About Me
Hello! I’m JJ Nightling: hardcore introvert, committed optimist, part-time author, and full-time executor of shenanigans. Welcome to my website! I’m happy you’re here.
You may be wondering…what is a nightling?
To me, the name nightling belongs to anyone who has ever felt like they were standing outside the circle. When I was 14 years old, I suffered a traumatic brain injury. In the span of a few days, I went from being a straight-A athlete to being the weird girl who couldn’t talk right, couldn’t walk right, couldn’t think right. Even now, many years later, I vividly remember what it felt like to see friends, acquaintances, and strangers looking at me like I was a comedy of errors, as if my slip ups were staged for their enjoyment. No matter where I went or who I talked to, I was the oddball.
And this is where my story starts: a teenage girl with dwindling self-esteem with not a whole lot that I knew I could count on. I couldn’t even count on me: In the aftermath of my injury, my body and mind refused to obey commands. Answer the question. No. Walk down the hall. No. …Not a great situation for a diehard perfectionist to find herself in.
The journey between then and now is a long one, and I don’t want to bore you with the nitty gritty details. BUT I do want to share with you the key ingredients that made sure that my story didn’t stop with the teenage girl who felt totally and utterly alone…
Writing Samples
Lost Girl
She’s gone. Everyone is looking for her, including me. The last time I saw her, she was sprinting at full tilt through the darkness, trying to escape the clutches of her giggling friends behind her. Then… she fell.
Cricket Song
Susanna told me once that she loved the sound of crickets. She said it made her feel safe. She talked to the crickets often, offering her voice to the gentle symphony of wings floating above the hum of the night. And when the music rose in crescendo, Susanna swore the crickets were talking back to her.
Corner of Gratitude
The little things make the biggest difference. Sign up for my email list to hear more stories of gratitude and to share your own.
Kind Gestures
We were on a long road trip and spent the night napping in the car at a rest area in Wyoming. When I woke up, it was very very (very) cold. The windows were layered with frost, and my joints groaned in protest with each attempt to move. Unable to muster the patience to defrost the windshield, I scraped off a small peek-hole and somehow managed to navigate to a gas station without getting us killed. After dashing inside (in the least coordinated manner) to empty my bladder, I assuaged my grumpiness by pouring myself an extra-large cup of coffee. As I approached the counter to pay, the woman at the register took one look at my face, produced a warm smile, and said, “It’s on the house.”
Great Friends
After my accident, I had trouble sleeping and often found myself on the computer at two or three in the morning to distract myself from the endless spiraling thoughts that refused to let me sleep. One of my closest friends began to appear on AOL messenger around the same time, and our chats made the insomnia so much more bearable. I asked him once what spurred his own insomnia. He smiled and said, “You told me you were having trouble sleeping.”
Contact
I'd love to hear from you!
- jj [at] jjnightling [dot] com
- 650-265-7952