Rick Riordan has delighted millions of readers with his series about Percy Jackson - a young boy who discovers he's actually the son of Poseidon. But how much do you know about Rick himself? We've put together 15 fun facts all about Rick and his books! Discover where Rick grew up, how he got the inspiration for the Percy Jackson series, and the weird way he deals with writer's block! Liked this? Check out more book stuff here! How about these awesome reading facts? Or what about these classic Alice in Wonderland facts? And we think you'll love these facts all about the Roman king of the underworld, Pluto!

1. He's From San Antonio, Texas

Rick was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas. He also studied at the University of Texas, and a few of his books are even set there! Rick and his family now live in Boston.

2. He Comes From an Artistic Family

Rick isn't the only one in his family with artistic talents! His dad is a ceramicist (he makes pottery) and his mum is was a musician and an artist! It makes sense that Rick would become a writer!

3. He Used to Be a Teacher

Before he was successful with his writing, Rick taught for fifteen years in Texas and in San Francisco, California. He says his pupils knew he wrote books, and would sometimes ask to be characters in them! He also tried out early drafts of Percy Jackson on his students!

4. He Was Always Interested in the Greek Myths

One of the subjects Rick taught was mythology, and he's got a life long passion for it! He hopes that by writing about the Greek and Roman myths in the Percy Jackson series, he can encourage children to get curious about the ancient stories and read more about them!

5. The Percy Jackson Series Came From a Bedtime Story

Percy Jackson was born when Rick was telling bedtime stories to his son, Haley. Originally, he retold him the Greek and Roman myths, but once he ran out, he started making up his own - and Percy Jackson was born!

6. He's Written Lots of Books

Rick is most famous for the Percy Jackson series, but he's written loads of other books too, including books for adults, detective fiction and The Trials of Apollo, which is also about the Greek myths, and Apollo being sent to modern day earth by an angry Zeus.

7. Percy Jackson Was Inspired by His Son

The character of Percy Jackson is dyslexic and was partly inspired by Rick's own son Haley, who also has the condition. Rick said he wanted to make the character relatable for his son, and show that people with different abilities can be heroes.

8. Rick is Award-Winning

Rick has won a ton of awards! Over the years this has included the Mark Twain Award, the Children's Choice Book Award, and the Goodreads Choice Award! He even won a Stonewall Book Award for his portrayal of Alex Fierro, an LGBTQ character in the Magnus Chase books for young adults

9. He Has Lots of Advice For Young Writers

Rick is really passionate about teaching and writing, so its no surprise his website has loads of advice for young writers about how to get started, how to create characters, how to plot books and even how to get an agent! Check it out if you're an aspiring author!

10. Rick's Been to Greece & Italy...But Only After He'd Finished His Books!

Despite so many of his books being inspired by Roman and Greek myths and legends, Rick didn't actually visit Greece and Italy until AFTER he'd written the Percy Jackson series! Better late than never!

11. He Has Lots of Pets

Rick and his family love animals! He has a dog named Speedy and three black cats! Black cats have long been associated with superstition, folklore and myths, so they're an ideal pet for Rick!

12. He's a Big Lord of the Rings Fan

Rick loves Greek myths and legends, but he's also a huge fan of the world of Middle Earth! He's read the Lord of the Rings Series at least ten times, and he first started it when he was being bullied at school. He found the world a comforting place to escape to, and he hopes his books can do the same for children reading them today.

13. Rick Does Chores to Help With Writer's Block

Writer's block (when a writer get's stuck and can't think of ideas) is often really tricky to deal with, but Rick has a rather unique method - he takes the bins out! Rick finds that doing household chores like ironing and sorting the recycling can help his brain tick over and come up with something new! Let's just hope it's not a character based on garbage!

14. He and His Family Make Time For Reading

Rick is really passionate about the importance of reading and makes sure to encourage his children to read too. That's why their family has a reading hour every day, where they drop what they're doing and read! Sounds like a great idea!

15. He Doesn't Just Write About Greek Gods

Rick's written about lots of things! As well as the Percy Jackson series, he's also written about the Norse gods, ancient Egyptian mythology and crime! But it's safe to say, from the number of books he's written about it, including Percy Jackson, Apollo and the Heroes of Olympus, that he loves Greek myths the most!