Letter 7 • The Chapter She Didn't See Coming
It all started with a winning poem. My prize — a copy of her book, signed with a note that said, “Olivia, keep writing. Best wishes.”
I read that book until the pages felt like mirrors, until I began to imagine I was the main character. That’s when I became a fan — not just of her stories, but of the life I imagined she lived.
Years later, I was struggling to find meaning in my cleaning work. On a whim, I wrote to my favorite author’s publishing company. I never expected to hear back — and yet, she replied.
What I didn’t know was that her letter would arrive as she was nearing the end of her life… and the end of mine as I knew it.
Soon after, I found myself standing at her doorstep, offered a job that blurred the line between truth and fiction — ghostwriting for someone who’d lived like a ghost long before she became one.
My task was to keep her alive, both on paper and to those who asked, until a specific date — a date she had chosen, though she’d already slipped quietly into eternity months before.
Strange, isn’t it? To keep writing for someone whose story has already ended. Yet somehow, it awakened the writer in me — the one I’d buried beneath routine and responsibility.
She once told me she was “drawn to books with happy endings. After all, who wants to spend time reading a story where things don’t work out?”
She also said, “If you’re not enjoying a book, there’s a solution for that. Close it up and move on. It’s not the end of the world.”
I think that book was her own life — because she chose to close it long before she died.
Writing the rest of her story, I came to realize that happiness doesn’t always look like a perfect ending. Sometimes, it’s found in the courage to keep writing when the story takes an unexpected turn.
There were moments I didn’t want to turn the next page of my own life, afraid of what I might find written there. But then I’d hear my dad’s voice — “Just keep turning the page until you reach the next chapter, sweet pea.” Over time, each turn brought me closer to the truth.
I wasn’t just following the trail of someone else’s unfinished story — I was uncovering parts of my own that had been quietly edited out. As I learned more about her story, I was learning more about myself.
One day, she looked at me and said, “Books must be in your blood.” And now I know how right she was. I never saw this chapter coming, but it became the one that brought me back to myself.
Until the next chapter,
Liv Green
This letter was inspired by the book The Messy Lives of Book People by Phaedra Patrick.
A few lines slipped directly from its pages:
Olivia, keep writing. Best wishes.
Drawn to books with happy endings. …Who wants to spend time reading a story where things don’t work out?
Just keep turning the page until you reach the next chapter, sweet pea.
If you’re not enjoying a book, there’s a solution for that. Close it up and move on. It’s not the end of the world
…Learned more about her story, I was learning more about myself.
Books must be in your blood.
Short Content Brew:
Not every story brews the same. This one reads like comfort in a cup — steady, thoughtful, and honest about the messiness of starting again. A blend that reminds us there’s beauty in turning the page, even when we don’t know what comes next.
The Cup We’d Share
Consider this a moment to sip tea with Liv Green, surrounded by scattered pages, fading ink, and the faint scent of rain on old books. The Authenticitea Barista (a character from my upcoming book, A Cup of Authenticitea) would pour something comforting yet mysterious — a blend that honors rediscovery, quiet courage, and the ghosts that lead us back to ourselves. It’s a cup for those standing between chapters, unsure what comes next, but willing to write it anyway.
A Sip of Rediscovery
Tea Blend: English Breakfast + Vanilla Rooibos
Mood Pairing: For the evenings when the past lingers like a whisper, and you’re ready to turn the page — even if your hands tremble.
Flavor Note: Smooth and steady with a hint of warmth — grounding yet gently sweet, like courage steeped in comfort.
Reflection: Which stories from your past still shape how you write the next chapter of your life?
Why This Letter?
This is a story about beginning again — and I’m always here for that. As a forty-something woman, Liv was making a living cleaning houses. She didn’t hate it, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that something inside her had gone quiet. She wasn’t sure what was next, only that she couldn’t ignore the pull any longer.
When she stepped into another woman’s story — quite literally — she began to uncover parts of herself she’d tucked away. It reminded me that sometimes we outgrow the life we built, not because it was wrong, but because something new is ready to take shape.
That’s the sip I’ll leave you with today. Thanks for reading — until the next page.
A Little Sip from My Own Story
Before I close, I wanted to share a small milestone that feels extra special to me. Atmosphere Press recently invited me to share a few reflections about my soon-to-be-released book, A Cup of Authenticitea — how it began, the stories that inspired it, and what I hope readers will take away from each sip.,
If you’d like a peek behind the pages, you can read the interview here.
It’s a short, heartfelt read, much like the book itself, and I think you’ll enjoy the glimpse behind the scenes.
