BOOK INFORMATION
TITLE – Young Knights of the Round Table: The King’s Ransom
AUTHOR – Cheryl Carpinello
GENRE – Middle Grade Arthurian Legend
PUBLICATION DATE – 2016/2012
LENGTH (Pages/# Words) – 120 Pages
PUBLISHER – Beyond Today Educator
COVER ARTIST – Kaytalin Platt
BOOK SYNOPSIS
Answer the hero's call to Adventure with the Young Knights of the Round Table on their Quest.
Three friends. Three quests. Three mysterious predictions.
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.
BUY & TBR LINKS
AMAZON KINDLE US – AMAZON KINDLE CA – KINDLE UK
AMAZON PAPERBACK – BARNES & NOBLES PAPERBACK
GOODREADS
EXCERPT
Prince GavinGavin’s gaze was drawn back to the castle’s battle-scarred walls and the heavily armed guards. The evil emanating from the structure surrounded and held him captive, like a lone deer surrounded by hungry wolves in the dead of winter, unable to move, its eyes glassy with fear, its limbs frozen by the hypnotic gleam of the wolves’ yellow eyes. Even knowing its life was ending, the deer wouldn’t break and run. So Gavin sat frozen in front of the castle.
PhilipThe enormity of his quest enveloped Gavin and he sighed. Continuing on meant he might save the Wild Man, but he might put himself in danger as well. King Edward was his father’s enemy and possibly responsible for Aldred’s murder. If Gavin were caught, Edward wouldn’t treat him kindly. The young prince summoned his courage and focused on the Wild Man. It had seemed so simple last night in the company of Bryan and Philip.
“I’ll be lucky if I ever get to the top. I need another lightning strike,” he muttered. He pushed himself upward. It took several more minutes and more backward progress before his wish for lightning was fulfilled. With the few seconds of illumination it provided, Philip spied a trail to the left leading to the top. He made his way over and was rewarded with firmer footing provided by the rocks imbedded in the dirt. He made it to the top in half the time it had taken him to get to the trail.
BryanAt the peak, the relentless wind nearly toppled him. But Philip had too much at stake to be defeated. He hauled himself into the full brunt of the storm. Out to sea, the whitecaps rose and fell like his chest. His breathing, like the waves, was choppy and erratic. Philip stepped back from the cliff’s edge and looked around. A blast of white light flashed across the sky, revealing a small cave to the right. There was no sign of Dunham. For a moment, Philip gave into panic. Maybe the murderer had already been here, contacted the ship, and gone.
He rode hard, not sparing his horse. It was in his hands now. His failure would mean the Wild Man would die along with his dream of becoming a knight. After crossing the Western Cleddan River twice and using the main roads, he avoided the mayhem left by the storm, and rode into the quiet village of Fishguard early that evening. The fishermen were likely already asleep. They would be up before dawn and the work of hauling in loaded nets was grueling. Only the tavern where he stopped to purchase cheese and bread showed any activity. On his way to Strumble Head, he ate and washed it down with the water he had packed.
He reached the Head at around eleven o’clock as the night was at its darkest. Only a sliver of moonlight forced its way through the clouds. It provided minimal light, but it was enough. He tied the grey in a stand of scrub well away from the trail, grabbed his sword, and walked to the point of the Head. The beach was deserted. His gaze swept the sea. Nothing.
AUTHOR BIO
I am a retired high school English teacher. A devourer of books growing up, my profession introduced me to writings and authors from times long past. Through my studies and teaching, I fell in love with the Ancient and Medieval Worlds. Now, I hope to inspire young readers and those young-at-heart to read more through my Quest Books set in these worlds.
Also please visit my other sites: Carpinello’s Writing Pages where I interview Childrens/Tween/MG/YA authors; and The Quest Books where I’ve teamed up with Fiona Ingram from South Africa and Wendy Leighton-Porter of Abu Dhabi to enable readers to find our Ancient and Medieval quest books in one place.
Interview
Where are
you from? I‘m a Colorado native and
live next to the foothills of the Colorado Rockies. You can see the world
famous Red Rocks Amphitheatre from my living room window.
Tell us
your latest news? In October 2015, I went to Las Vegas to accept Literary Classics
Silver Medal for my Teen/YA Egyptian story Sons
of the Sphinx.
When and
why did you begin writing? I’ve always written, even as a child, but I didn’t get
serious about it until in my 30s. I wanted to write because I enjoyed telling
stories. Might be my way to live vicariously through my characters.
When did
you first consider yourself a writer? I worked as a managing editor/writer for a
magazine in the Satellite Communications industry when Cable TV was on the
verge of being reality. Boy, does that date me! That was the first time I got
paid for writing.
What
inspired you to write your first book? That would be my high school students who didn’t
like to read until we came to the King Arthur studies. They loved those
stories, so I decided to write Arthurian tales for younger students in hopes
that those non-readers would get excited about reading sooner. My first one was
Guinevere: On the Eve of Legend.
Do you have
a specific writing style? I do have a writing method that differs a bit from other
writers. Before I ever put pen to paper—literally—I map out the skeleton of my
story in my head. Then I move on to a written outline and try to fill in as
much as I can. I let that sit inside my head for a while before actually
writing that dreaded first draft. It takes several tries before I’m happy with it.
The hardest part for me is figuring how to tell the story that’s inside my
head. Once I get that straightened out, the rest comes easy.
How did you come up with the title? Titles are always easy for me. I wanted to write an adventure about kids who wanted to be knights and that also had the possibly of becoming a series. So the book became Young Knights of the Round Table: The King’s Ransom. The King’s Ransom refers to the jewel that is stolen.
Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp? Having taught high school for 25 years, I observed how even the best students struggled at times with belonging and with who they were. I wanted to show my readers that this is common for all young people regardless of the time period. Since Medieval times are such a draw for kids, I embedded my message in Young Knights.
How did you come up with the title? Titles are always easy for me. I wanted to write an adventure about kids who wanted to be knights and that also had the possibly of becoming a series. So the book became Young Knights of the Round Table: The King’s Ransom. The King’s Ransom refers to the jewel that is stolen.
Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp? Having taught high school for 25 years, I observed how even the best students struggled at times with belonging and with who they were. I wanted to show my readers that this is common for all young people regardless of the time period. Since Medieval times are such a draw for kids, I embedded my message in Young Knights.
How much of
the book is realistic? Probably about 40%. The struggles of the three heroes are
similar to those of young people today. All of the locations in the story are
real places in the UK. In 2014, my husband and I visited the UK with the
express purpose of visiting the settings of Young
Knights.
Are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life? In addition to my observations of young people, in order to write some of the scenes, I used my emotions gathered from similar situations. The need for acceptance, love, sorrow, and regret are a few of those emotions.
What books have most influenced your life most? Joseph Campbell’s The Hero with a Thousand Faces and The Power of Myth; Deepak Chopra’s The Return of Merlin; Queen Noor’s Leap of Faith, and T. H. White’s The Once and Future King.
If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor? I would pick Avi and, in particular, his MG novel Murder at Midnight. I actually tried to pattern my Arthurian stories after this one. Many of Avi’s stories are for reluctant readers, and those readers make up a bit chunk of my audience.
Are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life? In addition to my observations of young people, in order to write some of the scenes, I used my emotions gathered from similar situations. The need for acceptance, love, sorrow, and regret are a few of those emotions.
What books have most influenced your life most? Joseph Campbell’s The Hero with a Thousand Faces and The Power of Myth; Deepak Chopra’s The Return of Merlin; Queen Noor’s Leap of Faith, and T. H. White’s The Once and Future King.
If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor? I would pick Avi and, in particular, his MG novel Murder at Midnight. I actually tried to pattern my Arthurian stories after this one. Many of Avi’s stories are for reluctant readers, and those readers make up a bit chunk of my audience.
What would
you like my readers to know? I first starting writing my Arthurian tales kids
who didn’t always like to read. Young
Knights bridges those readers to more challenging stories. My Egyptian
stories are just the first of my works to take place in the ancient worlds. My Feathers of the Phoenix series—coming in
the near future—will transport readers to legendary Atlantis, Pompeii, and
other fabulous ancient worlds.
AUTHOR FOLLOW LINKS
AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE – BEYOND TODAY EDUCATOR – ADVENTURE QUEST BOOKS
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LINKEDIN PAGE - FREADO
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ReplyDeleteGreat post! I enjoyed reading the excerpt and the interview. This book sounds like a very interesting and intriguing read. Totally can't wait to read this book!
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