Jesse Q. Sutanto

Jesse Q. Sutanto is a Chinese-Indonesian author. As of 2023, she has published nine novels for adults, young adults, and middle grade readers. She is most famous for her novels Dial A for Aunties and Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers. Dial A for Aunties won the 2021 Comedy Women in Print Prize and has been optioned for a film by Netflix.

Jesse Q Sutanto
Education	University of Oxford (MFA, 2009) University of California, Berkeley (BA, 2006)
Occupation	Author
Notable work	Dial A for Aunties (2021) "Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers" (2023)
Awards	Comedy Women in Print Prize (2021) Edgar for Best Original Paperback (2024)

Personal life

Sutanto grew up in a Chinese-Indonesian family, living in Singapore, Indonesia, California, and Oxford.^[1] She speaks Mandarin, Indonesian, and English with her family.^[1] She currently lives in Jakarta with her husband, who is English, and their two daughters.^[1][2][3]

Writing career

Sutanto received her MFA in creative writing from Oxford University in 2009 and has been writing ever since.^[4][5] She published her first book in 2021 and as of 2023, she has published nine books for readers of all ages.

Dial A for Aunties

In 2021, Sutanto published her hit novel, Dial A for Aunties. For this book, Sutanto became the first writer of colour to win the United Kingdom's Comedy Women in Print Prize.^[1] The novel, which is a blend of romantic comedy and murder mystery, features Chinese-Indonesian culture through the lens of a girl, her mother and four aunts.^[6]

In 2020, before Dial A for Aunties was even published, the film rights were bought by Netflix as a result of a bidding war.^[7][5] Nahnatchka Khan and Chloe Yellin will adapt the novel into a film.^[8] Khan was set to direct the project.^[7][5] Sutanto will executive produce the film.^[7]

Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers

In 2023, the rights for Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers were acquired by Warner Bros. TV for the production of a series adaptation.^[8] Mindy Kaling‘s Kaling International and Oprah Winfrey's Harpo Films are set to produce the project.^[9]

Published works

• Dial A for Aunties (2021)
• The Obsession (2021)
• Four Aunties and a Wedding (2022) (sequel to Dial A for Aunties)
• The New Girl (2022)
• Well, That Was Unexpected (2022)
• Theo Tan and the Fox Spirit (2022)
• Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers (2023)^[10][11]
• I'm Not Done With You Yet (2023)
• Theo Tan and the Iron Fan (2023)
• Didn't See That Coming (2023) (sequel to Well, That Was Unexpected)
• The Good, the Bad and the Aunties (2024)
• You Will Never Be Me (2024)
• Vera Wong's Guide to Snooping (on a Dead Man) (2025)
• Worth Fighting For (2025) (Book #5 of the Meant to Be series)