Today is the birthday of one of the most famous contemporary authors. But chances are you’ve never even heard his name. “Who is this mystery man?” you may ask. He has written numerous books in the genre of mythological fiction. Many call him the ‘Rowling of mythology’ too. And today is his birthday. This is none other than the Rick Riordan we know so well. And today, The World Around Us celebrates the birthday of the king of myths with a list of facts.
Fact 1: The pronunciation of his surname
Riordan is an American surname, commonly pronounced as ‘Rear-dan’. But Rick’s surname is actually ‘Ry-er-(rhymes with fire)-den (like in ‘harden’)’.
Fact 2: The Percy Jackson Universe and ‘Rick Riordan Presents’
Many believe that books with the ‘Rick Riordan Presents’ imprint are in the same universe as Percy Jackson, Magnus Chase, and the Kane Chronicles. However, these are simply series of mythological fiction about many other mythologies, by native authors. These have simply been edited by Rick Riordan. Some examples of popular ‘Rick Riordan Presents’ series are:
- The Pandava Quintet (Hindu) by Roshani Chokshi
- The Storm Runner Series (Mayan and Aztec) by JC Cervantes
- The Thousand Worlds Series (Korean) by Yoon Ha Lee
- The Sal and Gabi Series (Cuban) by Carlos Hernandez
- The Tristan Strong Series (African and African-American) by Kwame Mbalia
Fact 3: Rick Riordan’s genres of writing
Many think his writing work focuses only on children’s mythology books. However, he won the Edgar, Anthony, and Shamus awards for the Tres Navarre series, a mystery series set in San Antonio.
Fact 4: His hobbies and musical background
Riordan describes himself as a “hit-and-run” writer who normally works only for an hour at a time. He also plays the guitar, reads, and walks his dog to refresh his brain. Beyond literature, he has a background in music. He initially attended college intending to become a guitarist and was once the lead singer of a folk rock band.
Fact 5: Real-life inspiration for Percy Jackson
Many names in the series are shout-outs to people he knew: Mrs. Dodds was a real math teacher at his school, Mr. Brunner was his Latin teacher, and characters like Connor and Travis Stoll were named after former students of his.
Fact 6: How he deals with his ‘writer’s block’
When Riordan gets stuck, he doesn’t force himself; instead, he does chores, viewing these mundane tasks as a vital part of the creative process.
Fact 7: Pets
Rick Riordan lives with a dog named Speedy, who is a Basenji/terrier mix, and three black cats.
Fact 8: Reading
Riordan only actually began to enjoy reading after discovering fantasy literature in middle school, reading The Lord of the Rings ten times.
Fact 9: Family background
Riordan was raised by an extremely creative family, his father being a ceramicist and his mother being a musician and artist.
Fact 10: The inspiration for Camp Half-Blood
The inspiration for this iconic camp came from his experience working as the music director at a summer camp called Camp Capers when he was in college.
Thank you for celebrating with the World Around Us, and see you next issue!