2014 Literary Classics Silver Medal Winner for PreTeen/Tween
Literary Classics 2014 Seal of Approval
When 15-year-old Rosa agrees to help the ghost of King Tut find his lost queen Hesena, she doesn't count on falling for him. And once back in Ancient Egypt, 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 is based on the schism that shot through ancient Egypt when, according to historians, the Pharaoh Akhenatenturned his back on Thebes and the gods of Egypt. He built his own city to honor his god the Aten, and he insisted that the people of Egypt do the same. Along with this, he supposedly refused to send troops to defend Egypt's borders thus incurring the wrath of the then General Horemheb. When Tutankhamen becomes pharaoh, he reverses Akhenaten's proclamations and returns the governing center to Thebes and the worship back to the god Amun.
However, the damage has been done, and by the time Horemheb attains pharaoh status, he has proclaimed the betrayal of the Egyptian people by Akhenaten so widely and so much, all members of the family including Tutankhamen and Ankhsenamun and Ay are dishonored. Horemheb further insults the family by defacing Ay's tomb after his death. It is Ay's decision before his death to ensure that Ankhsenamun is not subject to dishonor by keeping her final resting place a secret.
The historical significance of my story is the main reason I was able to write Sons of the Sphinx. Needing to help right a wrong done over 3000 years ago and reunite the boy king with his queen (whose tomb has yet to be identified or found), allows my protagonist Rosa the opportunity to come to terms with who she is and what her place is in this world.
February 28th Sons of the Sphinx FREE!
Author Bio
I’m a twice-retired high school (ages 14-18) English teacher from Colorado having taught for 25 years. I love working with my students, and now I write for middle graders and early teens. My books are written for reluctant readers, but are enjoyed by any who love adventures and quests. It is my love of the ancient and medieval worlds that provides my settings for my stories.
Excerpt from Chapter 6 of Sons of the Sphinx by Cheryl Carpinello
A tall man stands and motions at the door. His lips
are moving, but I can’t hear a word. A cone-shaped hat sits on his head and a
kilt-like garment swishes against his legs.
Light sparkles off the huge jeweled necklace that rests on his bare
chest. It appears to sway as he breathes. Good thing the necklace is pretty
because he is ugly. Oops, I’m not supposed to say that. But talk about an
unattractive man. It’s his nose—so square and large—that really makes him that
way.
Sitting next to him is the most beautiful woman I’ve
ever seen. Black hair frames her delicate face, an older version of
Ankhesenamun’s, and earrings shaped as gold eyes dangle from her tiny ears. Her
bare shoulders sparkle like glitter above a golden gown that flows down her
slender body. It is gathered at the waist with a jewel-encrusted belt. She
looks stunning and totally unaffected by the huge elephant.
“Who are those two?” I ask, nodding my head in their
direction. Tut averts his eyes from the scene in front of us.
“That is my father, Akhenaten.”
“Oh.” I can’t seem to manage any more than that. They
don’t really look like father and son, but then I don’t see the resemblance
between my dad and me. My grandmother always said I favored him.
“And that is his wife and Hesena’s mother, Nefertiti.”
Well, you could knock me over with a feather. This is
the most talked about queen in all of Egyptian history. Everything I’ve read
says that her beauty knows no comparison. The evidence stands right here in
front of me.
I look back to Tut’s father. How in the world does
someone that beautiful marry someone like that?
I’m having trouble taking all this in. Akhenaten,
Nefertiti, Tut, Hesena—and me—all in the same room, well sort of anyway. I’m
beginning to wonder where I’m headed and how I’m going to get home. Nerves make
my stomach flip uneasily.
Chills come over me like my blood is made up of ice
water running throughout my body. I shiver. I try to shrink behind Tut. Evil. I remember how my grandmother
would describe these feelings. Rosa, she would say. It feels like someone is
walking over my grave. I would look at her, not understanding. She wasn’t dead.
How in the world could someone walk over her grave? I know now. And whoever is
doing the walking leaves evil in each of his footprints.
The king and the other Tut follow the elephant out a
side door, and Hesena trails behind.
Nefertiti walks by, elegant and regal. Her imperial
gaze halts any who might think to precede her. One by one, the people stand
aside and bow their heads as she floats past. Her gaze sweeps over us, but it
is not evil, just interested, as if she senses something where we stand.
“She can’t see us, can she?”
“No, Roosa. My people cannot see us. It is not
allowed. Come, let’s follow,” he says. “I want to show you my father’s zoo.”
“Your father has a zoo! No way. No one owns a zoo,
no...” I stop short. Tut’s image wavers before me. I suck in air, but my lungs
feel empty. Pulsing blood thunders through my body. My fingers turn white at
the knuckles as I clutch his hand. It’s as if I’ve just been punched in the
stomach. Evil envelopes me, threatening to squeeze the life out of me. Please
body, breathe! Am I dying? How can this be? No one can see us!
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