It’s been a while since we’ve had a guest, but today we have the lovely Cheryl Carpinello, the creative mind behind SONS OF THE SPHINX, 2014 Literary Classics Silver Medal winner Preteen/YA. Plus, she’s offer to give two random commenters an e-copy of her TUTANKHAMEN SPEAKS. So don’t be shy, share your favorite read as a kid, the one that still makes you smile, and your email, and you could be one of our winners!
For me? Ohhh…Anne McCafferty’s Dragonriders of Pern (White Dragon) or even before that, Trixie Belden…
Without further ado, I give you Cheryl Carpinello…
If you were to hold a dinner party for six, who would you invite and share at least one question you would have for each.
My first guest would be Walt Disney. I would like to ask him how he ever came up with the idea of Disneyland and all of the rides. I would also ask him if he aware that he was creating such a magical world for kids and adults!
My second guest would be Plato. My question to him: Did you really visit Atlantis, and if so, would you tell me where it’s location was?
My third guest would be Bond, James Bond! I would like to ask him what has happened to all the Bond Girls he discarded. I would also ask him how one goes about getting to be a Bond Girl.
My fourth guest would be Elvis Presley. I would ask him to sing one song to me—“I Can’t Help Falling in Love With You.”
My fifth guest would be JRR Tolkien. My questions would be how did he come up with the different characters in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. I would also like to know how much his homeland of England contributed to his setting.
My sixth guest would be a double with Christopher Robin and Pooh. My question: Just how much fun was the 100-Acre Wood?
As children we tend to have an idea of what we want to be by the time we’re ten. What did you want to be?
I always wanted to be a teacher. I remember playing school in my bedroom. I would line up all my stuffed animals and dolls on the bed. Then I would pass out papers and books. It was later in life that I found the stories in my head that I write about now.
Many writers have that first novel which will never see the light of day. Out of curiosity, do you have one stashed somewhere?
Yes, I do. I was probably about 30, and I had been reading Harlequin Romances. I decided that I would try and write one. The title is Castles in the Sky. It is about a female war correspondent who sees her husband die in Beruit. She retreats to the Colorado Rockies and there, true to Harlequin themes, finds her next love.
What’s the one genre you won’t ever try and why?
That would be erotica. I can’t read it and really don’t want to. I know I can’t write it.
Now because Cheryl agreed to come visit, even she can’t escape our Bullet List. Ready? 1…2…3…go!
Blades, guns, fists, or feet?
Guns. I watched a lot of Westerns growing up at home.
Favorite Fairy Tale of all time?
Sleeping Beauty. It sounded so romantic.
Three titles/authors sitting on your nightstand waiting to be read.
Twenty Years After by Alexandre Dumas
The Nile by Toby Wilkinson
The Shadow of Camelot by Wendy Leighton-Porter
Greatest one-liner of all time?
Sept. 19, 2014. After driving around the UK for 3 weeks on the wrong (sorry those of you who live there) side of the road and wondering why my husband and I were still alive every night, the day we drive back to London I say to him, “I think I could even drive in London!”
Sarcastic witticism, Southern sweetness, or Geeky disdain?
Sarcastic witticism
Strangest item currently taking up space in your writing cave?
Toys, toys, and more toys belonging to our two grandsons, 6 and 1 1/2.
Favorite supernatural creature?
A dragon like Pete’s Dragon.
Now that we have you glued to your seat, ready to see why Cheryl’s story won the 2014 Literary Classics Silver Award?
Sons of the Sphinx, a time travel adventure
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 3300 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.
Sons of the Sphinx Buy Links:
Amazon Smashwords Nook iBookstore
Author Links
Author Sites
Other Books by Cheryl Carpinello
Guinevere: On the Eve of Legend – Amazon http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0025KUJ36
Young Knights of the Round Table: The King’s Ransom – MuseItUp Publishing book page: http://museituppublishing.com/bookstore/index.php/museityoung/action-adventure/the-king-s-ransom-detail
Tutankhamen Speaks – Amazon http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00E18KH46
Author Bio
I love the Ancient and Medieval Worlds! As a retired English teacher, I hope to inspire young readers to read more through my Quest Books. Please follow me on this adventure. Hook up with me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Goodreads, and Google.
Also please visit my other sites: Carpinello’s Writing Pages where I interview childrens/MG/Tween/YA authors; my home website Beyond Today Educator, and The Quest Books where I’ve teamed up with Fiona Ingram from South Africa and Wendy Leighton-Porter of England/France/Abu Dhabi to enable readers to find all of our Ancient and Medieval quest books in one place.
Don’t forget to leave your name, email, and which book was your favorite as a kid in our comments, because you know you want a copy of Cheryl’s Tutankhamen Speaks!