Ask the Author: Rick Riordan
Answered Questions (438)
Rick Riordan
Glad you've found the books a source of comfort! As for your question, I can only offer my usual answer: "Canon" means what it says in the books. What I say or don't say after the fact means nothing. If something isn't mentioned specifically in the books, then there is no canon, and it is up for interpretation based on the evidence you read. I'm honestly not sure there is anything in the books that would give someone much clue one way or another about the Stoll brothers.
Rick Riordan
I try to step around plot holes whenever possible, but sometimes they're too big and I fall in. Oh well. I basically re-read whatever books I need to so I refresh my memory. I also rely on my copy editors to help me catch mistakes. The system works (mostly)!
Rick Riordan
Glad you've enjoyed the books! I don't plan ahead of time what sort of characters I will have in the books. Alex, for instance, just made sense as a child of Loki. So basically, I don't know. I'm hoping to write about Irish mythology (if I ever get enough time with the other projects going on!) and gender fluidity is most definitely a concept that appears in the Irish myths, so that is a possible logical place where a trans character might appear. I guess we'll see. As for the musical, I don't know of any plans for a second one. It might be a tough thing to market since it would be a sequel. I can't think of any musicals that have had sequels, but maybe I'm wrong.
Rick Riordan
I love Hindu stories, but as I've said before, I think it would be a very bad idea for me, a sarcastic white American guy, to try a 'Percy Jackson' type treatment of Hindu mythology. I don't think that would be well received at all, and I don't think it's my place. There are many other authors working in this space, however. I particularly recommend Rosh Chokshi's Aru Shah series from the Rick Riordan Presents imprint.
Rick Riordan
Becky has some good ideas about this, too! Maybe one of these days. I'd love to see that.
Rick Riordan
It was completely random, but you are welcome to head-canon that I picked those details because of you!
Rick Riordan
Oh, sure, they know! I was still working as a teacher when I wrote The Lightning Thief, so I thought it would be fun to name some demigods after my students. As I recall, the Stoll family won a charity auction item for the school where I offered to name a character in a book, so Travis and Connor were immortalized. They were both great kids who grew up to become doctors. (Seems appropriate for Hermes kids!) Charles Beckendorf's mom lost out of the bidding, and told me, "But, but... we support the school too!" I said, "Okay, fine." And Charles Beckendorf entered Camp Half-Blood. I recently learned that another student C.C. (who is credited as a beta-reader in the acknowledgements of Lightning Thief, and whose name gave me the idea for Circe's nickname in Sea of Monsters) just had her first child. By strange coincidence, she is married to a cousin of one of our TV executives at Disney+! It's so fun to see former students grow up and become amazing adults. I am incredibly proud of them.
Rick Riordan
Nope. I've seen how hard actors work now, and while I have incredible respect for them, I would never want to do that! The one-second cameo I had in season one meant a full day in costume. That was enough for me!
Rick Riordan
Ha! It's a fair question. Yes, the number of producers on any film/TV project tends to be quite extensive. In my limited experience, however, the title of 'producer' or 'executive producer' can mean many different things. In TV, the term 'executive producer' connotates a higher level of involvement and control than 'producer.' Strangely, those terms have reverse meanings on a feature film. Anyway, even among 'executive producers,' not every EP is equally involved in the project. Some EPs are very hands-on day to day, overseeing all kinds of aspects of the show. Becky and I are in that category, along with the show-runners. The directors of the episodes also get credited as EPs, though they are for the most part only there for the episodes they direct. Other EPs get the title for a number of reasons -- contract negotiations, a creative contribution early in the process, an integral part in putting the right people together -- but that doesn't mean they are there all the time or weighing in on every decision. Long way of saying: There are not as many people stepping on each other's toes about every decision as you might think. It's usually just a core group of EPs, working with the studio and network reps, with a whole lot of other folks backing us up as needed. Regarding season two, you bet we're working on it. Deep into script development now and I'm very happy with the results so far.
Rick Riordan
I have zero talent in graphic arts, so I won't be illustrating my characters any time soon. Stick figures is my limit.
Rick Riordan
I do tend to read non-middle grade fantasy books when I am just reading for pleasure, because reading MG fantasy feels like work to me! (Good work, but still.) I like all kinds of books, though. I usually have three going at a time -- one fiction, one nonfiction, and one in Italian.
Rick Riordan
I'm sorry you have to deal with that. I think it's pretty common for writers to be judged by factors other than their writing. I don't have to deal with as much B.S. as many other writers do, especially non-cis-male writers and/or writers of color, but I am keenly aware of how much people love to criticize and belittle writers' efforts. Try not to let it get you down. Believe in yourself and the importance of the stories you want to tell. I say this as a former teacher, but I've found that classrooms are some of the worst places for getting valid feedback on one's writing. If possible, see if you can connect with a writers' group, find others you trust and who understand you. That's more helpful. Good luck!
Rick Riordan
Glad you've enjoyed the show! No, I don't ever have a wish list for casting. Most of the actors we find, especially the young actors, aren't people I've heard of before. I just try to keep an open mind and watch all the tapes submitted. The process is run by our casting director. They are the person who puts out calls for auditions, collects the tapes, presents them to us (the producers) and coordinates all communications with actors and agents. It is a massive job and quite specialized, but it's important that there is only one point of contact for everyone. I've gained a great deal of respect for how hard casting directors work. I don't involve myself in the casting until the casting director starts sending us tapes, so when people ask me, 'please, please cast me,' as happens approximately 1,452,024 times a day, it's kind of wasted effort. The person you need to find and convince is the casting director.
Rick Riordan
We're working on next steps. I'm not sad about trying to develop it at Netflix, though. No hard feelings! We learned a lot in that process and met some great people. One of the things I learned was how common it is for a project to go through development for years and never see the light of day. It's a bizarre business model to me, but SO much money is spent developing and writing and planning projects that ultimately never get made. I guess it's sort of like research and development for pharmaceutical companies. They spend billions, knowing that most of their drugs won't make it out of testing, but still hoping that some of them will be successful. Anyway, stay tuned for news on Kane as soon as we know anything definite...
Rick Riordan
Yes, I was a big D&D player in the 1980s. I would have been the guy DMing the fight with Vecna while the rest of the school was at the basketball game. As for an RPG, like so many other things merch-related, that is up to Disney, which owns the rights. I'd love to see that. I guess we'll see!
Rick Riordan
I see 'writers block' as a natural part of how writing works. It's not supposed to be easy. It's supposed to entail long hours staring at the screen or walking around the house, not sure what to say next. Writers have rare days when the words flow, but that's the exception rather than the rule, in my experience. Several things help me, though every writer is different: Make a plan before you start, even if it's just a list of scenes to write. DO NOT rewrite until you've gotten through the first draft. This helps me keep going and not get bogged down trying to fix everything. Recognize when you are most productive. I write best in the early morning. If I try to write in the afternoon, forget it. Maximize your schedule as much as you can to write when you are most productive. Finally, give yourself permission to get up and do something else. Walking around, thinking about what to write while you do the laundry or whatever . . . that counts as writing, too.
Rick Riordan
So glad to hear that! I love that your family has enjoyed PJO together!
Rick Riordan
I see somebody has read Song of Achilles. : ) I don't see any evidence that Nico and Will would be related to those ancient heroes. I would be hesitant to assume that. There can be many gay romances within the world of Greek myth without them being related, right?
Rick Riordan
This is the first I've ever heard of graphic audio. I will look into it, thanks!
Rick Riordan
There are a lot of great stories there, and I've thought about it, but I don't know. It's never risen to the top of my 'want to do' pile, which is very extensive!
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May 10, 2024 06:15PM · flag