How Writing one Letter Turned into a Book

By Carol Van Den Hende

Dear Women Writers,

If you could pen a letter to anyone, living or dead, real or imaginary, who would you write to? Would you write about something left unsaid?

That question sparked my fourth book, my collection of personal letters and true stories called Dear Orchid.

Funny enough, my earliest letters were forced ones, requisite thank you notes to my grandparents for birthday checks that meant little to an eight-year-old. I sweated every word, every vowel, and the placement of the stamp. Witnessing my scrunched brow and clenched pen, you would’ve never guessed that adult me would fall in love with the epistolary format.

It’s even more fitting that letter writing brought me back to those same childhood days. I revisited summers spent searching for wild honeysuckle. I wrote about the gentle kindness of my grandparents who, sadly, aren’t here to appreciate the scrunched brow and clenched pen that produced my piece called “Dear Literary Grandpa.”

Here’s the insight I discovered after writing dozens of letters and stories for Dear Orchid: communicating within one intimate, specific relationship leads to insights and connection that are universally relatable. I loved writing these letters. Readers have told me they loved devouring them.

Writers, if you haven’t already, try producing some epistles. Write a letter to one of your characters, or have them write to you. Write to a cherished cousin, a beloved pet, or an unresolved moment in time. Then let me know, what surprised you about the output? How many discoveries did you uncover?

My own journey started with a letter to the Purple Heart decorated veteran who helped me with my Goodbye Orchid trilogy, Sgt Bryan Anderson. I had contacted him to share that his memoir, No Turning Back, had moved me. When he heard that my protagonist suffered injuries similar to the ones he had sustained as a U.S. solider in Iraq, he responded with generosity. “Come spend some time with me. I’ll show you how easy I make it look to be a triple amputee.”

So one sunny day, I arrived at his single-story house outside of Los Angeles, full of awe, as if on a religious trek. Our time together didn’t disappoint. Throughout our day, whether simply folding laundry together, lunching at a local restaurant, or enjoying the speed of his sports car, it was clear that Bryan’s life overflowed with love, joy, and humor. 

During that time, back in 2015, actor Mary-Louise Parker’s memoir, Dear Mr. You, had captured my imagination. In it, she wrote letters to men who held meaning in her life, her grandfather, a friend’s husband, ex-boyfriends, and her daughter’s future partner. Inspired, I wrote my own Dear Mr. You letter to Bryan. When we next met, I read it aloud to him. Bryan’s eyes glistened. “Thank you,” he said, his voice husky. Later, he shared that he saved that slip of paper inside his wooden memento box, the place for his most meaningful memorabilia. 

I hadn’t initially created the letter for publication. But when I included it in a collection of short stories that I sent to my editor, she adored the piece. She moved my letter to Bryan, called “Still, You’re Tall” from the back half of the manuscript to the powerful opening spot. 

As with all good editors, she had spotted something true. She encouraged me to write more letters. Once I started, the stories flowed from my memory. I wrote to a girl who’d been newly freed from East Berlin, my secret auntie, a man who didn’t speak, and paid homage to my childhood best friend. In one caffeine-fueled weekend, my imagination produced seven chapters.

Beyond the book, my letter to Bryan brought us full circle. As part of the finishing touches to the Dear Orchid, we re-connected to record an interview as special bonus material for the audiobook. During our talk, we reminisced, laughed, and heard about Bryan’s secret to life. Quite simply, he says what he thinks in the moment, and by leaving nothing unsaid, lives with no regrets. 

At the end of our half hour together, Bryan told me that he will forever keep my letter to him. A decade later, it stays nestled among his most important possessions inside his treasured box. 

Don’t underestimate the power of a letter. Try it. Then tell me whom you’ve written to. Or better yet, share it with that important person while you can. You’ll honor Bryan by living with no regrets.

—

CAROL VAN DEN HENDE is an award-winning author who pens stories of resilience and hope. Her Goodbye, Orchid series draws from her Chinese 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.

DEAR ORCHID

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 ways: 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.

BUY HERE

 

Tags: featured, women writers

Category: Contemporary Women Writers, On Writing