• The beverage center at the Deep Sleep Inn in Haverhill, NH

    In which Jade bids farewell to summer

    August 31, 2025 / 2 Comments

    Life has been pretty stressful lately. Factor in the mad news cycle — which made me cry at my desk twice last week — and I was desperately in need of a break. Luckily, I married someone with a passion for travel. So, this weekend, I:

    * Traveled through New Hampshire and Vermont

    * Stayed at a charming dead and breakfast

    * Started reading a new Stephen King book

    * Drank copious amounts of tea

    * Ate waffles in the shape of skulls

    * Visited two independent book stores

    * Purchased three books and a new tarot deck

    * Rarely looked at my phone

    * Sat beneath a beautiful tree and enjoyed a cool, nearly autumnal breeze

    * Ate a yummy slice of triple chocolate cake

    * Watched a lovely murder mystery movie

    * Worked on The End Files until dawn

  • pen nib

    Mark my words v.8

    August 16, 2025 / No Comments

    As I’ve mentioned in previous blog posts (see here and here and here and here and here and here and here), I’m drawn to certain words. The attraction is often a word’s meaning or spelling, but sometimes I just like the way the word rolls off my tongue.

    These are more of my favorites:

    Rendezvous

    Opulence

    Frenzy

    Ensorcel

    Weltschmerz

    Resplendent

    Arcane

    Wherewithal

    Supernova

    Bugbear

    Ominous

    Oblivion

    Frostbite

    Silhouette

    Merrythought

  • Writing - balled up paper next to a laptop and a stack of manuscript pages

    “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”

    August 10, 2025 / 4 Comments

    Greetings everyone!

    With my contract gig at CNN coming to an end, I’ve begun searching for my next opportunity to write, edit and serve the public.

    What I’m looking for: A remote position as a journalist, managing editor, editor-in-chief, senior editor, curator, newsletter writer and/or vice president of content. Passions include breaking news, good news, obituaries, publishing, books and food. If the job involves working the overnight shift, even better.

    I’ve previously worked for many major news outlets, including The New York Times, The Associated Press, Yahoo News, HuffPost, Apple News (via Magnit) and CNN (via Creative Circle). My resume is available here and I have excellent references. If you hear about any opportunities, please reach out in email.

    Looking for a media or publishing job as well? Let’s network! I’m happy to forward any gigs that might suit your skills/interests.

    –Title quote is by former first lady Eleanor Roosevelt

  • Tools (er, I mean toys) for my little feline assassins

    July 21, 2025 / 1 Comment

    I recently picked up some new toys for my cats. Not cute fuzzy mice. Or squeaky birds. Or even those little balls with bells in them. No, I bought my girls an ax, a steak knife, a cleaver and a saw.

    Here’s the review I posted:

     

    my knives review

    * * *
     

    Needless to say, this was the review that inspired me to buy the set of bloody knives. The critique may have been written by Anonymous, but I thought it was great:

  • Treacle and Choux

    Quote of the day

    July 13, 2025 / No Comments

    “It’s so weird how one of my cats is a cat and the other one is a 3,000-year-old demon pretending to be a cat.” –Dana Reyna Liebelson