SAN ANTONIO - A best-selling San Antonio author, known for his wildly popular Percy Jackson series, has another budding writer in the family. Rick Riordan's latest book "The Son of Neptune" has spent nine weeks at number one on the New York Times' children's chapter book list and his next book will be released in May, but he's working on another project close to his heart.
"It was incredible to see him going from a kid who hated reading to a young man who wants to be a novelist," Riordan said about his 17-year-old son Haley.
Haley is a high school junior at the Winston School of San Antonio and he plans to publish his book before the end of his senior year.
"I do it because I have fun and I want to tell it to the world," Haley said. "This is a story I want to share with everyone."
Haley says he's been working with his father on his manuscript, which is much longer than any book his father has written. Haley's book, however, isn't his only story.
"When I started telling a bed time story for my son Haley about Greek mythology, I ran out of real heroes and Greek gods and he suggested I make up a new story," Rick explained.
From a bed time story, the Percy Jackson series was born. The main character Percy has learning differences, just like Haley.
"I really like the characters because I can relate to them as an ADHD, a dyslexic, name anything under the sun and I have it. It's really good to have characters you can relate to," Haley said.
Percy's learning differences are a result of his background and the differences are featured as positive attributes, not negative. The five book series spawned a spin-off series, a feature length film and Rick is working on another series based on Egyptian mythology.
His father's writing made Haley love reading and his story of reluctant reader turned avid writer is one he wants to share with kids just like him.
"If you are out there and you have ADD, dyslexia, Asperger's, it's not a negative thing. It's a positive. You can do so much in your life that other people can't do," Haley said.
The third book in the "Kane Chronicles" series will be released in the spring but Rick will be releasing the book's title in January on NBC's "Rock Center" show, airing on Monday nights.
