Mythology, Wating, And More...... A Little Summary Of My Visit With Rick Riordan

1500+(I think the approximate total was 1539, including me), braved a severe thunderstorm, a tornado watch and at least several hours of waiting to meet the famous author, Rick Riordan. When I got to the St. Louis County Library HQ around 6:45 PM, I thought all hope of getting to meet him and getting my book signed was lost. Five Hundred crowded the building inside, and at least a thousand more circled the building. WOW! was the only word coming out of my mouth. I was told at 5:45 PM, the line circled into the parking lot. I joined the line anyway, and just then, rain began to fall.

Apparently, we were enduring a severe thunderstorm, and were under a tornado warning. YIKES! I stood out in the rain for at least an hour and a half. When I got in, I waited another 3 hours to get my books(7 of them!) signed. When I got up to him(I've been waiting for that moment for years, trust me), he said he recognized me. I was confused at first, but then I remember, I was a Demigod Of The Week last year. He said I grew a little(honestly, I don't see it, not yet anyway), and told me Thanks for being a loyal and die hard fan, which I am! And for those who don't recognize it, try standing in a crowd of 1500 plus people, all drenched and sopping wet(I swear to gods, those clothes still aren't dry!), just to meet one person! Thanks, Rick! He also said that he is planning to release a new Camp Half-Blood Series next year, but is now also working with Egyptian Mythology too. Both of the new series' are planned to release around the same time next year.

Meeting Rick ranks #1(so far), in the highlights of my life. He's a very talented author with a lot of good skill, and if I don't ever get to meet him again, I wish him the best.

Rick Riordan wrote about his STL expereince on his blog:

I think the Saint Louis crowd caught everyone by surprise.

The county library was prepared for 900 and could hold 1000, which seemed like plenty to me. When we arrived at the library, however, it had already filled to capacity and a line of five hundred more people snaked around the building. More than fifteen hundred people showed up in all – wow. Thanks to those who heard the presentation, and especially to the hundreds who couldn’t get it and could only do the signing line. On top of everything, the area was under a storm and tornado warning! Fortunately everyone got inside before the rain started.

Favorite moment from the night: A crowd of girls dressed in costume (Bianca, Thalia, Percy, Annabeth, etc.) asked me this question: “If Percy can talk to horses and control water, does that mean Annabeth can talk to owls and control olives?” LOL. Fear me. I control the mighty black olive! Another thought-provoking question I’d never had before: Would I rather be a god, demigod or mortal? Interesting. I’m still thinking about that one. I met more school groups than I could count. Librarians and teachers came from all over the state. Families had traveled from Jefferson City, Springfield, Indiana and even Chicago to attend the signing. Thanks to the Saint Louis County Library staff for managing the huge crowd so well, and thanks for everyone who waited through the three-hour signing line with such patience.

Here’s a blog from the Post-Dispatch about the event, which they are speculating might be the largest Saint Louis book signing ever for a single author.

I'll send some pics from the event soon. Stay tuned!

PS: Oh, and one more thing! This is probably one of the longest posts I've ever written, so tell me if I did something wrong. I mean, lets face it, not everybody has perfect hands