Congratulations Carol
on the recent release of
Dear Orchid!
Dear Orchid: Letters and New Beginnings—True Stories and Fiction filled with Heart, Humor, and Hope by Carol Van Den Hende
Contemporary Women's Fiction, 164 pages
Published November 11, 2025 by Azine Press
“Powerful, haunting, and precise.”—Fiona Davis, New York Times bestselling author of The Stolen Queen
These aren’t just stories. They’re love letters.
Told through a mix of true stories and new fiction, Dear Orchid opens the heart in unexpected through loss and love, silence and recovery, and the hard-won resilience of people who don’t always fit the mold.
With tenderness and heart, Dear Orchid 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 characters who refuse to be defined by what they’ve lost.
The final chapter brings a fictional reunion with the unforgettable cast from the Goodbye Orchid trilogy, offering healing, closure, and a second chance romance.
Written in a lyrical, letter-style format, this collection blends memoir and imagination in a deeply personal exploration of grief, identity, and human connection. It’s a window into private moments that echo something universal.
Underneath the heartbreak and humor runs the quiet pull between star-crossed lovers, whose stories unfold across time, distance, and impossible odds.
Whether you’re drawn to true stories of survival or fictional narratives filled with tenderness and truth, Dear Orchid offers an emotional journey that celebrates love in all its forms.
A collection for anyone who’s ever loved, lost, or longed to understand the emotional truth behind the quiet moments that shape us.
Includes elements of multicultural and medical romance, true stories, and unforgettable moments of vulnerability and hope.
Also look for the Goodbye Orchid trilogy.
My thoughts about Dear Orchid ~~
I loved the Goodbye Orchid series and absolutely devoured all three books. Dear Orchid is right up there at the top of my favorite reads.
This book is filled with letters and memories that link to the series or the writer's experiences during her journey to get the Orchid books written, and to her life in general. The chapters are touching and heartwarming, and demonstrate the author's love and respect for wounded veterans.
Dear Orchid is the perfect companion book to the series and I highly recommend it. First, read the three books in the series and then this one and you will see how it all ties together. Such a beautiful tribute to life, love, and determination.
I received a copy of Dear Orchid and this is my honest opinion.
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The Goodbye Orchid series
Book #1
Book #2
Book #3
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About the author
Carol Van Den Hende is the award-winning author of forthcoming Dear Orchid, Orchid Blooming, Goodbye, Orchid and Always Orchid which are inspired by wounded veterans and have won 40+ literary awards, including the American Fiction Award, IAN Outstanding Fiction First Novel Award, and Royal Dragonfly for Disability Awareness.
Buzzfeed, Parade, and Travel+Leisure named “heartwarming, heartbreaking” Goodbye, Orchid a most anticipated read. Glamour Magazine recommended this “modern, important take on the power of love.” The International Pulpwood Queens, selected all 3 Goodbye, Orchid books as Books-of-the-Month.
Carol’s mission is unlocking optimism as a writer, speaker, strategist, Board member and Climate Reality Leader. One secret to her good fortune? Her humorous husband and twins, who prove that love really does conquer all.
Please sign up for Carol’s newsletter at carolvandenhende.com/contact or linktr.ee/cvdh
If you enjoyed reading the Goodbye Orchid series, she would appreciate it if you would:
Recommend them: Please help other readers find her books by recommending them to friends, readers’ groups, and discussion boards.
Review them: Please tell others you liked her books by reviewing them at Amazon, Goodreads and Bookbub.
Buzzfeed, Parade, and Travel+Leisure named “heartwarming, heartbreaking” Goodbye, Orchid a most anticipated read. Glamour Magazine recommended this “modern, important take on the power of love.” The International Pulpwood Queens, selected all 3 Goodbye, Orchid books as Books-of-the-Month.
Carol’s mission is unlocking optimism as a writer, speaker, strategist, Board member and Climate Reality Leader. One secret to her good fortune? Her humorous husband and twins, who prove that love really does conquer all.
Please sign up for Carol’s newsletter at carolvandenhende.com/contact or linktr.ee/cvdh
If you enjoyed reading the Goodbye Orchid series, she would appreciate it if you would:
Recommend them: Please help other readers find her books by recommending them to friends, readers’ groups, and discussion boards.
Review them: Please tell others you liked her books by reviewing them at Amazon, Goodreads and Bookbub.
When you do write a review, please drop her a line at http://www.CarolVanDenHende.com/contact
Thank you!
Thank you!
Connect with Carol
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