Rick Riordan

Born: 1964

Rick Riordan (born June 5, 1964) is an American author best known for writing the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. With over 190 million copies of his books sold worldwide and translations in more than 37 languages, he has become one of the most successful children's authors of all time. Born in San Antonio, Texas, Riordan initially disliked reading as a child, finding school-assigned books boring. His outlook changed when he discovered fantasy literature in middle school, particularly The Lord of the Rings. He began writing early, attempting to get his first story published at age 13. Riordan studied guitar at North Texas State University before transferring to the University of Texas at Austin, where he earned degrees in English and history. He received his teaching certification from UT San Antonio in 1988 and pursued graduate studies in English and Medieval Studies at San Francisco State University. For fifteen years, Riordan taught English and history at public and private middle schools in San Francisco and Texas, earning Saint Mary's Hall's first Master Teacher Award. His summers working at a camp would later inspire Camp Half-Blood, the iconic setting of Percy Jackson. While teaching, Riordan wrote the Tres Navarre mystery series for adults, winning the Edgar, Anthony, and Shamus Awards—the top three honors in the mystery genre. His breakthrough came with The Lightning Thief (2005), inspired by bedtime stories he created for his son Haley, who has ADHD and dyslexia. Riordan made Percy Jackson share these traits, helping millions of young readers see themselves as heroes. The Percy Jackson universe has expanded to include The Heroes of Olympus, The Kane Chronicles (Egyptian mythology), Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard (Norse mythology), and The Trials of Apollo. In 2022, he co-wrote and executive produced the Percy Jackson Disney+ series, winning two Emmy Awards for the first season. Riordan lives in Boston with his wife Becky and their two sons, Haley and Patrick.