Dear Orchid

<p><strong>Powerful haunting and precise. Each of the essays and stories in Van Den Hende's collection-whether a three-page reverie of childhood's joys and tragedies or a candid peek into the life of a wounded hero-land with a piercing clarity. -FIONA DAVIS New York Times bestselling author of <em>The Stolen Queen</em></strong></p><p></p><p class=ql-align-center><strong>THESE AREN'T JUST STORIES. THEY'RE LOVE LETTERS.</strong></p><p></p><p><em>Dear Orchid</em> opens the heart in unexpected ways: through <em>true stories</em> and new fiction that explore loss and love silence and recovery and hard-won resilience.</p><p> </p><p>This collection is an Asian American author's homage to Mary-Louise Parker's <em>Dear Mr. You</em> 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.</p><p> </p><p>You'll meet a <em>wounded hero</em> 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.</p><p></p><p><strong>The final chapter brings a fictional reunion with the unforgettable characters from the <em>Goodbye Orchid</em> trilogy offering healing closure and <em>second chances</em>.</strong></p><p></p><p>Told 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 especially for those who have ever felt unseen misunderstood or left behind.</p><p>Underneath the heartbreak and humor runs the quiet pull between star-crossed lovers whose stories unfold across time distance and impossible odds. These tales include elements of multicultural and medical romance and unforgettable moments of vulnerability and hope.</p><p> </p><p>Whether you're drawn to true stories of survival or fictional narratives filled with tenderness and truth <em>Dear Orchid</em> offers an emotional journey that celebrates love in all its forms.</p><p></p><p>A collection for anyone who's ever loved lost or longed to understand the emotional truth behind the quiet moments that shape us.</p><p></p><p>These aren't just stories.</p><p>They're letters to everyday heroes.</p><p>For you. For us. For the moments that make us human.</p><p> </p><p></p>