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.
Sutanto grew up in a Chinese-Indonesian family, living in Singapore, Indonesia, California, and Oxford. She speaks Mandarin, Indonesian, and English with her family. She currently lives in Jakarta with her husband, who is English, and their two daughters.
Sutanto received her MFA in creative writing from Oxford University in 2009 and has been writing ever since. She published her first book in 2021 and as of 2023, has published nine books for readers of all ages.
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. 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 three aunts.
In 2020, before Dial A for Aunties was even published, the film rights were bought by Netflix as a result of a bidding war. Nahnatchka Khan and Chloe Yellin will adapt the novel into a film. Khan was set to direct the project. Sutanto will executive produce the film.
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. Mindy KalingâÂÂs Kaling International and Oprah Winfrey's Harpo Films are set to produce the project.