A perfect Sunday with...J.C. Cervantes
Spicy chilli, Dark Knights and uncommon fortitude
Every week, a top writer, artist or creator reveals how they’d fill their perfect Sunday, sharing their favourite comfort reads, movies, food… anything that would make their weekend great.
Today it’s the turn of The Enchanted Hacienda author, J.C. Cervantes.
J.C.’s perfect Sunday… brunch
Red chilli enchiladas with an over-easy egg on top. Mexican food is so central to my culture and has always been comforting to me, but red chilli? Spicy! Delicious! And healthy too!
J.C.’s perfect Sunday… read
I recently read A First Rate Madness by Nassir Ghaemi—it’s a stunning portrayal of the link between mental instability and great and terrible leaders, including their resilience. So incredibly eye-opening!
J.C.’s perfect Sunday… comic
Batman! I love this origin story--his angst and broodiness and I especially love the fact that he is a mere human doing super-human things.
J.C.’s perfect Sunday… movie
This is a toss-up between Rocky and the Gladiator. I’ve always been drawn to underdog stories, and I especially love that these characters beat all the odds, that they exhibit courage and strength and an uncommon fortitude.
J.C.’s perfect Sunday… TV binge
The Sopranos. I just started rewatching this because of the 25th anniversary and it is just as good as it was back then. The writing and the character arcs are brilliant. I especially love the humanness given to these “bad guys” which makes you somehow root for them.
J.C.’s perfect Sunday… podcast
Arm-Chair Expert with Dax Shepard. I listen to so many podcasts, so it’s tough to narrow to just one, but what I love about this podcast is its breadth and depth. It’s also smart and challenges the way I think every single time.
J.C.’s perfect Sunday… album
Adele's 21 all the way. I love her voice and the yearning (and fire) in all of her music.
J.C.’s perfect Sunday… treat
A long hike in the woods with my pups. Being in nature is balm for my soul.
The Enchanted Hacienda by J.C. Cervantes is available now from Park Row.
When Harlow Estrada is abruptly fired from her dream job and her boyfriend proves to be a jerk, her world turns upside down. She flees New York City to the one place she can always call home—the enchanted Hacienda Estrada.
The Estrada family farm in Mexico houses an abundance of charmed flowers cultivated by Harlow’s mother, sisters, aunt, and cousins. By harnessing the magic in these flowers, they can heal hearts, erase memories, interpret dreams—but not Harlow. So when her mother and aunt give her a special task involving the family’s magic, she panics. How can she rise to the occasion when she is magicless? But maybe it’s not magic she’s missing, but belief in herself. When she finally embraces her unique gifts and opens her heart to a handsome stranger, she discovers she’s far more powerful than she imagined.
With unforeseen twists, romance, and a heavy sprinkle of magic, The Enchanted Hacienda is a captivating coming-of-age debut exploring identity, unconditional family love, and uncovering the magic within us all.
J.C. CERVANTES is a New York Times best-selling author. Her books for children, young adults, and adults have been published in more than twelve countries and have appeared on national lists, including the American Booksellers Association New Voices, Barnes and Noble’s Best Young Reader Books, as well as Amazon’s, Apple’s, and Audible’s Best Books of the Month. She has earned multiple awards and recognitions, including the New Mexico Book Award and the NM Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts.
She currently resides in the Land of Enchantment with her family and spoiled pups, but keeps part of her heart in Southern California, where she was born and raised. When she isn’t writing, she is haunting bookstores and searching for magic in all corners of the world.