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The First-Person Voice: Getting Past “I”

October 8, 2025
Building an interesting and dynamic world full of believable characters can be extra challenging when the reader can only see that world through one set of eyes. By the end of this presentation, you’ll be armed with a variety of techniques to help you use first-person effectively in a variety of genres and to recognize several pitfalls before you get too far along.

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Book Pipeline connects writers to publishers, agents, and the film industry through competitions and workshops, providing hands-on support to bridge the gap between emerging authors and the industry since 2014.

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Film Pipeline connects filmmakers and writers with agencies and executives, focusing on diverse storytelling and playing an active role in developing and promoting projects, reviewing thousands of submissions annually since its launch in 2018.

J.T. Ellison

J.T. Ellison is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than 30 critically acclaimed novels, including her standalone thrillers A VERY BAD THING, IT’S ONE OF US, 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, now in its ninth season.

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 as Joss Walker authors the urban fantasy series Jayne Thorne, CIA Librarian. The first book in the series, TOMB OF THE QUEEN, won the Silver Falcion for Best Fantasy novel in 2021.

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. became fascinated with forensics and crime, and after a deep dive into John Sandford’s Prey series, was compelled to begin writing. Over the course of her literary 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 KEYTHE END GAMETHE 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 novels LIE TO ME, TEAR ME APART, GOOD GIRLS LIE, HER DARK LIES, and IT’S ONE OF US.

She also has collaborated with Erica Spindler and Alex Kava on two anthologies: 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 began a new fantasy thriller series, Jayne Thorne, CIA Librarian, 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, and the recipe section is active.

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.

Panelist of 1 Event

One-on-One with J.T. Ellison

February 4, 2025
J.T. Ellison is not only a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than 30 novels, she's also an EMMY® award winning co-host of the literary TV show A WORD ON WORDS, and one of the most generous professional writers in the industry. As always, our Symposium one-on-one conversations are a community event. While Jeanne Veillette Bowerman and J.T. converse, your questions will be addressed, too!

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Upcoming Events

The First-Person Voice: Getting Past “I”

October 8, 2025
Building an interesting and dynamic world full of believable characters can be extra challenging when the reader can only see that world through one set of eyes. By the end of this presentation, you’ll be armed with a variety of techniques to help you use first-person effectively in a variety of genres and to recognize several pitfalls before you get too far along.

Signing Smart! What Authors Should Know About Contracts

October 15, 2025
From publishing deals to agent agreements, film/TV deals, merchandise licenses, and even cover art commissions—contracts can shape your author career. In this webinar, Lauren Emerson will break down what rights and obligations you’re taking on, how to spot risks, what key terms really mean, and how to protect yourself when the other side doesn’t deliver.

Marketing the Big 5 Way

November 5, 2025
Leila Siddiqui has spent ten years working in marketing in two of the Big 5 publishers and will walk you through what to expect when the book has passed acquisitions and finds a publishing date. The publishing journey is often referred to as a “hurry up and wait” with moments of intense marketing activity and then maddening calm.

Latest Streaming

Privacy for Writers: Why Writers Should Care about Privacy in a Connected World and What They Can Do About It

September 24, 2025
Privacy is hard and its designed to be hard by the companies that profit from surveilling our lives.  How do you protect your privacy so that you can both have an online platform and connect with readers while protecting yourself, your family, and your reputation? As an author and a privacy professor, she understands that privacy often doesn’t matter to people - until it does.

Rewriting the Scene

September 17, 2025
With tools Tom Vaughan developed over twenty years writing professionally and teaching, you will learn a consistent and repeatable process to elevate the most important building block of your story.

One-on-One with Crosby Selander

September 10, 2025
Matt Misetich, Partner at Pipeline Media Group, talks with screenwriter Crosby Selander about the state of the screenwriting industry. Included in the discussion is a live Q & A with the attendees.

Symposium, presented by Pipeline Artists, is a year-round virtual conference empowering creatives with honest, no-nonsense guidance across the arts. Through seminars, industry panels, and Town Hall discussions on screenwriting, filmmaking, publishing, and career-building, Symposium offers grounded advice from working professionals to help you forge your own unique path.

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