JOSS WALKER
Joss Walker is an award-winning fantasy author and the alter ego of New York Times bestselling thriller author J.T. Ellison. Through her fantasy works, Joss delves into her passion for the genre and crafts stories of extraordinary women discovering their power in the world. With the creation of Jayne Thorne, CIA Librarian, Joss has developed a captivating urban fantasy series that appeals to lovers of books, libraries, romance, and, of course, magic.
Photo Credit KidTee Hello Photography
J.T. Ellison is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than 30 novels, and the EMMY award winning co-host of the literary TV show A WORD ON WORDS.
With millions of books in print, her work has won critical acclaim and prestigious awards. Her books have been optioned for television and published in 28 countries.
Ellison lives in Nashville with her husband and twin kittens, one of whom is a ghost, where she dreamed about writing a fantasy novel for over a decade before Joss came along.
About the Jayne Thorne, CIA Librarian series
When Gilmore Girls left the airwaves in 2007, fans mourned the loss of a television first: witty, book-reading, pop-culture-crazy women who created dynamic relationships—not just with the men they dated, but also among themselves. Along with well-rounded female bonds, Gilmore Girls gave viewers a new kind of character in Rory Gilmore: a smart, quiet introvert praised for excelling in academics, a girl who held a deep relationship with her best friend, a teenager dedicated to her neighbors and the well-being of her small hometown. Rory Gilmore is a well-rounded girl-next-door so many young women relate to, especially the ones who find themselves straddling the rungs of the social ladder, not quite fitting in, but still respected for their tenacity and intelligence. Netflix saw the groundswell of Gilmore Girls fans streaming the show and launched a revival in 2016; it was one of their top-viewed programs of the year.
The same young women who relate to Rory Gilmore also crave adventure and fresh fantasy, especially the ones they find in their novels—adventure these young women might not pursue because, like Rory, they are a practical sort. Which is why many of the young women who watch Gilmore Girls also enjoy Showtime’s Homeland, attracted to the analytical prowess and psychological vulnerability of its heroine, Carrie Mathison. The program has an escapism element that hooks thoughtful, curious viewers who are interested in foreign affairs.
But today’s readers aren’t always as captivated by brutal reality in their fiction. They love fantasy worlds where young women are challenged and grow, finding unknown powers and becoming great, albeit sometimes reluctant, leaders.
With this more modern view in mind, imagine if Rory Gilmore were to join the CIA and become a spy, only to find out there is a magical realm—full of supernaturally powerful artifacts (à la Lara Croft and Sydney Bristow)—being kept secret from the real world, and instead of being a staid librarian, she will train to infiltrate a magical terrorism group. That is the basis for this new fantasy-thriller series: Jayne Thorne, CIA Librarian.