profile

Narrative goblin, already writing you into a novel

A writer's life is never boring... Think Walter Mitty falling down the rabbit hole—with a hearty dose of #PoorLifeChoices, which is an unfortunate side effect of being violently allergic to rules. ✦ Hi 👋🏼, I'm Jennie O'Connor. Allow me to entertain you with tales of rats in freezers, ass-less pants and flat-earther boyfriends.

A grand, cathedral-like library features towering bookshelves, ornate arches and warm chandelier lighting. A long table with chairs sits at the center beneath intricately detailed vaulted ceilings.

The Tell-tale Ring ✨5 Min Fiction✨

It is an unhospitable hour, one that begs the question of your better judgment. You find yourself standing alone inside a medieval library—a cathedral of shadow and story. Gothic archways line the walls like sentinels, concealing leather-scented alcoves and the trailing tendrils of whispers. Stone tracery on the windows glistens in the candlelight, making intricate patterns that split the glass into jewels. The ribbed vaults evoke the golden laces of gladiator sandals, a trend your body...
A woman sits in a cushioned wooden chair by an open window, holding a steaming mug and gazing outside in warm golden light.

How to become rich AF right now

The first self-development workshop I ever attended was led by Simone, a coworker from the steakhouse at which I bartended. A handful of open-minded serving staff and I poured ourselves into her tiny living room in the Hollywood Hills for four hours one Saturday. I had no idea what I was getting myself into, only that someone had recently suggested I watch The Secret, and the idea of manifestation was something I found intriguing. At one point in the workshop, Simone asked us if we wanted...

I bought a torture device. Let me explain.

A friend told me that cold plunging eliminated his chronic pain. At the time, I had a coach who did daily cold plunges, but I thought it was a bro-ey elective suffering kinda thing, like the 70 Hard Challenge or pulling a tractor while attached to a body harness. I’m intrigued by health and beauty trends, but not when they involve self-abuse. Fasting makes me homicidal. Facial peels can fck off. Lasering my nether regions got nixed the moment they got to the butth0le, a feeling I later...
A red-haired woman in a blue, storybook-style dress stands smiling among large, colorful flowers with expressive human faces. The whimsical scene has a theatrical, fairy-tale atmosphere with lush greenery in the background.

The purpose of life is not to be useful: it's to chase delight

I recently read a post by someone I admire (I’m even a paying subscriber), where he declared that “following your passion” is the worst career advice he’s ever received. He went on to say that pursuing happiness isn’t a noble life purpose—in fact, it’s selfish—and that the real goal is to be useful. At face value, the advice to pursue usefulness seems sensible. I also agree with his later admonishment to create more than you consume. But it was so hard to hear the worthwhile bits of advice...
A movie theater concession stand is shown with a nacho station and a brightly lit popcorn machine filled with plastic snowglobes like a claw game. A staircase and “THEATERS” sign are visible in the background.

The Someday Market ✨5 Min Fiction✨

Sundays are for going to the farmer’s market, except I’ve never been and can’t say for certain where it is. All I know is that when the forecast reads “surface of the sun,” the market must be held in a vast, air-conditioned space that happens to be empty for half of the year—at least in the mornings. Which is why neither of us questions it when we pull up outside an abandoned-looking movie theatre. There’s only one spot left in the entire lot, so I claim it with the confidence of someone who...

Whips and Chains? Nah, This is What Excites Me

I have no chill, Reader. I fall in love with a new person, place or thing at least three times a week. Often, that looks like loudly declaring my undying devotion to someone’s product. I’m looking at you, kombucha slurpee lady from the farmer’s market. You are a magician 😍 Last year, at a wine festival I attend religiously every spring, one of the chefs introduced me to a coworker as “his stalker.” That’s the day I learned I was extra. (Also, Steve, that’s not a very nice way to talk about...

This deal turns into a pumpkin at midnight 🎃

Reader, this is it. The last call. The final curtain. The moment when you decide if you’re going to keep duct-taping together workflows and repurposing content manually... Or if you're going to steal back your time starting now. You already know the promise of a Custom GPT: 🤖 It remembers your voice, so you don’t have to keep re-explaining yourself🤖 It handles the tedious stuff, so you can stay in your creative zone🤖 It helps you do more of what you love—with less burnout, hustle or...

The free version of ChatGPT is like hiring an assistant with amnesia 🤦🏻‍♀️

Everybody wants to work smarter, not harder. I'm guessing you do, too, Reader. Which is why you're considering selling your soul to the robot overlords adopting AI into your workflow. Perhaps you've taken to heart some of my shouty emails of late about how, since it's here to stay anyway, you should train AI to do your most boring chores. You're intrigued by the fact that: ✨ AI can remember your preferences, your brand voice and your workflows—so you don’t have to repeat yourself and feel...

Why creating a custom GPT might actually save you from a lawsuit.

Hey Reader, Not trying to show up all doomsical in your inbox on a Wednesday, but I recently stumbled on a stat that gave me a tiny heart attack. As of 2025, ADA accessibility is no longer a “nice‑to‑have” on your website. Apparently, lawsuits over things like missing alt text, broken navigation for screen‑readers, forms people can’t use if they can’t see or click—are skyrocketing. In just the first half of this year, more than 2,000 ADA-accessibility lawsuits were filed in the US alone....

AI is a liar liar pants on fire 🔥

When it comes to the robots, I've got good news and bad news, Reader. The good news? AI can save you HOURS. It can help you brainstorm, structure ideas, find your throughline, tackle tedium and write the boring bits (meta descriptions—UGH) so you can stay in your genius zone. The bad news: It's wildly overconfident like your know-it-all colleague who's an expert on everything from government policy to how to air fry zucchini, even though you've secretly fact-checked him dozens of times and...

A writer's life is never boring... Think Walter Mitty falling down the rabbit hole—with a hearty dose of #PoorLifeChoices, which is an unfortunate side effect of being violently allergic to rules. ✦ Hi 👋🏼, I'm Jennie O'Connor. Allow me to entertain you with tales of rats in freezers, ass-less pants and flat-earther boyfriends.