By: Carter Gehm

The famous author of the Percy Jackson series, Rick Riordan, visited Westlake High School for a day of signing and speaking in celebration of his new book, The Blood of Olympus. Over 1,100 people attended the event to receive a signed copy of Riordan's new book, some coming from as far as Mexico! Riordan spoke to the crowd about his writing history, his new books as well as his inspiration. I was one of the lucky few who had the privilege of working the event from behind the scenes, directly with Riordan. I was given the opportunity to see how Book People runs a book signing event in which we helped Riordan sign over 1,200 copies of his new book in under 30 minutes. We all shook his hand and discussed our favorite books of his. It was one of the most memorable events I have worked because of the huge influence his books had on my childhood.