CANAJOHARIE — "Who here likes to write?"

"Who here likes to draw"?

Those were the first two questions writer, illustrator, and graphic novelist George O’Connor asked the sixth grade students at Canajoharie Middle School on Thursday, March 7, as he talked about his life-long interest in Greek mythology and what led him write his 12-book series, "The Olympians." 

The series — which the students have studied — retells classic Greek myths in comic form.

O'Connor, whose first picture book, "Kapow!" was a New York Times bestseller, told the students that when he was in school, he would sit in the back of class and doodle.

"I never grew out of liking to draw or write," he said. "I would always be writing or drawing something."

The students listened intently and many of them raised their hands to answer O'Connor's questions. He then gave a presentation showing the students how he came up with his ideas, and detailed the planning that goes into each novel, also sharing information about each mythological figure and how much he researched them.

"I lived in Rome, Italy, for a few months and did lots of research," he said.

So, what other facts did he share with the students?

He said that in the movie "Clash of the Titans", loosely based on Greek mythology, the main character, Perseus, faces off against the giant sea squid known as the "Kraken." He said many people think that's where the Kraken originated.

"There is no Kraken in Greek Mythology," he said. "Perseus fought Cetus, which was a whale — the Kraken came from Norway."