Ancient Tales and Legends
By Cheryl Carpinello
Both Tutankhamen Speaks
and Sons of the Sphinx are told through First Person POV (Point of View)
but for different reasons. Tutankhamen really gave me no choice. As he told me,
“It’s my story. Who else is going to tell it?” I couldn’t argue with his logic
because when I tried to write his story, my words lacked the personal emotion
of his words. Here’s a couple of snippets which illustrate that he was the only
one to tell his story.
Because Tutankhamen’s
father, the Pharaoh Akhenaten, dared to outlaw the worship of all gods but the
Aten, he and his family were nearly wiped from ancient records and monuments.
Recalling this time, Tutankhamen says,
My father was not popular with the Egyptian people because
he chose to devote his life to the worship of the Aten. Many felt that this
worship combined with his refusal to arm Egypt’s borders disrupted Maat...
I sometimes felt that Father was as disappointed in the
Egyptian people as they were in him.
One scene Tutankhamen
described still brings tears to my eyes when I read it. He describes the loss
of their second daughter during birth.
I heard Ankhesenamun’s voice distorted in pain...I heard it
all. Almost.
I looked at Ay. His head hung on his chest...My breath
refused to come. Shakes took over my body. I tried to stand but my legs refused
to obey me the Pharaoh of Egypt! The ruler of the greatest country in the world
could not even stand as the realization numbed my body.
I wanted Sons of the
Sphinx to be Rosa’s story first and foremost. To make her real to my
readers, the other characters’ actions needed to be told from Rosa’s point of
view, i.e. through her innocent eyes. In addition, I wanted her sarcastic humor
to help define her and her struggle with her Nana’s gift. The only way to do
that was to have Rosa tell the story. The following short snippets illustrate
Rosa’s unique story-telling voice.
Upon learning that Tut’s
father was given an elephant for a gift:
“Your father got
elephants for gifts?” I can’t believe what I heard. An elephant, an elephant?
All I got for my last birthday was a blue sweater, a couple of books, and some
gift cards.
Rosa on her arrival in
Egypt:
How people live in this
oven is beyond me. Even the sweat pouring down my back is hot. So much for the
premise that a person’s body perspiring cools them off. I keep wiping the
stinging saltwater from my eyes. My feet slide in my soggy shoes making it hard
to walk. Be lucky if I don’t have blisters. Never knew a person had this much
water in them.
And who better to describe
the feeling of a 15-year-old girl being scolded than a 15-year-old girl:
He looks at me and
frowns. I see something in his eyes, briefly, that mirrors the disappointment
in my dad’s eyes the day the cops brought me home. I ditched school after one
of those talking ghost episodes. They picked me up at the shopping mall an hour
before school was out. An hour! I have all the luck. I cough as my throat
tickles in an irritating way.
From over 3000 years ago comes the voice of the Boy King.
Scrolls found buried in the basement of the Egyptian Museum. Transcribed in an ancient hand. Record the words of King Tut for all to read.
Tutankhamen answers all of the lingering questions, including the big one.
Discover the real story behind this famous pharaoh. Transport yourself back to an Ancient Egypt filled with mystery, magic, and danger!
Amazon eBook: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00E18KH46
Amazon Print: https://www.amazon.com/dp/149615536X
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A grandmother’s gift usually bring happiness. Rosa’s gift: a very different story. Hearing the dead alienated her from classmates. Not good for a 15-year-old.
Many times very insistent, the dead cared little for her surroundings. They even bothered her in class. Dates? Forget that.
Then one day, he shows up in her room. An old dead guy. A really old famous dead guy. In living human form!
Thrilling story of battling good and evil in an ancient world.
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MVGC96Y
Amazon Print: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1912513951
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/sons-of-the-sphinx-1
Tolino: https://www.thalia.de/shop/home/artikeldetails/ID151524898.html
Vivlio: https://shop.vivlio.com/product/9781912513949_9781912513949_10020
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Scribd: https://www.scribd.com/book/505876516/Sons-of-the-Sphinx-Ancient-Tales-Legends-1
Cheryl Carpinello taught high school English for 25 years. During that time, she worked with numerous students who didn’t like to read for a variety of reasons. However, she discovered that even the most reluctant readers became engaged in the classroom and in reading when she introduced units on King Arthur and the works of ancient world writers. Upon retiring, she set out to write fast-paced, action-filled stories in these setting to encourage young readers to read more. When not writing, you can find her reading, spending time with family, and traveling.
“In 2008, my husband and I spent three weeks traveling around Egypt via train and visiting all those magnificent archeological sites. Since we returned home, Egypt has never been far from my thoughts. I truly believe that I left part of my soul in that ancient land. To satisfy my longing to return, I wrote Sons of the Sphinx and Tutankhamen Speaks.” Visit her on Twitter and Facebook.
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