Welcome, today we are talking with Carol Van Den Hende! Thanks, Carol, you for taking time out of your busy schedule to answer a few questions. First, let’s delve into who you are.
You are involved in so many activities besides writing. Can you tell us a little about them?
Like many Coffee Time Romance readers, I wear multiple hats. For instance, I’m a wife and a mom to twins. By day, I lead the Responsible Use of AI (Artificial Intelligence) for Mars Incorporated. Outside of work, I enjoy contributing on Boards of Directors; recently I served on the Board for a school for students with autism.
Can you share a little something about yourself that’s not mentioned in your bio on your website?
I’m an avid pet parent to two Siberian kitties, one skittish and one goofy. Follow me on social media, and you’ll often see their furry faces on my Facebook or Instagram feeds.
For fun, I love to move to music. At my gym, you might find me grooving to Zumba, Hip-Hop or Bollywood dance classes. If you’ve read my books, have you noticed how my main character Orchid Paige loves to dance?
How long have you been writing?
I’ve been penning stories since childhood. The Goodbye Orchid series was a decade in the making.
What have you found most challenging about it?
I lead a busy life, so I often feel short on time for writing. When I’m able to carve out time, I treasure it and strive to make the most of it!
Now, let’s hear about your series, Goodbye Orchid, which has won awards for Disability Awareness. Can you tell us a little more about the books?
The series asks the question: ‘What happens when life changes in an instant?” In Orchid Blooming, you’ll meet half-Asian Orchid Paige, an executive in the beauty industry whose life changed when she lost her parents at a young age. Now as an adult, she wants to win a work trip to Asia, to feel closer to the memory of her Chinese mother. She’s helped by Phoenix Walker, the handsome head of an ad agency.
In Goodbye, Orchid, just as their relationship begins to blossom, an accident befalls him that changes him forever. When he wakes in the hospital, he’s in shock over what’s happened to himself. Then he realizes that his injuries will trigger Orchid’s childhood trauma. Now he’s faced with the hardest decision of his life. To protect her, he may need to leave her without explaining why.
In the trilogy finale, Always Orchid, the homeless veteran who caused Phoenix’s disabling accident will return, seeking forgiveness and redemption. When their lives collide, it creates such an explosive ending that Woman’s World called it “One of 7 Books You Won’t Be Able to Put Down.”
Springboard Consulting named me Disability Hero of the Year for Goodbye Orchid. Kirkus Reviews calls Always Orchid “An engrossing, inspiring depiction of traumatized individuals growing amidst challenges.”
Why were you inspired to write about wounded veterans?
Wounded veterans have inspired me by demonstrating the strength and resilience to overcome life-changing challenges.
I’m grateful that Purple Heart decorated veterans like Sgt. Bryan Anderson and Sgt. Noah Galloway love and endorse my Goodbye Orchid series.
What kind of research did you have to do?
Out of respect for the experiences of wounded warriors and those who’ve faced traumatic accidents, I took research for the Goodbye Orchid series very seriously. First, I conducted secondary research, reading memoirs, watching documentaries, and exploring medical journals to understand the physical injuries that my protagonist Phoenix Walker suffers.
Then, I interviewed experts who were generous in contributing to my primary research. In my books’ acknowledgements, you’ll find the names of surgeons, social workers, physical therapists, and Purple Heart decorated veterans who helped shape the series.
What was your biggest challenge writing the books in this series?
Each phase of the writing and publishing process taught me new things and those discoveries would often lead to new paths. For instance, after I published Goodbye, Orchid, book clubs asked me for the story of what happened before the start of the book, and after the ending. This led me to write a prequel and sequel, expanding my standalone novel into a trilogy.
What in your opinion makes good chemistry between your leading characters?
Phoenix and Orchid are perfectly suited for each other: they share values and humor, and “get” each other’s work in adjacent industries. Phoenix feels tender towards Orchid when he learns about her childhood trauma and struggle with PTSD and Orchid likewise can relate to his loss of his father.
Yet circumstances make their relationship seem impossible. When he suffers a disabling accident, he realizes he’s become the wrong person for her and must protect her by leaving without explaining why. New York Times best-selling author Caroline Leavitt says the self-sacrifice in their relationship makes them “star-crossed lovers.”
Have you planned other works in this series, or are you going on to something new?
I’m excited that my fourth book will release at the end of 2025. Part memoir, Echoes of Orchid is composed of letters to people who’ve shaped me, including combat wounded veterans like Bryan Anderson and Doc Jacobs. Reflecting on these formative experiences, readers will see echoes of the themes in Goodbye Orchid. New readers can also enjoy these essays and the soul-satisfying epilogue that concludes the finale to the trilogy, Always Orchid. These true stories are my most personal work yet.
You’ve won many awards. Have these helped you in promoting your work?
It’s been exciting for the Goodbye Orchid series to be awarded 40+ times, including the American Fiction Award, IAN Outstanding Fiction First Novel Award, and Royal Dragonfly Awards for Cultural Diversity and Disability Awareness.
And yes, the recognition certainly helps reach more people. Readers get excited celebrating each honor with me, and it has been wonderful to meet other winning authors and the award organizations.
Now, I’m giving back by helping to judge literary contests, including the renowned Independent Book Publisher Association’s Book Awards.
Describe your writing routine. Are you disciplined with a strict schedule or do you have to be in the mood? With all your other activities, when do you write? Early in the morning or late at night?
I have many priorities that are important to me at work and home. So by necessity, I mainly make time to write on the weekends.
Any advice for aspiring authors?
Know your inspiring ‘why’ you write. Because our stories influence others, infuse positive impact into your books.
Final words?
My mission is to inspire hope and empathy. If anything about my writing or works sounds intriguing, please pick up the Goodbye Orchid series and leave reviews so others can find these heartwarming stories.
To support military families, purchase from http://militaryfamilybooks.com/orchid
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