JaneA Kelley

I was born in the late 1960s in a small town in coastal Maine. My parents were among the first wave of “back to the landers” who made their exodus from the cities (in their case, New York) to more sparsely populated lands where they could live their lives in peace and freedom.

I grew up surrounded by the artsy, intellectual culture my parents and their friends brought with them, and the down-to-earth Yankee values of their adopted home. I like to think my childhood made me a “pragmatic idealist.”

In 2003, I found myself in the unenviable position of being laid off in the economic wreckage of the post-9/11 years. While I was looking for work, I began writing a cat advice column, Paws and Effect under the noms de plume of my cats. Eight years, three paying jobs and numerous freelance gigs later, I’m still writing Paws and Effect. I’m also the editor of Catster’s Kitty News Network blog and I do lots of other cat-related freelance writing.

By day, I work as a communications officer for one of the largest community foundations in New England. I’m an active volunteer with my local SPCA, and I love to work as a “techie” in local live theater productions.

I live with my three cats, Siouxsie Mew, Thomas T. Bombadil, and Dahlia P. Kittenface — who sometimes let me sleep late on weekends — and I have four intelligent, wise, beautiful, and compassionate nieces who bring great joy to my life.