Author J.C. Cervantes brings magic into full bloom with first adult novel

The new novel by J.C. Cervantes of Las Cruces is suffused with the protagonist’s path of self-discovery, infused with the fragrance of new romance and shaped by the magic of flowers.

This is the set-up. Twentysomething Harlow Estrada has been loving her dream job as an editor at a small indie book publishing house in New York City.

When Harlow steps into her boss’ office, she suddenly learns she’s been canned.

As if to confirm her gray mood, Harlow notices “a dreadfully limp” orange lily behind him.

It’s the first of the book’s many intriguing introductions to the special meanings of flowers.

As a rule, the orange lily flower, Harlow says to herself, has multiple meanings — beauty, birth, magnificence and majesty. Not this particular wilting one: “It can only mean dislike, hatred, revenge.”

Harlow doesn’t fall into that anger trap.

Disheartened, she seeks empathy. She isn’t getting any from her boyfriend/roommate Chad. He reminds her to show up for that special dinner tonight announcing his acceptance as a full partner in the law firm where he works.

Harlow reluctantly appears at the dinner and tosses a martini in Chad’s face after he makes an untoward remark about Latinas.

Harlow walks out on Chad and walks away from the Big Apple.

Actually, she flies off, headed for the emotional cocoon of the hacienda/flower farm Casa de Las Flores y Luz that her mom Jazmín and her Aunt Rosa operate in the fictional Mexican town of El Viento. Their store in town sells the farm’s flowers.

Harlow’s sisters are Camilla and Lily. Her cousins are Dahlia and Lantana.

Almost everyone in the family is named for a flower. Almost everyone except Harlow. Her name means “a heap of stones.”

With the help of kin, she soon says hello to sunshine, goodbye to the blues.

Harlow informs readers that the family’s magical power emanates from how it has learned to combine blooms or elixirs using petals, leaves and stems mostly for positive results — for prosperity, love, health, hope. You get the idea.

The Aztec goddess of agave, Mayahuel, we learn, whispered the flower names of family members when they were children. The deity is empowering.

The character of Harlow, Cervantes said in a phone interview, “really came to me fully-formed. She’s afraid to walk toward her dreams. In a way, she’s broken. If things fell apart, would she be able to make a decision between good and bad?”

“The Enchanted Hacienda” is Cervantes’ first adult novel. She advises that she doesn’t think about age categories of target readers when she’s writing her books. However, the main audiences of her previous novels have been children and young adults. Some of those titles have been New York Times bestsellers. (Her newest book for young adults, out this summer, is “Always Isn’t Forever.”)

Cervantes said she placed the hacienda in Mexico because she loves that country so much. “One of my favorite places is San Miguel de Allende,” known for its arts scene and festivals. “It is loosely based on that (town) but it’s pretty fictional.”

She grew up in San Diego, California, and came here to study at the University of New Mexico before transferring to New Mexico State University.

Recently, the author received a New Mexico Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts. “This recognition is such a privilege to me and one that I hope inspires the young readers and writers of our state,” Cervantes wrote in an email.

“How incredible the state is for creative people. We have definitely earned the nickname ‘Land of Enchantment.’ It’s for everyone.”