The Blood of Olympus book tour -- the full scoop!

Here you go, demigods! Details for each Blood of Olympus event is posted below. Contact the host bookstore for more information on how to reserve a spot for each specific event.

What to expect at the events:

This is important. If you're planning to come to an event, I don't want anybody going away disappointed. We've been doing events differently the last few years as the crowds have gotten larger and larger. Again, check with each location for exact details, but in general, here's what happens:

When I arrive on location, before the event, I will be signing a thousand books. These autographed copies will be available for you to buy. In some cases, they are your ticket into the event. In some cases, you can choose to get a ticket without a book, or both.

The event will be about an hour long. I'll tell you all about how and why I wrote the books. I'll show you behind-the-scenes cover art that was never used. I'll make stupid jokes. I'll give you a sneak peek at my upcoming Norse series. And of course I'll answer your questions, as many as we have time for. It's always a blast!

We WON'T be doing a signing line. There are a lot of reasons for that, but it all boils down to the size of the crowd. About three years ago, I realized that so many people were coming through the signing line that nobody was really getting a chance to meet me. We had to move so fast, just to make sure everyone got through the line, that it just wasn't a quality experience for anybody, including me.  I would either have to do a brief "Hi, how are ya?" speech and then launch straight into signing, or the store would sit me right down to sign. Kids would wait for two or three hours to get a two-second face-to-face with no chance to really interact. I couldn't sign all your books. I couldn't do pictures. I couldn't personalize the books. There was maybe time for one quick question, maybe. Well . . . it just wasn't working. Back in the old days, I was able to do all of that stuff, and of course everyone understandably wants a picture and wants all of their books signed, but even if I only spent thirty seconds with each fan (which is way too short to do all that) if a thousand fans show up, the signing would last eight hours. You see the problem? Also, to be honest, I'm getting older, and sitting in a chair for so many hours each night was murdering my back.

Because of all this, I decided if we didn't have time to do a quality signing line (and with a thousand folks, there really is no way) we would make it a quality evening, with tons of time for the presentation and lots of Q&A.

Don't bring all your books from home, because I won't be able to sign them, but I wouldn't be able to do that even if we were doing a signing line. There are just too many people with too many copies. The good news: You'll still get a signed copy of The Blood of Olympus. You'll get a chance to ask your questions and really feel like you got to know me a little. And you won't have to wait in line for hours and hours!

Hope that makes sense. I'm really excited for each of the events. Of course, every tour I wish we could go to more places, but with my writing schedule we just can't. I know you guys want the books to come out as quickly as possible, and that means I have to spend most of my time writing.

Apologies to all my international fans, too. I've been invited to so many amazing countries, and I'd like to visit them all, but sadly it just isn't possible. We can't even cover more than a fraction of the US in the time that we have! As I always tell people, however, the main way that I communicate with you is through my books. I may not be able to meet you in person, but the best way to get to know me is to read the books. Each one is a private conversation between me and the reader, and I love you guys! You're all awesome. So if I get to see you on the tour, fantastic, but either way, I hope you'll enjoy The Blood of Olympus!




BLOOD OF OLYMPUS tour dates

Tuesday, October 7, 2014: Boston/Cambridge-Brookline, MA

Event hosted by:
Porter Square Books
25 White Street
Cambridge, MA 02140
617-491-2220

http://www.portersquarebooks.com/event/rick-riordan-blood-olympus


Location of event:
Temple Ohabei Shalom
1187 Beacon Street
Brookline, MA 02446
617-277-6610
http://www.ohabei.org

Showtime:
7:00 PM ET

Wednesday, October 8, 2014: Toronto, ONT, Canada

Event hosted by:
Indigo Exclusive

https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/indigo-exclusive-rick-riordan-tickets-10721122165



Location of event:
Bloor Street United Church
300 Bloor Street West
Toronto, ON M55 1W3
416-924-7439
http://www.bloorstreetunited.org

Showtime:
7:00 PM ET

Thursday, October 9, 2014: Atlanta/Decatur, GA

Event hosted by:
Little Shop of Stories
133A East Court Square
Decatur, GA 30030
404-373-6300
www.littleshopofstories.com

Location of event:
Glenn Auditorium at Emory
1652 North Decatur Road
Atlanta, GA 30302
http://arts.emory.edu/plan-your-visit/venues/glenn-auditorium.html

Showtime:
7:00 PM ET

Friday, October 10, 2014: New York, NY

Event hosted by:
Books of Wonder
18 West 18th Street
New York, NY 10011
212-989-3270
www.booksofwonder.com

Location of event:
New York Public Library
Main Branch
Celeste Bartos Forum
5th Avenue at 42nd Street
New York, NY 10018
http://www.nypl.org/events/programs/2014/10/10/rick-riordan-new-york-public-library

*Note: space is limited at the main branch event, but 25 branch libraries across the city will also be participating via live video stream.

Showtime:
4:00 PM ET

Saturday, October 11, 2014: Chicago/Downers Grove, IL

Event hosted by:
Anderson’s Bookshop
5112 Main Street
Downers Grove, IL 60515
630-963-2665

http://www.andersonsbookshop.com/event/rick-riordan

Location of event:
Tivoli Theatre
5021 Highland Avenue
Downers Grove, IL 60515
630-968-0219

Showtime:
4:00 PM CT

Sunday, October 12, 2014: Boulder, CO

Event hosted by:
Boulder Book Store
1107 Pearl Street
Boulder, CO 80302
303-447-2074

http://bouldertheater.frontgatesolutions.com/choose.php?a=1&lid=97183&eid=108583

Location of event:
Boulder Theater
2032 14th Street
Boulder, CO 80302
http://www.bouldertheater.com

Showtime:
1:30 PM MT

Monday, October 13, 2014: Austin, TX

Event hosted by:
BookPeople
603 N. Lamar
Austin, TX 78703
512-472-5050
http://bookpeople.com/event/site-rick-riordan-westlake-performing-arts-center

Location of event:
Westlake Community Performing Arts Center
4100 Westbank Drive
Austin, TX 78746
http://whstec.com/wcpac-info.htm

Showtime:
6:00 PM CT

Tuesday, October 14, 2014: Santa Barbara/Ventura, CA

Event hosted by:
Barnes & Noble Ventura #2054
4820 Telephone Road
Ventura, CA 93003
805-339-0990
http://store-locator.barnesandnoble.com/store/2054

Location of event:
Buena High School Auditorium (with Ventura Educational Partnership)
5670 Telegraph Road
Ventura, CA 93003

Showtime:
6:00 PM PT

Wednesday, October 15, 2014: San Francisco/Menlo Park, CA

Event hosted by:
Kepler’s
1010 El Camino Real
Menlo Park, CA 94025
650-861-7810
http://www.keplers.com/event/rick-riordan-0

Location of event:
Fox Theater
2215 Broadway Street
Redwood City, CA 94063
https://www.foxrwc.com

Showtime:
7:00 PM PT