Guest Post: Author Kristie Cook Introduces Genesis

Today's guest post is a blog tour stop for author, Kristie Cook, who has recently released a companion novella for her popular Soul Savers series. Remember to comment for a chance to win prizes from Kristie (I will leave the comments open for entries until Friday, November 4). Have a great week and watch for a new writing contest and market newsletter this week (that is, if you are a subscriber)--Tina 

How the Ancient Greeks Lived: A Look into the World of Genesis

Genesis: A Soul Savers Novella is a bit different from the other Soul Savers books. Although the fantasy world I created is the same, the real world is not. After all, it takes place over 2,000 years ago, around 200 B.C. So it required a lot of research to understand life in Greece during that era. For each stop along the release tour, I’m sharing something I learned and how it ties into the story.

Just like today, homes in Ancient Greece varied depending on class. Wealthier people had larger homes that were usually two stories tall, with the women’s quarters generally on the second floor. Lower class people had single-story homes, usually with only three rooms. All homes, built of stone or dried clay with tiled roofs, had similarities, though.

All homes had a courtyard, which was considered part of the men’s space in a smaller home, although larger homes had a separate courtyard for women. When no males were visiting, this was much like a family room – children played here, women did their spinning and weaving here and the family often ate their meals in the courtyard when weather allowed. However, if a male visited, women had to disappear to their quarters.

The men also had a room called an andron, where they entertained other male guests with wine and political discussions. They would often hold “symposia” – parties with men only, although slave women might dance and otherwise “entertain.” Besides these exceptions, women were forbidden from entering the andron, which was often the best decorated room. The andron was usually the only room in the house with a tiled floor – the rest of the floors were simply packed dirt.

Larger homes had a kitchen, a bathroom and a storage area. In most homes, there was a bedroom for all the males (sons and slaves) and a master bedroom called the thalamos (where daughters and female slaves slept along with the master and mistress of the house). In wealthier homes, daughters and female slaves might have a separate bedroom, called the ante-thalamos. The thalamos, ante-thalamos, perhaps a kitchen, bathroom and the women’s courtyard made up the gynaceum, or the women’s quarters. Whenever males were in the house, women were required to remain in the gynaceum and this is where children stayed, too, until boys were about 7 years old and they went to school.

In Genesis, “homes” mostly consist of the huts and caves the main characters live in as nomads. Traditional houses do come into play, however. I think one of the more insightful comments about the traditional Greek homes came from Cassandra: “How could you feel love and the bonds of family with everyone so separated?”

Thank you, Tina, for hosting today and being a part of the Genesis Release Tour! Readers, you can win a Soul Savers swag pack simply by commenting below. Be sure to leave your email address so we can notify you if you win! Your comment also enters you into the Grand Prize drawing at the end of the tour. For more details on the tour and the Grand Prize, please visit the tour page: http://www.kristiecook.com/2011/10/genesis-release-tour-giveaways.html

About the Author

Kristie Cook is a lifelong, award-winning writer in various genres, from marketing communications to fantasy fiction. She continues to write the Soul Savers Series, with the first two books, Promise and Purpose, available now and the third book, Devotion, coming February 2012. She’s also written a companion novella, Genesis, coming October 2011.

Besides writing, she enjoys reading, cooking, traveling and riding on the back of a motorcycle. She has lived in ten states, but currently calls Southwest Florida home with her husband, three teenage sons, a beagle and a puggle. She can be found at:

 Author's Website & Blog: http://www.KristieCook.com

Series Website: http://www.SoulSaversSeries.com

*Sources:

http://www.crystalinks.com/greekculture.html

http://www.furniturestyles.net/ancient/homes/greek.html

http://library.thinkquest.org/CR0210200/ancient_greece/daily_life.htm

http://historylink102.com/greece3/home_life.htm

http://www.localhistories.org/GREECE.HTML