Award-winning author Rick Riordan was born on June 5, 1964, in San Antonio, Texas. After graduating from the University of Texas at Austin with a double major in English and history, he taught in public and private middle schools for many years. Riordan writes the popular Tres Navarre mystery series for adults, as well as a #1 New York Times bestselling children's series, Percy Jackson and the Olympians. His short fiction has been featured in Mary Higgins Clark Mystery Magazine and Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine. Riordan has won Edgar, Anthony, and Shamus Awards for his mystery novels. The Lightning Thief was a 2005 New York Times Notable Book, and The Sea of Monsters was a 2006 Child… Magazine Best Book for Children and a Publishers Weekly and Book Sense national bestseller. Riordan writes full time and lives in San Antonio with his wife and two sons.