READER’S FORUM

August 21, 2026 at 01:06 pm Reply

Sasquatshhh

Did Scholastic give you a basic arc that needed completed for each book? If so, who wrote the overall plot of the entire series (if you know)? If Scholastic told you what needed to happen in each book, how detailed and strict were they?
August 22, 2026 at 02:45 am Reply

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Hi, Sas,

Here's how it went. Rick Riordan wrote the first book. It was then handed to me, and I was asked to continue the story to Book #2 with the Cahill kids, bring in the illustrious Cahill from history (Mozart), and leave the Cahill kids on their way to the next place where the next writer would take up the story. The next author would continue from there, go to a designated part of the world, intoduce a new famous Cahill of the past, and leave the kids on their way to Book #4, etc. The construct was loose and up to us. But we were allowed to be as creative as we wished within the confines of the story and main characters. And I have to say it worked amazingly well for the most part. It was a great series, and I enjoyed being a part of it for 3 volumes and 1 short story in VESPERS RISING.

-----Gordon Korman-----
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Hi, Sas,

Here's how it went. Rick Riordan wrote the first book. It was then handed to me, and I was asked to continue the story to Book #2 with the Cahill kids, bring in the illustrious Cahill from history (Mozart), and leave the Cahill kids on their way to the next place where the next writer would take up the story. The next author would continue from there, go to a designated part of the world, intoduce a new famous Cahill of the past, and leave the kids on their way to Book #4, etc. The construct was loose and up to us. But we were allowed to be as creative as we wished within the confines of the story and main characters. And I have to say it worked amazingly well for the most part. It was a great series, and I enjoyed being a part of it for 3 volumes and 1 short story in VESPERS RISING.

-----Gordon Korman-----