Sandra Thompson aka SJ Kootz

author of the Nehor trilogy & FAT CAT COOKBOOK

SJ Kootz was born in Toronto, Canada, the first daughter of 5 children. Kootz is a scholar of history and its rise and fall of great civilizations, but is especially fascinated by the mysterious lives of the ancient inhabitants of Central America. What would the people have been like prior to anno domin? What would their daily life consist of? Why were their advanced civilization and all their cities abandoned?

For historical accuracy, for over 5 years, I combed through the documentation of archeologists and their research and spent countless hours at Maya ruins and museums but, recently, I have been overjoyed with the enlightening discoveries of the last few decades. Through this knowledge, I have been able to vividly piece together a glimpse of how life could have been like in 82 BC during the time of the prosperous pyramidal cities of the Guatemala region. In the last decade, it has been especially exciting since the experts have been able to decipher much of the Mayan writings, shading much light on daily and political life of this ancient people -- which I believe I have stayed true to in the Order of Nehor series. By incorporating a documented story as told in the Book of Alma, the author strives to draw the reader back in time to experience the extraordinary courage and faith of an ancient people of the Nephite nation.

Walking through the ruins

Back in 2007, my sister and I explored the Maya ruins in friendly tropical Belize. This was taken near San Ignacio on a private tour with a very informative young guide. The structural ruins were formidable and begged to be written about as ghosts of long ago peoples whispered fragments of their stories in the light breeze.

Overlooking the city plaza far below

The prominent temples and government buildings were built around the massive plazas/marketplaces. The Maya had an exceptional knowledge in city construction and engineering and left behind an astonishing amount of impressive architecture. I felt so privileged to be able to explore and see for myself the massive limestone structures that have survived 1000s of years of neglect.

Five Sisters Waterfalls

The Central American geography is, well, picture perfect! At this cascading falls there was a large tranquil pond about halfway down that I had to describe as one of the settings in my book as I was so awestruck by this sight! Though I had broken my toe (oh, my, I never thought such a small appendage could be so painful), I had to hobble down to take in the whole experience, thankful for the patience of our guide.

Temple at Lamanai, Belize

Note how steep the stairs were! The Mayan people must have been so fit! It was a magnificent structure with plenty of intricate reliefs that must have been beautiful in their day. It is remarkable how the jungle was able to hide the remains of this advanced civilization for all these centuries.

Climbing the Maya temple

Despite my broken toe and with the aid of my wonderful patient guide, I was determined to climb (more like crawl!!) up the steep stairs to experience the moment -- it was worth it!! The view of the formidable jungle beyond us was superb and the sounds of howler monkeys and birds were eerie and beautiful! This was taken in the Lamanai Ruins.

Tour of medicinal plants

One of the fascinating discoveries of this civilization have included their knowledge of holistic medicine. Mayans used a complex complimentary system of healing. Their knowledge of health and herbal medicines for natural painkillers, detoxification, sanitation, and dentistry were far advanced as to challenge even the Egyptians of that time.

Room in a lesser ziggurat

The Assyrians and Babylonians built terraced tower pyramidal structures called ziggurats, each successive story being smaller than the one below, leaving a platform around each of the floors. In MesoAmerica, these ziggurats were usually also built on small mounds to give them the look of much more height. Extended courtyards were often built on one side of a platform of an official building or one of prestige where people could gather. It is believed much knowledge of the middle east was incorporated here. This photo was taken in San Ignacio. This room could have been used as a prison or as an office for one of the elite.

Secrets revealed in the hieroglyphics

Great advancements have been made in deciphering the Mayan hieroglyphics which have revealed to us treasured information on the Mayan beliefs, daily life, and culture of the people of this pre-classic period. It has been noted that these hieroglyph writings look very similar to those of the Egyptians. In fact, because of the many similarities discovered between the Maya and Egyptian (and their Assyrian neighbours), including their pyramidal structures, the evidence suggests that these groups of peoples could have co-existed in Egypt prior to the Mayas arriving on the American continents.

Belize Zoo

A short ride from the capital, Belize has a small zoo that is well worth visiting with their diverse selection of birds, reptiles, mammals, as well as those of the arachnida class. We even got a night tour so we could observe the Central American nocturnal variety in their natural surroundings. Very informative staff. Before we arrived and since, I have researched the animals of Belize, learning of their behaviors and habitat to accurately portray them in the novel as the characters may have encountered them. This powerful cat was my star subject.

Page updated

Google Sites

Report abuse