On the eve of fall break, as many NC State students flocked to Western Boulevard to begin their trek home, award-winning author Rick Riordan hosted a speech at NC State’s McKimmon Center. Raleigh is one of the nine cities Riordan is visiting to promote his new book “The Ship of the Dead.”

Riordan’s stop in Wolfpack country on Wednesday night was met with a full house of eager fans, as hundreds of college students and middle schoolers pointed phones at the stage to capture a picture of the author, most famous for his “Percy Jackson & the Olympians” series. Marketed specifically for middle schoolers, as Riordan himself used to be a middle school teacher, his books have retained an impressive following from once-young fans who are now young adults.

His breakout young reader novel was released in 2005 in the form of “The Lightning Thief.” The book, originally written as a bedtime story for his son Haley, who suffers from both dyslexia and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, gathered an almost cult-like following from the youth of its time. Riordan’s usage of intriguing ancient mythology originally captivated the hearts and minds of his readers, many of whom stand by the author 12 years later as college students.

“I was always just a big fan of the author,” said Zachary White, a fifth-year studying middle grade education. “I thought [the speech] was really informative. There was a lot of nostalgia.”

White, who was holding one of the books from the original Percy Jackson series, said he hadn’t kept up with Riordan’s newer works. However, talk of familiar characters returning in newer books made him “more and more excited.”

During a Q&A session at the end of his speech, Riordan responded to a question from fans asking what he had to say to college students who were still with him from the beginning. In response, Riordan profusely thanked loyal fans, like White, who still appreciated his books.

“As long as they work for you, fantastic,” Riordan said. “But if they don’t, that’s okay, there’s a lot of great books out there.”

In addition to coverage for his newest book, Riordan announced a number of future releases as well as a new collaborative initiative. Acting as a new division of Disney, Rick Riordan Presents will allow Riordan to find and coach other talented authors, and will feature novels curated by Riordan himself that are similar — but distinctly different — from his own.

One of the inaugural novels for Rick Riordan Presents is “Aru Sha & the End of Time,” by Roshani Chokshi. Of the nine cities that Riordan will visit during his book tour, Raleigh was afforded an exclusive appearance by Chokshi.

Riordan also announced that the novel had been adapted into an off-Broadway musical.

“I have to say for me personally, it’s always a little weird seeing adaptations of my stuff ― like the movies, I could not watch them,” Riordan said.

Despite his personal views, Riordan assured the audience that the play was something that any book fan would enjoy.

While previewing new content, Riordan took a moment to touch on diversity in his work. His series, “Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard,” features transgender woman Alex Fierro as a driving character. Riordan’s prior entry in the series, “The Hammer of Thor,” won the Stonewall Book Award ― an award given for the portrayal of LGBTQ characters in literature.

“When I was a teacher I taught all kinds of kids,” Riordan said. “I taught public school kids, private school kids. … I taught in Texas. I taught in California. There’s lots of kinds of kids out there, and my feeling is that all of them deserve to be able to see themselves in stories.”

Riordan, who faced rejection from publishers until his first book was published at the age of 30, dedicated the end of his speech to giving aspiring young writers advice on how to become a more successful author. When asked what the most enjoyable and difficult parts of being an author were, Riordan had a simple answer — finishing and not finishing books.

“I would love to tell you that it gets easier as you write more books,” Riordan said. “It doesn’t. I’ve written 30 novels and it’s no easier.”

The most important things to keep in mind, he said, can be boiled down to three key practices: keep reading to understand what you like in a story, keep writing to exercise and improve your skills and finally, keep trying and never give up. Before publishing his first novel, “Big Red Tequila,” Riordan sent it to 14 different publishers, and 13 of them refused to publish it.

“If I’d given up after two, or five, or 10, [attempts] I wouldn’t be standing up here,” Riordan said. “So believe in yourself. … Don’t give up.”

Riordan is an avid supporter of education and encouraging today’s youth to read more. Riordan hopes that by exploring the complex, but captivating, aspects of different mythologies, he can inspire more kids to start reading from a younger age.

Riordan himself admitted to having been a “stubborn reader,” and that he wasn’t inspired to read until later in his youth when he discovered the “Lord of the Rings.”

When asked what he would do if not a writer or a teacher, Riordan professed his love for learning, and said that he would go back to school and earn a Ph.D.

“NCSU Libraries is partnering with Quail Ridge Books on this event and the partnership is how we were able to have this high-profile speaker come to campus,” said Marian Fragola, the director of program planning and outreach for NCSU Libraries, “It’s always wonderful to highlight an author who inspires children to read and keep reading.”