
I write Quest stories that eventually will span time from Medieval times to Ancient Egypt to the island of Atlantis, so far!
My hope is to reach reluctant readers with my Arthurian Tales and soon a series of stories from ancient lands and legends that will take readers on adventurous quests throughout history.
I love to travel, and so my other job is with a major airline. My favorite trip was a three week visit to Egypt with my husband that included traveling by local train from one end of Egypt to the other.
BBB: What inspired you to become an author?
CC: I’ve always written, but it was my high school teaching career that inspired my Arthurian Legend stories and now the stories from the ancient worlds starting with Ancient Egypt. I want to encourage young readers to continue reading and those reluctant readers to pick up an exciting tale and go along for the ride.

CC: I have two Arthurian Legend stories. Guinevere: On the Eve of Legend introduces readers to the Princess Guinevere on the eve of her thirteenth birthday. Her father’s gift is her betrothal to the older King Arthur. Young Knights of the Round Table: The King’s Ransom tells the stories of three friends who take the knight’s vow to prove their mentor innocent of murder charges. They vow to succeed or die trying. Each of these books has a companion eBook with additional information and stories: King Arthur’s Story and Behind the Scenes of the Young Knights.
My stories from the Ancient world start with Tutankhamen Speaks. Tut talks from beyond the afterlife and tells about his life growing up, his time as pharaoh, his marriage, and his death. It is the companion book to Sons of the Sphinx which is an exciting time travel adventure involving two teens who live over four millenniums apart.

CC: Somewhere deep in my subconscious and from my love of the ancient and medieval worlds. These are stories that I would loved to have read--and still do--in my younger years. While real-life adventures are physically challenging and sometimes dangerous, between the pages of a book those same adventures bring excitement, danger, and new worlds to readers. I pick an ancient/medieval world, and then I develop the adventure I would love in that world.
BBB: Tell us about your newest book Sons of the Sphinx.
CC: Sons of the Sphinx comes out of my fascination Ancient Egypt. My character Rosa is just as fascinated. When given the chance to go back to the time of the Pharaohs, she hesitates but not for long. Tutankhamen’s request to help him find his lost queen Hesena touches her 15-year-old heart, but she is unprepared for the reality and the dangers of that time period. She and Tut scramble to complete their quest before the evil Horemheb can end their lives and before any trace of Hesena is gone forever.

CC: I have two projects.
One is a sequel to Guinevere. It is Guinevere: At the Dawn of Legend--Cedwyn’s Story. It takes place 3 years later and shows the growth of Guinevere, but focuses on her friend Cedwyn’s finding his place as a knight of a queen. The timeline for this is 2015, but it will be close.
My other project is the first story in my trilogy Feathers of the Phoenix. These books will visit the ancient/medieval worlds that I would love to see. The books will be, in order, The Atlantean Horse, The Ashes of Pompeii, and The Norse Star. A grandfather draws his grandson and grand-daughter into his the search for the feathers of the last Phoenix bird before those fall into the wrong hands. I’m still working out the details and building those worlds. I’m hoping the trilogy will be available starting in 2016.

CC: I have 3 websites that I try to keep current.
My blog Carpinello’s Writing Pages
http://carpinelloswritingpages.blogspot.com is where I interview authors of children/middle grade/tween/YA books.
My own website is Beyond Today Educator
http://www.beyondtodayeducator.com. All my books ,current and future, are here as well as information on school/group visits and writing workshops that I offer.
My newest website I share with two other authors: Fiona Ingram and Wendy Leighton-Porter. We are 3 authors from 3 continents who write fabulous adventure quest stories for MG/Tween readers. Please stop by. This month we have a surprise for all those who visit and sign up for our newsletter!