One of the best things about being an author is receiving emails and letters from readers. Thank you to the readers who have been sending me questions and comments about SILENCE. The characters who began in my imagination connect us because they are now part of your imaginations as well.
I recently received a question which I thought I would share. This reader asked why I chose the daisy as Stella’s special flower. To me, the daisy is an understated flower that has as much power as a rose but with an air of innocence along with the freedom of a wild flower. The scene with Hayden and Stella in the hospital is the most important scene between them because it is the moment Stella realizes she is not alone. The only flower that would ever have been right for Hayden to give to Stella on that day was the daisy. Readers of my first novel, JANE IN BLOOM, will recognize the reference to daisies as “happy flowers.” (JANE IN BLOOM, page 45). It was a nod to my first book when Hayden chooses to bring Stella daisies because his grandmother had always told him daisies were “happy flowers.” (SILENCE, page 48). The daisy becomes a symbol of hope and the purity of the love Hayden and Stella share.
