Sons of the Sphinx

It's release day for Sons of the Sphinx, and I couldn't be more excited!

I started writing this in May 2010, although the idea started growing back in May of 2008 when we spent three weeks visiting Egypt and it's ancient culture. Way back then, it seduced me and still calls to my soul. I will return someday to that ancient land.

Here are a couple of my favorite photos from that visit.

 

Recognition:

Sons of the Sphinx is already gathering excellent reviews from Readers' Favorite and Literary Classics, a Seal of Approval from the Literary Classics, and is a finalist in the 2014 Literary Classics Book Awards.

Enjoy this excerpt:

"'How do I even know that you're real and not just someone my crazy brain has made up?'

'Touch me, Roosa. You will see I'm real enough.'

Touch him? Is he as crazy as I am? Okay, so I'm going to touch him, just for my own peace of mind.

I reach out my hand, fingers extended, trying to reach him but not move from the wall. A crooked smile appears on his face. He takes a couple of steps forward, reaches out and touches me.

Lightning heat shoots out from him, races up my arm, switches direction and dives into my stomach. I snatch my hand back and grab my belly with both hands. The burning sensation knocks my knees out from under me. I slump to the floor, still leaning on the wall. The room spins, and my head swims. Tears mixed with stars blur my vision so there is no focusing. Not enough air in here; my chest tightens as if the lungs inside are ready to explode.

The burning sensation turns into a glow. My whole body's glowing! Blinking, I concentrate on the hand in front of me. Glowing, definitely glowing! Crazy. I have finally gone over the edge. I'm going crazy fast, and no one is home to save me.

Tut's eyes are a tangible weight as he stares at me. He stands there, not saying a word, his crooked smile replaced by tenderness, hope, concern? I rub my temples to ease the pounding pain that is suddenly present. Fear leaps through me like wildfire through dry grass. What is happening?

'I won't hurt you, Rosa.'

What? A girl's voice! I look around the room. No one else is here. I look at Tut; his eyes lock with mine. What is going on? I joke a lot about my gift being a curse, but this time I'm really afraid. Like the afraid of dying kind of fear."

I hope you travel with Rosa—my 15-year-old protagonist—back into that magical land as Rosa seeks to understand who she is and finds herself in a battle where failure could be death!

Where to Find Sons of the Sphinx:

Sons of the Sphinx is available as an eBook and in paperback (Barnes&Noble will stock paperback in a few days) from the following booksellers:

eBooks:

Amazon

Smashwords

Nook

iBookstore

Paperback:

Amazon

Reviews and recommendations are always welcome where you purchase the book and/or on Goodreads.

Young Knights of the Round Table: The King's Ransom 2013 MD Book Review Tour

Young Knights of the Round Table Blog Tour Schedule (2013)

September 9

Mother Daughter Book Reviews (Launch)

Victoria Simcox (Review)

September 10

The Wise Owl Factory Book A Day (Review + Supplement)

September 11

Fiona Ingram (Review)

September 12

Mary Sutton (Author Interview)

September 13

Tales of a Bookworm (Review)

Kid Lit Reviews (Review)

September 14

Jemima Pett (Review)

September 15

S.W. Lothian (Review)

September 16

Sher A Hart (Review)

September 17

Mother Daughter Book Reviews (Review)

Stitch Says (Author Interview)

September 18

Fiona Ingram (Author Interview)

September 19

Mommynificent (Review)

September 20

Nik's Picks Book Reviews (Guest Post)

September 21

Black Words - White Pages Kids (Review)

Create With Joy (Review)

September 22

WhenIgrowupIwannawriteakidsbook (Review)

September 23

Fantasy Fun With Kirsten Pulioff (Review)

Published Bestsellers (Review)

September 24

Stitch Says (Review)

September 25

Bookworm for Kids (Review)

September 26

Inkspired: A Blog (Review)

September 27

R.K. Grow- reading.writing.blogging. (Guest Post)

September 28

Mel's Shelves (Review)

September 29

Magical Middle-Grade Literature (Review)

September 30

Le Vanity Victorienne (Review)

Children's Book Week Giveaway Hop featuring Young Knights of the Round Table: The King's Ransom

To celebrate the Release of the paperback copy of 

Young Knights of the Round Table: The King's Ransom
I've invited the boys back to conduct the Virtual Tour of the Welsh settings found in the book. 

Also one lucky visitor will win their preferred eBook format of the award-winning book!

 

Enjoy a tour of the Welsh settings in The King's Ransom by The Young Knights themselves: Gavin, Bryan, and Philip. 

Sit back, munch on English scones with jam and clotted cream, and sip some English tea as you start your journey.  

English Scone w/jam and clotted cream

English Tea

         

First stop is the historic Pembroke Castle in southern Wales

 

Pembroke Castle

 Hi! Gavin here.  Wanted to show you my home. Well, not really my home. When I grew up, castles were made mostly of wood. Oh we had some stone inside the castle keep, but not much. Over the centuries, the wood rotted, and eventually my home was abandoned by my descendents.

Around 1093, the castle pictured above was built. In 1457, Harri Tudur, also known as Henry VII, was born there.

Today, Pembroke Castle, along with its surrounding grounds, is maintained by a Private Charitable Trust and is open for public tours year round. For more information, visit Pembroke Castle.

Next stop is Manorbier Castle which is also located in southern Wales. 

Manorbier Castle

In The King's Ransom, this is where my family's enemy lives. For years, Manorbier's King Edward has attempted to annex our family lands. The alliance between my father King Wallace and King Arthur put an end to Edward's schemes.

Today, Manorbier Castle enjoys a happier connection: It appears in the movie The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe!

I have heard that now people can actually stay in the castle and in the village. If you would like to learn more, visit Manorbier Castle.


Lunch Stop! Are you hungry? thirsty? Ready for a little diversion?

I am. Hi there. Bryan speaking. Fishguard on the coast has the greatest pubs. We're stopping today at the Royal Oak Pub

Royal Oak Pub

for a special treat: Cornish Pasty with Welsh ale or beer.  For our younger members of the tour,  Ginger beer is on tap!

 

Our author, Cheryl Carpinello, makes these also. What a great meal!

Cornish Pasty

Ginger Beer

Full? No time for a nap. We've arranged for a mock sword fight by none other than Medieval Knights!

Wow! That was exciting! But Philip keeps pulling on my sleeve. He waiting to take you to the final locations. Hope you are enjoying yourself.

I'm Philip. We're on our way to the final two locations before nightfall.

From Fishguard, we'll head back south along the coast to Cardigan Bay. This location plays at important part in our story. We all come to Bryan's rescue here, but don't tell anyone! You can read all about it in The King's Ransom.

Cardigan Bay

The bay looks calm here, but in a storm, the sea ravishes both sand and humans. Unlike when we were there, Cardigan Bay now offers visitors sandy beaches and dolphins in the sea. To learn more about this seaside village, visit Cardigan Bay.


Final stop on our tour is St. David's Head.

St. David's Head

This shows all the beauty of St. David's, but wait until you try climbing up to the top in the dark and in driving rain! Oops, don't think I was supposed to tell you that.

Philip! I said not to give anything away.

I'm sorry, Cheryl. I'll just tell them how to find out more about St. David's Head.

Well, hurry up. Their tour bus is ready to leave.

To find out more, visit St. David's Head. 

Thanks for visiting us and our locations in Wales. We hope you buy and read our story Young Knights of the Round Table: The King's Ransom.

Gavin, do you think Cheryl will write us another story?

We'll have to see, Philip. I know she's been thinking of it. Any idea where Bryan went?

There he is!

Where, Philip? I don't see him.

He's in the tour bus! And it's leaving!

Hey, wait for us! Wait! Bryan, tell the driver to wait!

Gavin, slow down. I can't run that fast.

If you don't, Philip, you'll be walking all the way back to Pembroke Castle!

Thank you for visiting. I hope you enjoyed the tour of Wales, and we all hope you enjoy Young Knights of the Round Table: The King's Ransom!

 

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Meet Tween/YA Author Tammy Lowe

Today we welcome Tween/YA author Tammy Lowe who also belongs to my favorite profession: teaching.


A bit about Tammy in her own words:

I live up here in the Great White North with my husband of twenty years and our teenage son. From September to June, I am surrounded by preschoolers and covered in glitter and glue. Once school is out, I grab my hubby and our son, and we are off on some grand adventure. We’ve explored pyramids in Egypt and sailed down a river in rural China on a tiny raft. We’ve slept in the tower of a 15th century Scottish castle, searched for the Loch Ness Monster, and have even dined at a Bedouin camp in the Arabian Desert. I love to explore this amazing world of ours.


Why did you pick to write books for Tween/Young Adults?

It wasn’t a conscious decision. I wrote the story that was inside me and the tween/young adult genre is where my “voice” naturally fits in.

What types of books do you like to read?

I seem to gravitate toward action packed adventures. I love Suzanne Collins, Sidney Sheldon, Wilbur Smith…the list goes on and on. Anne of Green Gables and Jane Eyre are my two all-time favourite books though.

Tell us about The Acadian Secret and how the story came to be.

As a kid, I loved to read books and watch shows like Little House on the Prairie and Anne of Green Gables. I loved anything set in the “olden days”.

When I was about ten years old, I began to wonder about time travel. My biggest wish was that I’d end up back in the pioneer era. I wanted to go and hang out with spoiled Nellie Olsen. I don’t remember why I wished for Nellie over Laura Ingalls, but I think it had something to do with the fact that her parents owned the candy shop.

I had it all figured out. I didn’t want to live in the 18th or 19th century; I’d miss my family too much. And I can’t live without modern comforts. I wanted the freedom to travel back and forth through time.

So strong was my wish to time travel, I even dressed the part, as much as I could, without raising anyone’s suspicions. I wore dresses to school every day, when all my friends wore jeans and t-shirts. I had to be prepared just in case it worked, and I was whisked through time. That summer, I even begged my mom to buy me a bonnet. She did. I wore that white bonnet everywhere. If I ended up in Walnut Grove or Avonlea, I was prepared. (Yes, I embraced my inner dork.)

By the sixth grade I was old enough to realize that time travel probably wasn’t going to be a reality for me, so I decided that when I grew up, I’d write a book about a girl who could travel back and forth through time. The Acadian Secret is a Tween/YA Paranormal Action-Adventure about a young girl who can…time travel.

Here's a brief glimpse at The Acadian Secret:

Elisabeth London is keeping her new friends a secret from her parents. Not only do they live on the other side of the world in the Scottish Highlands, they lived more than three hundred and fifty years ago. Her mom and dad would never allow her to go gallivanting about seventeenth century Scotland.  They won’t even let her go to the mall by herself yet.

Twelve-year-old Elisabeth is old enough to know there is no such thing as magic, but when her quartz crystal necklace has the power to transport her back and forth in time, she no longer knows what to think. The only thing she is certain of is that she loves spending carefree days with Quinton, the mischievous nephew of a highland warrior, and sassy little Fiona, a farmer’s daughter.

However, Elisabeth’s adventures take a deadly turn when she is charged with witchcraft. At a time and place in history when witch-hunts were common, those found guilty were executed, children included. Elisabeth must race to find her way back home, while trying to stay one step ahead of the witch-hunter determined to see her burned at the stake.

What’s next for your writing? Are you working on a new story?

Yes. I am in the middle of researching and writing the next part of Elisabeth’s adventure.

Where can readers find you and your books?

 I can be found at:


www.tammylowe.com

http://museituppublishing.com/

Young Knights of the Round Table Release Announced!

Young Knights of the Round Table: The King's Ransom will be released in eBook format on May 25, 2012. Copies will be available in Kindle, Nook, Sony, Html, and PDF format for $3.50 at MuseItUp Publishing's Book Store. 


Please join me for the on-line Launch Party May 25 and 26 at MuseItUp Publishing and here on my blog. Lots of food and drink and all of it calorie-free!


The paperback version will be released later in the summer or early fall. 


I look forward to sharing my newest adventure with you!

Pre-Launch for Young Knights of the Round Table: The King's Ransom

Welcome! 

I hope you will enjoy a chilled glass of mead or ale and chocolate-covered strawberries as you view the Young Knights’ cover.

Eat! Look! Drink! Read! and be Merry!

For all visitors today, please leave a comment to enter to win a free ebook of Young Knights of the Round Table: The King’s Ransom after the official launch. If you are unable to leave a comment, please send me a message via FB or DM @ccarpinello.

Kaytalin Platt, my Muse cover artist, designed this.

Back Cover

In medieval Wales, eleven-year-old Prince Gavin, thirteen-year-old orphan Philip, and fifteen-year-old blacksmith's apprentice Bryan are brought together in friendship by one they call the Wild Man. When an advisor to the king is killed and a jewelled medallion is stolen from the king’s treasury, the Wild Man is accused of the theft and murder. 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.  

Testimonial:

The adventures these future Young Knights of the Round Table experience in their quest to save their friend are filled with the fantasy and adventure story elements that children love to read. There’s a villain, secret passages in castles, swordplay, and even a witch. And with King Arthur’s appearance, astonishing secret identities being revealed, and a happy ending, what more could anyone want in a good read? —Tyler R. Tichelaar, Ph.D. and author of “King Arthur’s Children: A Study in Fiction and Tradition”

I’ve also included a short excerpt from the book for you to read. Grab another drink and some more strawberries and enjoy!  

Excerpt 

Chapter One:   Gavin

Gavin bounded down the keep steps, eager to discover the cause of the cacophony echoing through the tower. The snorting and whinnying of horses competed with the voices of knights calling to each other across the courtyard. He stuffed his green tunic into his black breeches as he ran. In too much of a hurry to comb his hair, Gavin tried to smooth the brown cowlick with his fingers.

As the youngest prince of Pembroke Castle, Gavin dutifully attended his daily lessons. As a page, he was learning to handle a sword in battle and take care of the weapons, equipment, and horses of the knights. Soon to be a squire, he worried about how he would act in battle. Well, not exactly in battle. Squires tended the knights’ horses and guarded the supplies while they fought. The unspoken rule of warfare stated that squires couldn’t be put in danger. However, others in the castle had talked about the times the enemy had sent warriors behind the fighting to attack the supply line. Squires who hadn’t run away had been injured or killed.

Gavin worried about disgracing his family and the crown, worried that he would be scared enough to run or worse, get injured or killed.

The simple truth was, he was afraid.

Burying those thoughts, Gavin burst into the bailey courtyard amassed with horses and knights milling about. Dust swirled, choking the air, causing him to cough and sneeze. He recognized his older brother Robert across the chaotic courtyard and raised his hand in salute.

Robert led his black gelding over and handed Gavin the reins.

“Hi, Gav.” Robert tousled Gavin’s hair.

“What’s happening? Where are you going?”

“Someone broke into the throne room last night and stole the King’s Ransom...”

Gavin gasped. The medallion was made of gold and embedded with emeralds so dark the jewels looked black except in the sunlight. Then the deep green had sparkled lighter and reminded him of the first blades of grass pushing up through the dark earth in the spring. The tremendous weight of the medallion required him to use both hands when holding it.

Stories passed down said that a traitor over the channel had used it to force a king to ransom his kingdom. To be in possession of it meant to be in possession of power. Many men wanted that power. Gavin’s grandfather’s grandfather had found it as a young man during the siege of a French castle. Though only seventeen, that prince had recognized its importance and had risked his life to bring it home. To protect his find, he’d spent the night in a storeroom listening to the screams of the defeated forces and the drunken laughter of the victors. He’d presented it to his father, and it had been in the possession of the King of Pembroke Castle ever since.

 “...and killed one of our men,” Robert finished, breaking into his thoughts.


Thanks for stopping by! Don’t forget to leave a comment via FB or DM @ccarpinello!

My Muse author page: https://museituppublishing.com/bookstore2/index.php
My Amazon author page: amazon.com/author/cherylcarpinello
My IAN author page: http://www.independentauthornetwork.com/cheryl-carpinello.html

New Tween Books for E-Readers

Take a look at Muse It Up Publishing's March 2012 Tween releases.

Summer of the Eagles by Ros Gemmell

Cover Designer: Kaytalin Platt

Thirteen year old Stephanie (Stevie) loses her parents in a terrible accident, leaving her lame. Stevie’s dreams of running for Scotland are over. No longer able to cope with Stevie’s moods, Gran sends her to an aunt on a Scottish island.
Although Stevie gradually makes new friends and discovers an interest in the bird sanctuary, she soon falls into danger from two bird poachers intent on harming the eagles.
A strange boy in the hills helps Stevie. Could he have anything to do with the eagles or the painted rocks and legends of the island?

Ros Gemmell is a Scottish freelance writer of published short stories and articles in the UK, U.S., and online. Three of her children’s stories are published in different anthologies and her first historical novel, Dangerous Deceit, was published in May 2011. Summer of the Eagles is her first novel for the tween age group. Stop by Ros's website to learn more.

The Younger Days by Mike Hays

Cover Designer: Kaytalin Platt

Even a decade after the Civil War, the evil deeds carried out in the Border War for "Bloody" Kansas are not forgotten. Hate and revenge still rule the hearts of some, while others wish only to forget and disappear.
In the beginning, Boy Smyth has a dull Missouri farm life and a burning desire to be an outlaw like his hero, Cole Younger.
In the end, Boy Smyth has five dead bodies and two burning buildings at his farm and the most feared man in the United States crying outside his front gate.
And that desire for the outlaw life? It's purged completely from his system.

Mike Hays is a lifelong Kansan and works as a molecular microbiologist. He has been a strength and conditioning coach, a football coach, and a baseball coach. He has published three non-fiction football coaching articles, co-authored several scientific papers and is the co-inventor on two US patents. Stop by Mike's website to learn more.