In today's edition I would like to share what I learned about him and his writing. |
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Rick Riordan
Rick Riordan was born in Texas on June 5, 1964, is married to Becky and has two sons Haley and Patrick. He taught middle school English and History for 15 years both in Texas and San Francisco before leaving his teaching to keep up with deadlines of his writing.
He began writing stories as a child and was influenced by one teacher who believed in him. Writing did not become his "Thing" until later. He read lots of mysteries and during his teaching years he decided to try to write a mystery novel. This turned into the "Tres Navarre" series, which became a multi award winner adult mystery series.
His students knew he was a writer and some even read this adult series. He only began writing Children's and YA novels when his son wanted bedtime stories. He had told all the myth stories he knew and then his son asked him to make up some more. That is where "The Lightning Thief" story began. It took him 3 nights to tell the tale and then a year to write it as a book. He says his son suggested he should write it! 
He shared the story with some of his grade 8 students who came up with some ideas for title, and ideas about how Percy should behave as an ADHD kid. One lad helped him refine the usage of Percy's sword! I admire that Rick made ADHD and Attention Deficit as a gift rather than a label. He taught such children and his own son, at the time, was struggling with learning difficulties and how hard it was for these children to get on in a system that had certain limits.
In his classes and his research he recognized them as creative, outside the box thinkers, who do not see and solve problems the way others do. It made it hard for them in the system though they can become amazing adults using these gifts. He made his main character Percy one of these special kids and showed how he could succeed with them. He mentioned too that Percy's sense of humour is similar to his own and that he himself was not such a good student back then. 
NO wonder children can relate to his stories...teaching mythology concepts in a creative way with a modern setting and using kids who don't fit can go on quests and become the heroes of the adventures. He also pays homage to the logical, grounded students who add their magic to the journey. I like how he develops his characters as they find their true selves and their gifts.
His Olympian series explores Greek mythology in a modern setting and that some themes that apply now naturally show up. Our relationship with nature, the environment and friendships, relating with parents and especially split families are themes that occur.
The series became a best seller and soon Rick Riordan decided to leave teaching as he had difficulty doing a good job to two careers...he had deadlines and the writing bug! He felt that he could still work with kids, educate and encourage them to read. His "Percy Jackson and The Olympians' was followed by the "Kane Chronicles" and the "Magnus Chase" series and his work has sold 100 million copies in 37 countries.
Movies have been made from his Percy series and when asked about it he did reveal he has not seen them as he does not do well with seeing adaptations of his work. He had no rights in how the writers and director would do with his work. I have read other authors saying the same and some get really involved in the process. (eg. Kathy Reichs, JK Rowling etc.)
I recently saw the movie again and reread the book "The Lightning Thief" and they are different. Still enjoyable and fun though!
When asked why fantasy is popular with kids, he responded that fantasy gives them an escape from the mundane. He says they like what adults like: a fast paced story with characters worth caring about, with humour, surprises and mystery. They do get bored with long descriptions though. I can relate to that when I read as a kid.
If you know young folks who want to write this author's advice might be inspiring: Rick says:
 write everyday, even a journal, description of people and places you see
read a lot
find a mentor who believes in you that you can trust, even a teacher!
correspond with authors, ask questions
don't give up, rejection can be part of the process
His most recent book is "Daughter of the Deep" and pays homage to "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" by Jules Verne and is apparently a bit different from his other fare.
Rick continues to write and lives in Boston with his wife and from articles I read, he is quite approachable and open to questions. To learn more and my source of cool info above: https://rickriordan.com/about/
Thanks for reading!
Eyestar
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 Thanks for your responses to "Fantasy Newsletter (December 8, 2021)"
Santeven Quokklaus  writes:
"I read a novelization of the Lapith wedding and the Centauromachy which I have been looking for since I read the newsletter a couple of days ago. It was very close to the myth I have in my Green's Mythology (so diverges a little from Finch's), but turned into a 300-page novel through characterization, told mainly from the POV of Theseus. So, to me, Centaurs are always drunken louts. Add to that Nessus trying to steal Herakles' last love and centaurs are just the worst. (Of course, then you have Chiron who taught so many great heroes, so there's always a white sheep in the family...)
I don't see centaurs as indicative of a dual nature (sorry); I see them as a representation of the fact ancient Greeks understood that humans are just animals, and that the combination of person with animal makes sense, and that at any time humans can become their animalistic selves. Not so much dual nature as true or hidden nature.
Thanks for your insight. I like the idea of the "white-sheep" centaur!
BIG BAD WOLF is Merry  writes:
"Villains by Necessity" by Eve Forward in 1995 has Robin. An innocent centaur minstrel, whose job was to spy on the titular Villains, for this all-powerful Good Wizard, in an attempt to stop their Evil plan. However, he soon finds out that said Villains need to accomplish their task, or the world will be destroyed.
Leads to an interesting situation where he ends up saving the others because the Good Wizard is too used to seeing him as a Good Person, and forgets to cast a Hold Spell on him. Then there's the part where he fights skeletons by stomping on them with his hooves when they try to smash his harp."
 "This title is evocative and sounds like it is worth the read. Thanks for sharing. "
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