Crafting The Perfect Characters With J. T. Ellison | Story Craft Cafe Episode 21

J.T. Ellison is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than 25 critically acclaimed novels, including her standalone thrillers HER DARK LIES, GOOD GIRLS LIE, TEAR ME APART, LIE TO ME, and NO ONE KNOWS; the Lt. Taylor Jackson series, beginning with ALL THE PRETTY GIRLS; the Dr. Samantha Owens series, starting with A DEEPER DARKNESS; and coauthored the "A Brit in the FBI" series with #1 New York Times bestselling author Catherine Coulter. J.T. is also the EMMY® Award-winning co-host of the television series A Word on Words, and co-writes urban fantasy under the pen name Joss Walker.

With millions of books in print, J.T.’s work has been published in 28 countries and 16 languages. Her novel THE COLD ROOM won the ITW Thriller Award for Best Paperback Original. Her novels FIELD OF GRAVES and WHERE ALL THE DEAD LIE were each a RITA® nominee for Best Romantic Suspense. She is also the author of multiple short stories, and the co-author of the urban fantasy series Jayne Thorne, CIA Librarian, with R.L. Perez.

J.T. grew up in the foothills of Colorado, and moved to McLean, Virginia during high school. After graduating from Randolph-Macon Woman's College and receiving her master's degree from The George Washington University Graduate School of Political Management, she was a presidential appointee and worked in The White House and the Department of Commerce before moving into the private sector to work as a financial analyst and marketing director for several defense and aerospace contractors.

After moving to Nashville, J.T. began to research her hidden passions, forensics and crime, and was compelled to begin writing down her stories. Over the course of her career, she has worked with the Metro Nashville Police Department and the FBI, as well as performing autopsies and studying survivalists.

In 2012, J.T. teamed up with #1 New York Times bestselling author Catherine Coulter to co-write a new FBI series. The first book, THE FINAL CUT, released in September of 2013 and hit every major bestseller list. The series continued with THE LOST KEY, THE END GAME, THE DEVIL'S TRIANGLE, and THE SIXTH DAY. The final installment, THE LAST SECOND, was published in March 2019.

J.T.’s first standalone novel, NO ONE KNOWS, a Nashville-based domestic thriller, was published in 2016 by Gallery Books. It was followed by the critically acclaimed LIE TO ME, published in 2017 by MIRA Books. TEAR ME APART released August 28, 2018. GOOD GIRLS LIE, released December 30, 2019. Her newest standalone, HER DARK LIES released March 9, 2021.

She also has co-written with Erica Spindler and Alex Kava on two anthology collaborations: SLICES OF NIGHT and STORM SEASON.

J.T.'s interests go beyond writing books—she publishes them, too. In 2015, she founded her own independent publishing house, Two Tales Press, which features short stories and novellas, including KILLER YEAR and DEAD ENDS. Her multi-author anthology A THOUSAND DOORS: An Anthology of Many Lives released to critical acclaim in November 2018. Most recently, she released TOMB OF THE QUEEN, the first Jayne Thorne, CIA Librarian fantasy thriller, under the pen name Joss Walker.

An avid oenophile, J.T. launched The Wine Vixen, a wine review website focusing on all varietals and price ranges. Though the website is on hiatus, it is still full of great wine tips.

In 2015, J.T. became the co-host of the Nashville literary television series A Word on Words. The series was hosted by respected journalist John Seigenthaler for more than 40 years and remains a favorite among viewers. The rebooted show builds on Mr. Seigenthaler’s distinguished legacy with an exciting new version of the literary series. The show won its first EMMY® in 2017. Follow #keepreading for more updates on the show’s guests and lively literary discussions.

J.T. lives with her husband and twin kittens in Nashville, where she enjoys fine wine, good notebooks, and quiet moments on the golf course.