This week, we're pleased to again welcome author Cheryl Carpinello with her latest release, SONS OF THE SPHINX. One lucky visitor will get a free copy of Sons of the Sphinx. Be sure to leave your email address in the comments of today's author interview for a chance to win. Winner(s) are contacted privately by email. Here's the blurb.
Armed with what she considers her grandmother’s curse, 15-year-old Rosa agrees to help the ghost of King Tut find his lost queen Hesena. Though Hesena’s ba inhabits part of Rosa, finding the whole spirit of Hesena so that she and Tut can be together for the first time in over 3500 years proves to be a harder task than Rosa first thinks. Thrust back into Ancient Egypt with Tut, Rosa discovers that finding Hesena is not all she must do. She must keep out of the reach of the living Horemheb—who crosses mortal boundaries using Seth’s evil magic—if she is to stay alive to make it back home.
Armed with what she considers her grandmother’s curse, 15-year-old Rosa agrees to help the ghost of King Tut find his lost queen Hesena. Though Hesena’s ba inhabits part of Rosa, finding the whole spirit of Hesena so that she and Tut can be together for the first time in over 3500 years proves to be a harder task than Rosa first thinks. Thrust back into Ancient Egypt with Tut, Rosa discovers that finding Hesena is not all she must do. She must keep out of the reach of the living Horemheb—who crosses mortal boundaries using Seth’s evil magic—if she is to stay alive to make it back home.
** Q&A with Cheryl Carpinello**
Only to say thank
you for hosting me, and also thanks to your readers for stopping by. I’d also
be interested in any of their journeys.
Buy Links
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MVGC96Y/
November’s theme is Curses and Cures. How
does Sons of the Sphinx fit into this month’s theme?
Sons of the Sphinx is about 15-year-old Rosa and her
inheritance from her Nana. This is not a monetary or material inheritance. It is the ability to hear dead people. Some
people might consider this an extraordinary gift. Rosa views it as a curse.
While her Nana
lived, Rosa was entertained by her stories of the conversations she had with
dead people. Then in the fourth grade when Rosa had a girlfriend spend the night,
her Nana told them one of those stories. The girl went home the next day and
told her mom. After a heated discussion over the phone with the girl’s mother,
Rosa’s mom forbade Nana from talking about her ability with Rosa.
A few days before
her death, Nana came into Rosa’s room and explained that this ability would
pass to Rosa when she departed this life. Rosa’s life changed for what she
considered the worse. Dead people would talk to her at school, and while she
tried to ignore them, there were times when she just got mad and hollered at
them. Try that in a classroom of other 15-year-olds and see the reaction you
get.
It wasn’t long
before Rosa became convinced that her Nana’s gift was no gift. It was a curse.
As for the cure? Readers will have to find that out for themselves.
What made you choose ancient Egypt for your
historical setting?
I’ve always been
fascinated with ancient times, and Egypt is at the center of my fascination.
Ancient Egypt is mysterious, mystic, and romantic to many people, including my
target audience: young readers.
I didn’t really
consider doing a story set then until after my visit to Egypt in 2008 and the
tour of King Tut’s memorabilia in the US. An idea for a story around Tut’s life
started to grow. In fact, that story is told by Tut himself in my short
historical Tutankhamen Speaks. While
that was a fun write, it turned out it wasn’t the story I wanted to tell. I
wanted an adventure and to set that adventure in ancient Egypt with Tut sounded
like an interesting story.
Why do you choose to write middle
grade/tween/YA novels?
Coming from 25
years of teaching high school students, I wanted to use my experience to engage
those readers and younger ones in the hopes of enticing them to read more. Sons of the Sphinx is geared more to
readers aged 14 and up. Also coming of age story, I believe it helps my readers
understand a little more about their lives. Rosa is a high school sophomore who
is desperate to find her place in life just as were the students I taught. As
she finds out, that place may not be where she wants to be, but she has to
learn how to make the best of it, or be miserable for the rest of her life.
My other stories
are Arthurian adventures for readers aged 8/9-12. These also carry the message of
how, even this young, kids are starting to wonder where they belong in the
grand scheme of the universe. Most of the time that journey to discovery is not
a smooth one, but is one that can be traveled
You’ve gathered
recognition for each of your books, something few writers do. Tell us about
this.
I’ve been very
blessed with my books. Part of that success comes from my years as a writing
instructor at the high school level. Understanding my audience and what drives
them—even when they don't—is also part of my success.
Guinevere: On the Eve of Legend: Finalist in the 2011 Global eBook Awards.
Young Knights of the Round Table: The King’s Ransom: Finalist in the 2012 USA Best Book Awards, Silver Award in Children’s Literary Classics 2012 Book Awards as well as their Seal of Approval, 2013 Evvy Merit Award from CIPA, and Gold Award in 2014 Global eBook Awards.
Tutankhamen Speaks: 2014 Evvy Merit Award from CIPA.
Sons of the Sphinx: Silver Award in Children’s Literary
Classics 2014 Books Awards and CLC’s Seal of Approval.
Explain, if you can, what makes your books
special.
This is a tough
one. I believe I mentioned two earlier: My experience as a teacher and my
ability to understand what motivates kids. To that I would have to add my
philosophy on life, which is based on Joseph Campbell’s idea of the Hero’s
Journey. The Hero With A Thousand Faces is really my Bible when I write. Campbell writes of the journey all of us embark on everyday of our lives: the search for self and worth. According to him, this is not a single journey, but one that is repeated throughout our lives. We face dangers, failures, and successes on each one.
Embedded within
all of my characters’ adventures is their quest to find themselves. This is for
them the first time they’ve really been able to explore their place in the
world. My readers are also experiencing this in their lives. However, my books
don’t preach or shout this out loud; instead, this journey is couched in an
exciting and often dangerous adventure. This type of story offers readers a
type of catharsis the old Greek playwrights used: Letting the audience
experience the emotions of the characters, while remaining somewhat safe. Those
plays also carried individual meaning for each of the audience members and were
very popular.
Any final words?
Buy Links
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MVGC96Y/
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/469860
Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sons-of-the-sphinx-cheryl-carpinello/1120481788?ean=2940046213232
Author Links
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