Carol Van Den Hende
Author Interview - Carol Van Den Hende
Author of Always Orchid and Dear Orchid
About Dear Orchid:
THESE AREN’T JUST STORIES. THEY’RE LOVE LETTERS.
Dear Orchid opens the heart in unexpected ways: through true stories and new fiction that explore loss and love, silence and recovery, and hard-won resilience.
Told in a lyrical, letter-style format, this collection is an Asian American author's homage to Mary-Louise Parker’s Dear Mr. You, through letters to a girl newly freed from East Berlin, an aunt lost to Communist-era borders, and Purple Heart-decorated heroes. These intimate portraits explore the messy beauty of friendship, family, disability, and belonging.
You’ll meet a wounded hero who jokes through his pain, a beloved cat with a crayon note taped to his back (“HELP ME”), and people who refuse to be defined by what they’ve lost.
Whether you’re drawn to true stories of survival or fictional narratives filled with tenderness and truth, Dear Orchid is for anyone who’s ever loved, lost, or longed to understand the emotional truth behind the quiet moments that shape us.
About Always Orchid:
He almost let her go. Her past could tear them apart. But a love like theirs is worth fighting for…
Phoenix Walker will never be the same. Nine months after a heroic act leaves him forever changed, he refuses to hurt Orchid Paige ever again.
Orchid is ready to forgive. Convincing her guy she still loves him, no matter his injuries, she works to rebuild their intimacy. But their move to her family’s ancestral country unveils China’s superstitions against people with disabilities. Worse, their friend’s life has been upended by those prejudices.
Will Phoenix and Orchid find a way to beat the odds and turn discrimination into compassion?
Always Orchid is the riveting third book in the Goodbye, Orchid contemporary fiction series. If you like relatable characters, surprising twists, and stories that pull on your emotions, then you’ll love award-winning author Carol Van Den Hende’s journey to unconditional acceptance.
Author Interview - Carol Van Den Hende
Author I draw inspiration from:
2025: Ann Patchett. I finished her essays from This is the Story of a Happy Marriage and so admired the full life she's lived, the honesty with which she tells her stories, and her grit to train for the police academy test
2023: Gabrielle Zevin
Author Interview - Carol Van Den Hende | Author I Draw Inspiration From
Favorite place to read a book:
2025: I love listening to audiobooks while driving or around the house
2023: When I'm lost in a good story, I could be anywhere - lounging by the pool, sprawled across my sofa, or stuck in the middle seat of an airplane
Book character I’d like to be stuck in an elevator with:
2025: Miranda July's character Heidi from All Fours is so impulsive and quirky that it'd be intriguing to see what harebrained schemes she might hatch in an elevator
2023: Addie LaRue, VE Schwab
Author Interview - Carol Van Den Hende | Book Character I’d Like to be Stuck in an Elevator With
The moment I knew I wanted to become an author:
2025: Ever since I was little, I knew that I loved books. When I started writing, I joined a critique group where authors would read their work-in-progress aloud to each other. The moment I knew that I wanted to pursue publication was when an emotional scene brought that table full of writers to tears
2023: When I wrote my first story in elementary school.
Hardback, paperback, ebook or audiobook:
2025: A gorgeous hardcover holds gravitas. My Orchid series hardbacks are beautifully printed even beneath the jacket. Paperbacks are their little sister, portable, pliable, and able to go almost anywhere. But audiobooks are king! They're able to accompany so many tasks, and my experience narrating my own Orchid books has deepened my respect for narrators. A moving audio performance is a special gift
2023: Each has its place: ebooks are pragmatic and portable, hardcovers are beautiful keepsakes, paperbacks are great for flights, and audiobooks are staples that accompany me during household tasks!
The last book I read:
2025: I recently finished Jesse Sutato's Vera Wong's Guide to Snooping [On a Dead Man]. Book 2 of the Vera Wong series is just as warm, funny and delightful as Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers. Pure humorous joy!
2023: Louise Erdrich's "Future Home of the Living God." I'm here for all of it, for every gorgeous and clear sentence, for every well-constructed description, for Erdrich's beautiful analogies and similes.
Author Interview - Carol Van Den Hende | The Last Book I Read
Pen & paper or computer:
2025: Writing is multi-faceted. Plotting, structure, and planning can sometimes benefit from mind mapping, collages, and drawing out relationships with pen and paper. The computer, though, is my daily necessity for writing and editing. I can type much faster than I can handwrite (though not as fast as I can think!)
2023: I travel everywhere with my trusty laptop!
Book character I think I’d be best friends with:
2025: Daphne in Clare Pooley's How to Age Disgracefully is strong, smart, and speaks her mind. She's a memorable character who has reinvented her life and would be fun to be with!
If I weren’t an author, I’d be a:
2025: I'm so fortunate to have a meaningful career that I adore. I lead the Responsible Use of AI for a wonderful purpose-driven company
2023: Lucky for me, I live many lives: as a marketer, strategist, digital executive (in chocolate, sweet!), as well as a speaker, author, Climate Reality Leader and Board member.
Favorite decade in fashion history:
2025: There was an edgy underground vibe that I loved in the 1990s. My book Dear Orchid includes a chapter on an iconic dance club from that era. Look for the story called "Dear Mr Melody"!
2023: There was an edgy underground vibe that I loved in the 1990s. My character Orchid Paige rocks feathers, lace and minidresses trimmed in vegan leather. She works in the beauty industry, so she can have fun taking fashion risks!
Place I’d most like to travel:
2025: Japan, to see my husband's aunt who is now in her eighties
2023: I visited Israel for one magical month and hope to return
My signature drink:
2025: Sparkling Bevi with a twist of citrus or mango
2023: If we go out for cocktails, let's toast with a dirty martini or Cosmo
Favorite artist:
2025: Gustav Klimt, whose art I studied as part of a class on turn-of-the-century Vienna
Number one on my bucket list:
2025: This year, I'm going to be representing my work at a company-wide global awards ceremony, which will be a big moment of pride and celebration for all the finalists
Anything else you'd like to add:
2025: Visit my site if you like beautiful stories, brave truths and heart in every line. Sign up for a free short story and get to know Dear Orchid and more: www.carolvandenhende.com
2023: I love meeting readers and discussing my Goodbye, Orchid series. Book clubs can schedule time with me here: https://novelnetwork.com/vendor/carol-van-den-hende/
Find more from the author:
https://www.instagram.com/carolvandenhende/
https://www.facebook.com/CarolVanDenHendeAuthor
https://www.tiktok.com/@carolvandenhende
Who is Carol Van Den Hende?
Carol Van Den Hende
CAROL VAN DEN HENDE is an award-winning author who pens stories of resilience and hope. Her Goodbye, Orchid series draws from her Asian American heritage, and has won 40 literary and design awards, including the American Fiction Award, IAN Outstanding Fiction First Novel Award, and Royal Dragonfly Awards for Cultural Diversity and Disability Awareness.
Buzzfeed, Parade, and Travel+Leisure named Carol’s books a most anticipated read. Woman’s World and Glamour Magazine recommended her “modern, important take on the power of love.” The International Pulpwood Queens selected Goodbye, Orchid, Orchid Blooming and Always Orchid as Books-of-the-Month 3 years in a row.
Carol’s mission is unlocking optimism as a writer, speaker, strategist, executive, and Board member. One secret to her good fortune? Her humorous hubby and twins, who prove that love really does conquer all.
Please sign up for Carol’s newsletter at cvdh.substack.com or linktr.ee/cvdh
