June Blog 2024

Hey, rosebuds!!

This is fairly late for me to be posting but, we’ll count it was a May/June wrap up blog post! A lot has been happening IRL, between working and getting personal tasks accomplished.

The unfun part is I had a serious bout of writer’s block for a time, which is part of the reason the May Commission-to-Finish was only recently posted. Thankfully I’ve gotten through it (thank you Mr. Rose Petal Writings and Minecraft, surprisingly enough), but with that comes another decision:

I’ve decided to combine the May and June Rose Petal Musings episode into one combined episode! I’ve wanted to include Mr. Rose Petal Writings on the podcast for a while, and with Mother’s day in May and Father’s day in June, it came together rather sanctimoniously to do our combined episode together on what it’s like to write from the perspective of a parent without being actual parents. We have a cat, but I’ve been told it’s very different 😉

Here’s to playing lots of creative games (I had a really fun DND session before writing this which has ALSO helped with creativity), beating mental blocks, and getting ish DONE!

Much love,
Olivia🌹💜

Mirage

Emory jogged along, hating every moment that led them to this point in life. Running. Was. Torture. They had to think to themself: what led me here? Why am I doing this?

Shortly along the jogging path, Emory saw Jaime. Jaime was their neighbor in the apartment complex, across the hall. Jaime happened to love running, and Emory was just desperate enough for a friend that they thought they’d also take up running. There have been more regrettable choices in life, Emory supposed.

Emory finally huffed their way up to Jaime and stopped. “H-Hey!” They panted out. “Fine day for a jog, right?” Jaime stared at Emory, confused. Emory stared back, more confused. Jaime didn’t have hazel eyes. Jaime’s eyes were blue. Who was this??

“I’m…sorry. I thought you were-”

“You thought I was Jaime.” The not-Jaime smiled. The dimple appeared in the exact same spot, but for some reason, Emory noticed it more on the not-Jaime than they ever had with Jaime. “I’m Jaime’s twin, Jesse.”

Want to see more? Commission me to complete this YOUR way! Pop a comment below, message me on any social media, fill out the Contact Me form on the website, or email me directly at olivia.rosepetalwritings@gmail.com!

Mental Health Awareness Month 2024

Hi everyone!

A bit of a longer post, but I wanted to use this Throwback Thursday to touch on Mental Health Awareness Month and share a little bit of my own story.

Before we get started, some warnings: I am going to discuss symptoms of anxiety and depression. This may be disturbing to some readers, so please proceed with caution and be kind to yourselves.

I don’t wish to start at the beginning of my journey; rather, I’d like to start at rock bottom and discuss recovery. It’s a vital part of mental health and, arguably, the most delicate of places to begin healing. Once you’ve begun healing, it’s easier to pick it back up than to start for the first time.

It’d be really convenient to have a specific moment where I knew I hit rock bottom, but to be completely honest, I don’t know. I know there was a period of time where all hope was gone, where I felt like I was contributing nothing and felt like I would never contribute anything worthwhile to my family, to my friends, or to society as a whole. There are days I still get those feelings trying to creep back up.

What really, truly kickstarted my journey back to recovery and a place of healing is a friend from college who told me about the counseling department at our school. She advocated for them and spoke very highly of them. This friend is someone who is so endlessly optimistic, bubbly, and loving so to hear that she was using the counseling service made me believe that maybe I could benefit as well.

I began seeing the counseling department my sophomore or junior year of college, and continued until Covid for, well, obvious reasons. This was one of the many dips I experienced in my journey. I’ve heard it said that mental health is a constant roller coaster. I feel like it’s accurate because even when I’m feeling my best, with my support system, I’ll hit a low seemingly out of nowhere.

Sometimes, during your journey, you just have to accept that depression or anxiety happen. Sometimes there is no one trigger. Sometimes you wake up and suddenly your limbs feel like lead, you feel like you can’t breathe, and like something (you don’t even know what) really really bad is going to happen.

This leads me to my favorite part from those counselling sessions. Grounding exercises, finding and using your support system, and recognizing what’s happening. You acknowledge what you’re feeling, understand and feel it, and push through it to the other side because you know you’re going to be okay. Sometimes, it’s okay to not be okay. It will pass in time, and you’ll feel alright again.

I have come a long way from rock bottom, but there are some days where I’m taken right back. That’s okay, that’s part of the journey. It’s not about “getting better” per se, it’s about being better at managing your symptoms and understanding what’s happening so you can handle it in the moment. There will always be bad days. But, the nice thing is that there will be good days as well. Great days, even.

Don’t give up. You are seen, more than you know. You are heard. And you will always have a choice and someone willing to listen.

Take care, my rosebuds,
Olivia🌹💚

May Blog 2024

Hello May!

This post is coming a bit late, but with good reason. I’ve been working hard here at Rose Petal Writings crafting daily social posts for this page to show some examples of what I can do! My posts are a bit formulaic, but that’s for my own benefit. Having Motivational Monday, Feels Friday, etc. makes it easier on me so I can devote more time to my commissions (hint hint nudge nudge).

I am happy to announce we’re getting things back on track with recording the podcast as well. Recording is about to be underway for the May episode and we are still planning on having Mr. Rose Petal Writings as a guest!

Along that vein of thinking, if you have any podcast topics you’d like to see, or any writing questions you’d like answered please comment below! I want to hear your thoughts.

I also want to know if you’ve got any Commission-to-Finish ideas you’d like to see as well! Any concepts, any thoughts you want that you just can’t seem to get started I will gladly take them all.

Keep an eye out for the upcoming podcast episode, as well as more fun posts to interact with!

Before I forget to mention, tomorrow I am going to be doing a more in-depth Throwback Thursday post in honor of Mental Health Awareness Month. I am going to include some trigger warnings at the top of the post, but I’m not going to be getting graphic with anything. I want to give everyone a heads up beforehand.

Much love,
Olivia💜🌹

New Service Acquired!

Hey y’all!

I wanted to pop on and announce this update that’s lowkey been live for a few days now; we’ll call it a soft launch.

I’m now introducing graphic design services for invitations and business cards! Through this, you can have wedding invitations, birthday invites, retirement party invitations, business cards, and personal reference cards all made with my assistance on Canva Pro! I would help your dreams become a reality not just with writing, but something you can physically hold!

Pricing will vary with this based on what Canva is charging to print these, how many you’re getting, the various finishes you’d like to have, etc. Please comment with any questions you may have and share around!

Much love,

Olivia🌹💜

Let it Rain

Helen rubbed her elbow, watching the sky darken. Her arthritis always acted up with foul weather like this, but it was also her favorite weather. Nothing could beat a stormy day curled up with her favorite book. Her cat, Kiki, meowed at her.

As Helen moved towards the door to get Kiki’s dinner, she noticed something in the corner of her eye. A wisp of shadow that, as she turned around, was gone as soon as it appeared.

A trick of the mind perhaps? Helen shook her head and kept going about her business. Maybe she was getting old, like her children said. As she set Kiki’s food down, she heard a tap on the window.

Thinking it was a robin, she moved to the window to check on it. A robin at her window this close to a storm would surely mean it couldn’t escape in time. Helen gasped and dropped the cat food can when she saw a big raven at her window, tapping again and tilting its head. At its feet lay a broken locket.

“Where…did you get this?” Helen asked aloud, reaching for the window latch. The locket was her sister’s.

Interested to hear how it ends? Commission me to finish this YOUR way! If you’d like to discuss a commission please comment below, find me on social media, or send me an email!

It’s Finally Here!!

After months of waiting, here’s the link for the newest Rose Petal Musings episode: Oops! – Overcoming Procrastination

April Blog 2024

Wow! So April kind of blew by at a rapid-fire pace, huh? My apologies on getting this to you all a bit late. I do have some housekeeping announcements, so without further ado (and barring any more eclipses):

Hannah and I were able to get an episode recorded for Rose Petal Musings! That is being edited and will be released shortly. My posting schedule is going to be a bit more relaxed than I originally intended, such is scheduling and finding time to record these days.

This brings me to my next order of business. Part of what’s keeping me so busy is announcing a new service! I’m currently ironing out the finer details, so keep an eye out for that in the near future as well!

I am also attempting to come up with a consistent posting schedule for my page. One of the things I want to include is an “Ask a Professional” segment where I answer writing questions you may have. What questions do you want answered? This can be grammar, this can be spelling, sentence structure, “why is English so weird,” and even “why IS the door red?” I’ll answer them all in due time, so ask away in the comments!

Lots of changes on the way, along with a podcast episode FINALLY being released. Lots to do, lots to be looking forward to for May. We’ll talk again soon!

Until then Rosebuds,
Olivia💜🌹

Daphne and Kitnen Special 2024

It’s officially here!

The Daphne and Kitnen Special is a special, one-day-only sale I have to commemorate the lives of my first two cats, Daphne and Kitnen. As such, any commissions agreed upon today will be 50% off as long as they are animal-related!

Please comment, like, and share to spread the word!

March Special 2024!

Surprise!!

I was looking for a way to commemorate my first cats on the anniversary of their passing, and I can think of no better way than writing about the love we have for our animal companions!

So for 3/17 and 3/17 only, all animal-based commissions will be 50% off! Let’s spread the love and get some commissions flowing this St. Patrick’s Day!

Olivia💜🌹🐾

March Blog 2024

Happy March!

Hoo, boy. What a time. My podcast posting schedule has not been going to plan, as I’m sure you may have noticed. I promised two episodes in February and those did not go as planned. HOWEVER, I have a plan to make it up to my listeners. The January and February episodes for Rose Petal Musings are BOTH going to have different guests!

January is going to feature someone I’ve had episodes with before: Hannah Middaugh, from Hannah Middaugh Photography! You may have noticed a lot of the pictures of myself and Mr. Rose Petal Writings have her signature in the corner. This is because she took our engagement photos and I have been THRILLED to share them whenever I can!

February is going to be a bit special itself. We all know what February is about, the big holiday in February and what people take it to mean. As such, I am going to bring in Mr. Rose Petal Writings himself as a guest for my February podcast episode!

Lots of things to be excited for (and a lot of recordings to be made), so definitely keep an eye and an ear out for that coming up!

Next major update: the Meta crash. This happened in March, so it’s fairly recent. Since Meta had its big crash, I got locked out of my Meta account and was able to recover it, please don’t worry, but I can only access Meta products (Facebook, Instagram, Business Suite) via web browser as of right now. I am going to be trying to get back into the apps, but right now the apps aren’t sending me confirmation codes or sending them hours later than when I try to log in.

As such, I will be checking my Meta products for messages but it will be when I have access to my laptop, meaning it will not be the most consistent place to reach me. I can still be reached by email, through my website, on X, and on tumblr and Snapchat. I want to get this across because I can be commissioned through any of these avenues, including my linktree.

That’s the business stuff out of the way! Now for the fun part: I’d love to hear how you’re liking the Commission-to-Finish! I posted March’s CTF a bit early as an apology for being late on the podcast and I noticed it’s getting some attention! Please comment or send me a message, let me know what you like about it, if there’s a topic or subject you’d like to see as a CTF.

I do see your likes, interactions, and shares and I wanted to let you know each view warms my heart. Please, share to friends and family, comment, like, and get the word out!

Now, some of you may see my picture this month and wonder who those kitties are because as of recently, I’ve really only shared about our current cat, Ink. These cats are Kitnen and Daphne, respectively, who are my first two cats. They passed away in 2020 at the ripe age of 19 years old each, five weeks apart. Kitnen was the second to pass away on St. Patrick’s Day, so I try to do something to remember them each year on the day.

Animals are very important in my life, and I love when I get commissions involving animals like the commission I wrote for Hannah’s dog, Max, which you can see an excerpt for on my Completed Commissions page on the website here! If you’ve ever wanted a short story about what your favorite furry (or scaly) friend may be thinking in a day, please consider commissioning me!

I think that wraps our monthly update. Please keep an eye out for the podcast episodes coming soon, and a special that might be out for St. Patrick’s Day 😉

Until next month, rosebuds!
Olivia💜🌹

To Catch a Fallen Star

Watching the night sky was a common pastime for young Lillie of Maid’s Hollow. She would lay there as long as she could keep her eyes open, staring into the inky void freckled with light. She could think of no better way to quiet her racing mind and find true peace within herself.

On one such night, Lillie noticed a star falling. It was falling very quickly for a normal star. Lillie stood up to watch and swore she could see where it landed, off in the distance. Before she could think to stop herself, her little legs took off running in the direction of the fallen star.

Like this story? Commission me to finish it YOUR way! You can start the conversation through email, social media, or by commenting below!

February Blog 2024

Happy February!

This is coming to y’all just a smidge later than I wanted, but when you get sick your schedule kind of gets pushed back. I wanted to make sure I was well enough and caught up on everything to sit down and write out this blog.

That leads me to my first order of business: the podcast! Rose Petal Musings did not release an episode in January, as was expected, and there is a reasonable explanation for that in that I was sick right around Martin Luther King, Jr’s day for roughly a week. That week was spent trying to regain my voice which was completely gone, definitely not a fun time.

As a result, I’m going to be releasing two episodes in February to make up for it! They are going to be released fairly close together, but I feel it’s warranted to get us back on that schedule I’ve got planned; plus who doesn’t like getting a double feature??

I’m sure you’ve already seen that I have a special going on for the month of February, all writing services are half off the entire month. Everything from my packages to my standard commissions to my mini commissions even to my Commission-to-Finish stories are half off!

One thing I did want to bring up since they’re fairly new: the Commission-to-Finish stories can be commissioned at any time! Just because we’re in February now does not mean you can’t request the CTF from last month. It’s truly any time, any ending!

Alright, enough housekeeping! Onto the life stuff. Fortunately or unfortunately, not a lot going on on the life events front. Mr. RPW and I are in that “preparing” stage of our lives where there’s a lot of grind towards our goals, with the intention of realizing those goals later (that’s what makes every commission so important 😉). The grind is going well.

One thing I’d like to pose to followers and friends alike: I’m going to be looking at new cars here soon! I’d love to see what your recommendations are and why, so hop in that comment section and let me know what your favorite car is. It’s well beyond time for me to retire my old car, and boy has he sure told me it’s time.

I am really appreciating all of your likes, your comments, your shares, your reads; seeing that people find my little website in the middle of the world wide web warms my heart on the coldest of nights. Sharing these blogs, my posts, and even my podcast episodes helps me get commissions that I need to keep this website going and keep making content for everyone. Thank you for all that you do, and with the recent holiday please know that professionally, platonically, I love each and every one of you very much.

Until next month, my rosebuds!
Olivia💜🌹

Connection

Nobody expected the goddess of flowers and queen of the underworld to like jazz. Particularly 1920s jazz. However, Persephone had taken a liking to it during the Prohibition Era in the United States and it stuck. As music changed, she remained enchanted by the classics.

Her husband, Hades, had found a way to use music to keep them connected. Many of the gods thought Apollo would be offended by their using his gift to stay connected year-round, but the young god was quite pleased his gift was getting more attention.

Come autumn, the queen was making her journey back to the underworld to reunite with her husband. She found a record player waiting for her instead, with a note: Play me, and follow the instructions.

Like this story? Commission me to finish this your way! Contact me by email, private message, or by commenting below!

February Sale 2024

Hey everyone!

Happy late February! I’m sure you’ve probably seen before, but just in case you missed it: I’m running a sale through all of February!

From now until the end of February (thank goodness for leap years, you have an extra day 😘), you can commission any of my writing services for half off!

Please now, jaws off the floor. I know, I know. Right after my penny stories, half off? The holidays are hard on the budget, you gotta make sure that you have all your gifts for friends, family, and loved ones. Now it’s February, it’s time to treat yourself!

Why not have your very own story or poem celebrating self-care? Check out the link in my bio or send me an email or message today! 🌹