Padme's Library: Sons of the Sphinx by Cheryl Carpinello

Thursday, July 16, 2015

Sons of the Sphinx by Cheryl Carpinello

Title: Sons of the Sphinx

Author: Cheryl Carpinello

Series: The Quest Books

Genre: YA Historical Time Travel

Release Date: October 10, 2014

Publisher: Beyond Today Educator

Cover Design: Bernistevens Design

Summary:
Two souls

Separated by three millennium

One with a gift that is more like a curse

One on an almost impossible quest

Destinies entwined; one seeks to find herself while the other seeks his lost queen. To succeed, the pair must right the injustices 3,000 years in the past.

Only together can they fulfill The Prophecy, but in the process they must defeat the Pharaoh Horemheb.

Dishonor and death are the fate of the defeated.

Before us, nearly filling up the room and taller than either of us, stands the golden shrine of Tutankhamun. I remembered what else lay in that room. Inside that shrine are three more, each a bit smaller than the outside one. All tucked inside each other like those nesting dolls from my grandmother’s childhood. Inside the last shrine were the four sarcophagi of Tut, each displaying him in golden and jeweled splendor.

The last one holds the famed mask of the golden boy. And beneath that, the body of the young pharaoh who now stands here before me. Beyond my understanding, he has been given back his human form, allowed to return one last time to restore honor to his family, one last time to find his true love. And here I am, trying to help, trying to understand, trying to stay alive. Will I ever be able to go home again? Or will I become as lost as Hesena?

Rosa: Hi! I’m Rosa. I’m 15 years old and a sophomore in high school. I’m your typical teenager—well, almost. I don’t have many friends anymore, but it’s hard to blame the other kids. If I was them, I’d probably steer clear of me too, at least most of the time. No one is ever mean to me; I’ve grown up with most of them, and on my bad days, they try to ignore me. Wish I could do the same to those who talk to me. Mostly I just shake my head and carry on. It helps that I have a sarcastic sense of humor.

My daily life consists of trying to pass all my classes, getting a date for school dances, and dealing with Nana’s gift nearly every day while I try not to lose my mind.

Tut: My name is Nebkheperure Tutanhkame. I ascended the throne of Egypt upon the death of my father, Pharaoh Akhenaten. There has been much speculation in modern day on my death. My concern is finding the final resting place of my beloved queen, Ankhesenamun and making right that which was wronged centuries ago.

1. What is the biggest influence/interest that brought you to this genre?
Working with my students. Over the years I’ve run into readers of all types. The ones who fascinated me weren’t the ones who read everything in sight, but the ones who could read but chose to spend their time doing other activities. It was only when we started our Arthurian Legend unit and read the stories from the ancient worlds that these kids sat up, picked up the books, and actually read. So now I write Arthurian Legend for ages 9-13 and ancient tales for ages 12+. It’s my hope to entice these reluctant readers early on in exploring books.

2. When writing a book, what is your favorite part of the creative process(outline, plot, character names, editing, etc)?
Editing is my favorite part. My first draft is just a rough outline of the story I’m creating. The subsequent drafts bring life to my characters and story.

3. When reading a book, what genre do you find most interesting/intriguing?
I love international spy thrillers. This goes back to my first read of Robert Ludlum’s The Bourne Identity so long ago. His books are ones that I reread often.

4. If you could co-author with any author, past or present, who would you choose?
That’s a tough one. I think maybe Shakespeare—the twists and turns in his plays were masterpieces. I emolated his technique in my 2nd Arthurian tale: Young Knights of the Round Table: The King’s Ransom. Took a lot of planning and changing, but the twists and turns came off quite well.

5. Have you always wanted to write or did it come to you later in life?
I’ve written or made up stories since I was a kid. Over the years, I tried my hand at romances that will never ever see the light of day! Just not comfortable with that genre. Once I knew what I wanted to write, I just built those stories in my head until I had the time to write them out. That wasn’t until I retired from teaching in 2007.

Author Bio:
I am a retired high school English teacher. A devourer of books growing up, my profession introduced me to writings and authors from times long past. Through my studies and teaching, I fell in love with the Ancient and Medieval Worlds. Now, I hope to inspire young readers to read more through my Quest Books set in these worlds.