This week, we’re welcoming author Cheryl Carpinello whose YA title THE KING'S RANSOM (YOUNG KNIGHTS OF THE ROUND TABLE) won the 2012 Silver Award for YA Fiction from the Children's Literary Classics. Cheryl is here to talk about the novel and offer an ebook copy to a lucky winner. Here's the blurb:
Filled with disbelief at the arrest of the Wild Man, the three friends embark upon a knight’s quest to save their friend’s life. To succeed, the three must confront their fears and insecurities, and one of them will have to disclose the biggest secret of all.
Join Gavin, Philip, and Bryan on their quest and share the adventures that await them in the land of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table.
**Q&A with Cheryl Carpinello**
Read The King's Ransom (Young Knights of the Round Table) at:
Tell us what made you decide to write books
about the Arthurian legend?
I’ve
always been fascinated by King Arthur. I’ve probably read just about every
fiction story written over the last 15-20 years. One of my favorites is Deepak
Chopra’s The Return of Merlin. I’ve
also ventured to nonfiction or scholarly accounts like your King Arthur’s Children: A Study in Fiction
and Tradition. However, I’m more of a romantic, and it’s that side of the
legend that appeals to me. I like the ideas that surround the legend like might
is not right; how when seen from the air, there are no lines or boundaries on
Earth—we are all here together, and we need to learn how to get along; and how
in Arthur’s time hope still lives. Underneath it all, I believe this is what
draws young and old to the legend. What the legend says to kids without them
realizing it is that there is a right way and a wrong way to live. This is done
with the stories of the knights with their quests, their jousts, their rescuing
of the damsels, and their fighting for the underdog. These stories present
readers with vivid accounts of honor, loyalty, and friendship. This is why I
chose Arthurian Legend.
Who are your books for?
I
have found that Arthurian legend is for all ages, but my main focus is on young
readers (ages 8-15). I typically write
shorter books for reluctant readers. These reluctant readers are kids who are
able to read, but prefer to do other activities. If I can reach them early in
their schooling, it’s just possible I might hook them into exploring other
books. I’ve yet to find a student in the younger grades who isn’t excited about
the medieval time period. Reluctant readers, my nephew Joe is one, will usually
balk at long, fat books, so I shorten mine. I usually add simple illustrations
to break up the text, but The King’s
Ransom in Ebook form does not have these. The print version of The King’s Ransom will have the
illustrations.
How has being a teacher influenced your
writing?
I’ve
written several books over the years. I’ve done an adult romance, a YA
romance/bildungsroman, and several stories suitable for picture books. I just
never seemed to find a genre I was passionate about writing. Then I started
teaching The Once and Future King. My
students loved the story and the whole medieval world. After writing Guinevere: On the Eve of Legend, I
started doing medieval writing workshops in the elementary schools and found
every classroom full of kids crazy about King Arthur and the Knights of the
Round Table and the medieval time period. I have to say that being in the
classroom and working with the younger kids has been my entire motivation for
writing my books.
One
of the many reasons I’m excited about The
King’s Ransom is that my publisher MuseItUp had me do a separate 18-page
Teacher Guide that is available as a free PDF download when readers purchase The King’s Ransom from their bookstore. I also have a
copy that I can send to readers for free and hand out in classrooms and at
workshops. The guide carries that great castle cover and is loaded with
resources and materials for teachers and home schooled students. Included are a
synopsis, information on the Arthurian Legend and the medieval time period,
castle vocabulary, and a word find puzzle. Teachers have suggestions for
discussions, projects, and writing exercises as well as additional medieval
references specifically geared for young readers. I also put together a
complete set of comprehension questions/answers for all eighteen chapters.
Tell us about your other writings.
My
first Arthurian legend book Guinevere: On
the Eve of Legend introduces young readers to the timeless King Arthur
Legend and Guinevere the girl as she struggles with growing up and fulfilling
her destiny. I wanted to give young readers an understanding of the girl
Guinevere, how she is like them today. Everyone has to grow up; everyone has
unpleasant choices to make; and regardless of when we are born or how old we
are, we don't always get our way. And when that happens, we have to accept it
and move on.
King Arthur’s Story is a short story
that was not published in Guinevere.
Behind the Scenes of The King’s Ransom lets readers meet the characters in The King’s Ransom, go on a virtual tour
of the actual Welsh settings and sample Welsh food and drink, discover the
secrets of the author, and other goodies.
What are your plans for future books?
My
current work-in-progress takes my readers out of Medieval England and back to
Ancient Egypt. It will be a Middle Grade/YA mystery and will introduce readers
to a famous boy pharaoh. I’m also working on a sequel to Guinevere. I’ve had several readers ask me what becomes of
Guinevere’s friend Cedwyn, so I’m exploring a storyline there. And, somewhere
soon, I’m going to do a Young Knights series
around the current characters and other young knight characters. Enough to keep
me busy for a few years!
Cheryl Carpinello is the author of award-winning "Guinevere: On the Eve of Legend" and the CLC Silver Award Recipient & Recommended Read The King's Ransom (Young Knights of the Round Table) from MuseItUp Publishing
