FAQs

Disney schedules my appearances based on the sales of the books. So talk to your friends about getting my books and that will help.

Also, local bookstores can request for Ridley to come to their store. The bookstore would need to contact to Jenn and she will get in touch with Disney Publishing.

Yes. Ridley uses a speaking agent, Lisa Laird, to book school appearances. Because it takes him away from writing, there is a fee to have him appear at your school. However, he also makes other school visits while on book tour, so check the Appearances page to see if he's coming to your school anytime soon.

Ridley LOVES Steel Trapp and Starcatchers but he's super busy with Kingdom Keepers right now and a new series with Dave Barry, but who knows?

If you read, read, read and study the way various authors make characters come to life on the page you will see that working both with the five senses and internal thoughts can really help. My advice is to read the character descriptions in the books you love and to especially pay attention to how they speak and what they say as that is what shapes people's impressions of us and therefore readers' impressions of characters.

Most importantly, pick an amount of time each day, 30 mins, 1 hour, and sit down and DO IT.

I love telling stories. I've been a storyteller much of my life, and I think the novels allow me to express that. My ideas come from experience, newspapers, listening to others, observation. It's all around us. Everything has a story if you take the time to listen and look for it.

 I started writing when I was ten. Took a long break during high school and college (homework!) and started up again after college as a songwriter. From there it moved to script writing and eventually novels. I was first published in 1985.

Check the Appearances page on the website for all information about future signings.

The Kingdom Keepers Quest takes place in Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom and is for school groups of ten or more kids. School groups apply through Disney' s Youth Educational Services (YES). Groups get a special price to enter the Magic Kingdom and the teacher facilitates the Quest.

I am working on a second YES program for the Animal Kingdom.

I am now producing a Quest for ANYONE to take!  Details on how to participate will be posted here when available.

Disney currently has no plans to make any Kingdom Keepers movies, but who knows? I would love to have the Kingdom Keepers become a movie!

A fan created a petition and you are welcome to sign it. Do note that we would have to get upwards of 100,000 of signatures for this to make any impact, so you would have to have all your friends tell their friends and so on. Good luck! http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/make-kingdom-keepers-a-movie/

I am very lucky in that Disney gives me private tours when the parks are closed. I get to walk the attractions and go on the rides when no one is around. It's special!

I was fortunate to be asked by Disney to create an adventure book that takes place in the Disney parks.

The idea came to me when I came out of the Magic Kingdom with my family and I looked back to realize all the guests were leaving but the characters were staying behind. I had a "Toy Story" moment. When the door to Andy's room closes, the toys all come alive. It occured to me that when we all leave the parks, and the characters have not, that there's stuff going on in there that we don't know about. What I envisioned was a battle for control of the parks between Disney's "wonderful" villians and his princesses, princes, heroes and characters. It was into that world I threw myself as a writer and out came the Kingdom Keepers.

Seven total. KK 5 is out now.  KK 6 comes out in April 2013.

I am working on the possibility of a series after Kingdom Keepers is done. Stay tuned to the website for the latest information.

Maleficent is one of the top villians of villadom...and she personally scares me!

This is like choosing between your children! I have to say I love them all!

Wayne works as a loader at Splash Mountain. If you see a white haired guy loading on log...that's him and you can ask him.

Escher's Keep is one of the few fictionalized attractions in the books. I did visit the apartment but wanted to come up with a more interesting way to reach it.