Timeless tales from Peter Lerangis

Peter Lerangis wants to write stories that will interest young adults today — and 50 years down the road.

WHEN the Greek sculptor Chares of Lindos built the Colossus of Rhodes (between 292BCE and 280BCE) to celebrate the city’s victory over Antigonus I Monophthalmus, he was oblivious to two things: that the statue of the sun god Helios will only stand for 56 years before being destroyed by an earthquake, and that it would “force” a curious author to write a series of books about the seven wonders of the ancient world.