Rick Riordan, the author the bestselling “Percy Jackson & the Olympians” series of books for young readers, paid a visit on Sunday to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City to discuss some of his classical inspirations.

The first book in his series, “Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief,” tells the story of a troubled young boy with ADHD and dyslexia who discovers that the Greek gods are real, and that he’s actually the son of a mortal woman and Poseidon, god of the sea.

Riordan kicked off his talk at the Met’s Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium by apologizing for the rainy weather outside. “Thanks for braving Zeus’s storm!” he told the audience, which was largely made up of young children and parents.

During the presentation, Riordan said he planned to launch a new “Camp Half Blood” series in the Fall of 2010, most likely in October, though the final details haven’t been set. In his books, Camp Half Blood is a special area that shelters and trains the children of gods and mortals.

He also talked about his coming book “The Kane Chronicles, Book One: The Red Pyramid.” The new series draws on the myths of Egypt, and is due out May 4.

“I was fascinated by how magic works in Egypt,” Riordan told Speakeasy in an interview after the event. He said he was intrigued by the section in the Bible in which Moses confronts Egyptian magicians. “I wanted to explore the Egyptian idea of magic,” he said.

Recently, a big-screen adaptation of “The Lightning Thief” was released into theaters. Riordan said he hasn’t seen the film and doesn’t plan to. “Books and movies are so different,” he said. He said he wanted to keep his own images of his characters in his head and didn’t want them to be replaced by someone else’s interpretation.

To read an excerpt from “The Kane Chronicles” go here.

What do you think about Rick Riordan not going to see the movie? Leave your comments below.

Source: Christopher John Farley on Speakeasy