Please welcome my guest, Jeny Heckman. Jeny is here to talk about sunflowers and her new novel, Dee's Cornucopia, but first here's a little about her and her writing:
Jeny Heckman is an award winning fantasy paranormal romance author best known for her Heaven & Earth series, an award-winning fantasy-paranormal series. Her debut novel, The Sea Archer, won "Best in Category" at the Chanticleer International Book Awards. Her second book of the Heaven & Earth series, The Warrior's Progeny, won First Place Best in category at the 2020 OZMA Book Award and is a finalist in the 2021 RONE Awards Paranormal Long category.
Sunflowers in the design of Dee’s Cornucopia
Greek Mythology is such a giving source of
inspiration for many aspects of our modern life. The never-ending soap
opera-like saga of Greek gods and Greek Goddesses was the inspiration of my
fantasy paranormal Heaven & Earth Series. Dee’s Cornucopia is a novella
telling the story of Dee Taylor, the beloved grandmother who started the Quest
in our modern lives when she communed with Demeter the Greek Goddess of Harvest
and Agriculture.
Dee is a grower! She can grow anything! She
has a nursery in Hawaii called Dee’s Cornucopia and also happens to be a
descendant of Demeter!
The sunflowers are the story of unconditional
love! Dee lost everybody she loved the most. She lost her father at a very
young age. She lost her beloved husband soon after they married. She lost her
beloved mother and later her only child! She loved them unconditionally! Out of
all this tragedy comes a story of love for Dee’s grandson Finn Taylor, the
protagonist of the Sea Archer, book 1 of the Heaven & Earth Series.
The Cornucopia is one of the only constants in
Dee’s life. It is her passion! She loves to grow flowers, plants, and fruits.
She loves to grow sunflowers!
.The History of Sunflowers
The sunflowers’ effect is quite unique. The
bright and vibrant flowers seem to always perk up our moods. They cheer us up
every time we look at them. It may be something about their shape, size, and
color. Their overall appearance never fails to evoke positivity.
While sunflowers’ origin is cited in Greek
mythology, they are not necessarily native to ancient Greece. Sunflowers were
considered indigenous to the Americas. In 1,000 BC, the indigenous population
of the Americans cultivated these sunflowers as a source of valuable food. For
centuries, they had been using the sunflowers as a source of food and for
medicine, dye agent, and oil.
When European discovered America, the
sunflowers became a popular commodity. They took the sunflowers back with them
and they started to spread the flowers across continents. And so, the world’s
introduction and adoration to sunflowers’ beauty and sustenance began.
Sunflower Meanings and Symbolism
People love sunflowers for many good reasons.
They resemble the sun and have many meanings.
Sunflowers also represent happiness and
radiance. Who doesn’t improve their mood when they look at a sunflower?
The sunflower bright yellow, orange, and red
colors symbolize the sun. But there are also many other species of sunflowers
of different colors. Some are red or dark red, some are lighter yellow,
strawberry blonde (my favorite hair color), gold, pink, and even chocolate
brown. That’s why, a sunflower bouquet can be created for many joyous
celebrations including weddings, engagement parties, baby showers, etc.
In some countries like China, the sunflowers have
a specific meaning like long life, good fortune, and vitality. This can be
attributed to the flower’s ability to endure life. They can stay hardy for
weeks even when they are already cut for vases and used in bouquets.
Another example is found from centuries ago in
the Inca civilization. The Incas believed that sunflowers were the
representation of the Sun God. According to many literature excerpts, the Incas
worshiped these flowers in their temples their priestesses decorated their
clothes and crowns with sunflowers.
Here's more about Dee's Cornucopia --
Blurb:
Dee Walker can kick your ass. At least she
thinks so and isn't afraid to say it.
A no-nonsense spark plug, Dee keeps everyone
around her hopping. When she meets fellow field hand, Arthur Taylor, her
colorful world becomes even brighter when she makes him an offer he can't turn
down.
However, this story of a bright explosion of
color in a monochromatic world isn't what you might imagine, as Dee's life
doesn't exactly turn out like she thinks it will.
This novella is the life story of Dee Taylor,
the feisty and eccentric grandmother of Finn in the Heaven & Earth series.
Her bright colorful muumuus and big floppy hat are her trademarks, and this
story will tell you how it all began. She also has this little ability to see
future developments. Oh, and commune with the greatest Greek family in history,
but she just doesn't know it... yet.
EXCERPT:
“My God, it’s hotter than a billy goat’s ass in
a pepper patch out there,” Dee announced as she entered the office
furnished with the rich fragrance of leather, old wood, coffee, and tobacco
smoke.
Her boss, Bert Norton, sat hunched at his desk,
puffing on his ancient pipe. His gaze snapped to hers, and he gave the merest
hint of a smile before frowning at her crass expression. The two fellows, also
occupying the room, stood a little straighter at her appearance, but gave each
other surreptitious glares. They wore identical uniforms of scarred leather
boots, dusty work trousers and damp cotton shirts, right down to the
sweat-stained field-hand hats squeezed together in their enormous fists.
“Ah, sorry?” Dee phrased it almost like a
question and raised her eyebrows at all the testosterone in the small space.
“Deidre, please, take a seat.” Bert gestured to
one of the broad wing-back chairs occupying the area in front of his desk.
The two imposing men shifted their weight from
foot to foot in apparent agitation. If I sit in that chair, I’ll look weak.
Possessing a vagina created enough of a disadvantage chasm already.
“Thanks, Mr. Norton, I’ll stand. No sense in
giving anyone the upper hand, right?” she quipped and slapped her hands on
her hips, shifting her own weight from side to side. The corner of her boss’s
lips twitched, but he sighed, and they both looked over at the two workers.
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