Building Character with Rosa from Sons of the Sphinx

It’s Friday! Time for Building Character in which you get to meet characters from a book. Talking to a character outside of their book is fun! Huge. Amounts. Of fun. 

This week Strands of Thought plays host to Rosa from Sons of the Sphinx. Glad you could make it today, Rosa. Can you tell our readers a little about yourself, please?

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.

Well that sounds sort of sad, Rosa, but I admit, I’m really curious about why you’re on the outskirts. What kind of conflict are you up against?

OMG. That is a loaded question. I mean, I’m 15. Conflicts are part of my daily life! Passing my classes. Trying to get a date for school dances. Dealing with Nana’s gift nearly every day while I try not to lose my mind.

Oh, I bet you’re talking about in the story. Right, I should have known that. Well, without giving too much away, my ability to hear dead people talk pits me against an evil man, introduces me to the most handsome boy I’ve ever seen, and puts my life in danger. Sounds great doesn’t it? Nope. Not at all.

Oh, wow! Hearing dead people does not sound fun at all. The cute guy does, though. So tell us more about you. What’s your strongest personality trait?

That would have to be my sarcastic humor. When you have a gift like mine, you need something to fall back on. Here are a few instances of it:

“It would be something to tell my, my…Right, I could tell the kids in my classes that I went to ancient Egypt with the ghost of King Tut. Can you hear the death knell? Bring out the strait jacket.”

“Most girls I know have had at least one boyfriend and have even gone on dates, even it is was with a group of kids. Me, the last time I held hands with a boy was in the fourth grade. We went on a trip to the zoo, and I had to hold hands with red-headed Erik as the we crossed the road…How sad it that?”

“In front of me is desert, sand, open sky, and heat for as far as I can see. Already sweat is starting to run down my face and neck. I thought gym class was bad. I’m not even moving here, and it’s as if a river is coursing through me. I sweat more standing still in this country than I ever did playing basketball.”

Ha! I guess I should have guessed that, but I love the extra examples. If you could change one thing in this world, what would you change?

I would make it so my Nana was still alive. I know that sounds self-centered, but she left me with her gift and didn’t give me any advice. I’m not sure what I’m supposed to do with it. It scares me, really scares me sometimes. I often wonder if she was ever scared. Now that I’ve been through this experience, I long to talk with her about it—to see if there is a way to go out and do good with it, not just wait around and see what happens.


Aw, I wish I could help. That isn’t exactly something you can Google, huh? Thanks for visiting with us today, Rosa. Readers, here is more about Rosa’s story, Sons of the Sphinx (which just won the 2014 Literary Classis Silver Medal in the Pre-Teen/Tween category.)

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.


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 also 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.

Buy Links:

Sons of the Sphinx: Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MVGC96Y/

Sons of the Sphinx: Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/469860

Sons of the Sphinx: Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sons-of-the-sphinx-cheryl-carpinello/1120481788?ean=2940046213232

Sons of the Sphinx: iBookstore: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/sons-of-the-sphinx/id925912370?mt=11&uo=4

And here’s the scoop on Rosa’s author:

Cheryl Carpinello is a retired high school English teacher with a love for the ancient and medieval worlds. She has traveled through both, and she hopes to inspire young people to read more through her ancient and medieval tales.

Contact Information:

Blog: Carpinello’s Writing Pages  http://carpinelloswritingpages.blogspot.com

Website: Beyond Today Educator  http://www.beyondtodayeducator.com

Good Reads:   http://www.goodreads.com/cherylcarpinello

Twitter Home Page: https://twitter.com/ccarpinello

Linkedin Page:  www.linkedin.com/pub/cheryl-carpinello/25/671/a02

Google URL: https://plus.google.com/110918922081424857545/

Pinterest:  http://www.pinterest.com/ccarpine/

Amazon Author Page:  http://www.amazon.com/Cheryl-Carpinello/e/B002GGGZY6

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cheryl.carpinello1
***

If you have a character from a children’s, middle grade or young adult book you’d like to see featured on Building Character, contact Kai via email: kaistrand at yahoo dot com.

Comments

  1. ccarpinelloOctober 17, 2014 at 8:28 AM

    Thanks for hosting Rosa, Kai!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Meradeth HoustonOctober 17, 2014 at 6:15 PM

    Very fun interview! Love the excerpts and tastes of what the book's like!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kai Strand, AuthorOctober 17, 2014 at 8:11 PM

      I love character interviews! Thanks for visiting, Meradeth.

      Delete
    2. ccarpinelloOctober 19, 2014 at 1:45 PM

      Thanks for stopping by, Meradeth. Nice to know the interview came across okay.

      Delete

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