Please note: Registration for Friday events closes at midnight on Wednesday, 9/16/25
Before entering the publishing field, Terri Bischoff worked at a feminist bookstore before purchasing and operating a mystery bookstore for five years, then worked in other bookstores for another eight years. She spent 10 years in acquisitions and development editing, and her authors have received numerous award wins, nominations, and starred reviews.
Now an independent freelance developmental editor, Terri has a wealth of experience and knowledge in both mysteries and bookselling, particularly as a book buyer and reviewer, with a keen understanding of what sells and why. Terri’s interests lie in mainstream suspense, thrillers, quirky and humorous cozies, LGBTQIA, and diverse characters/storylines.
Elizabeth Guthrie is an associate literary agent at PSLA representing fiction and nonfiction. Before joining PSLA, she worked first as an intern and then as a literary agent at Lucinda Literary. Prior to moving into publishing, she had a career in trauma-informed integrative medicine, earning a PhD in Natural Medicine and a Master’s of Public Health with a concentration in functional nutrition.
Guthrie is interested in a broad range of books but is especially drawn to fiction with character-driven plots that end with clever twists and expert-driven non-fiction. In fiction, she is interested in fantasy, historical, romance (especially fantasy, historical, or LGBTQ), speculative, and psychological thrillers.
In nonfiction, she is particularly drawn to true crime, music (almost any genre, but especially blues and classic rock), and history (especially ancient civilizations or intellectual history). She also likes expert-driven wellness, popular psychology, and other science-related ideas (especially in biology or physics).
Website: https://www.psliterary.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabethgu3/
Instagram: ElizabethGu3
Jay A. Hartman is a 30+ year veteran of the publishing industry with experience in both selling and producing. Former Waldenbooks store manager, Content Editor for KnowBetter.com—one of the Internet’s oldest sites reporting on ebooks and epublishing—and founder of publishing house Untreed Reads, where he served as Editor-in-Chief for 13 years, Hartman is known as a respected innovator in the ebook industry—constantly ahead of the curve. Because of his expertise and instincts, he is a regular speaker and interviewed expert—at conferences, in person, and online—on ebooks and all things in the ebook industry.
He founded Misti Media to continue his “authors first” approach to the world of publishing, knowing that if the authors are successful then the publishing house will be as well. His love of literature and knowledge of all aspects of the ebook industry helps him be an author’s best friend.
Website: https://www.mistimedia.com/
Gina Panettieri is the founder and President of Talcott Notch Literary Services, LLC, a five-member, full-service literary agency based in Milford, Connecticut. Panettieri has been a member of the publishing community for more than 35 years as writer, editor and literary agent, and has helped hundreds of writers achieve their writing goals, including a number of New York Times and USA Today bestsellers. She represents a full range of adult and juvenile fiction and nonfiction, with a strong specialization in all types of crime fiction and nonfiction.
Panettieri is particularly interested in stories that explore iconic places, events, and people, and loves dark, twisty stories and morally complex characters. Some of her most recent sales include THE SNOW LIES DEEP by her TN associate, USA Today-bestselling author Paula Munier, INSURGENT by NYT-bestselling writing team, Andrews & Wilson, and nonfiction true crime, JERSEY BOSS by frequent History Channel guest, Scott Deitche.
Anne Rainbow, Author/Editor/Mentor
UK-based Anne Rainbow, aka ScrivenerVirgin and RedPen mentor, spent decades working in IT and Education and textbook publishing before turning to fiction in 2009, when she first took part in NaNoWriMo and became ML for Devon and Cornwall in 2010.
Through her website https://scrivenervirgin.com, she offers workshops and courses in creative writing and self-editing. Check out her Nine Online Zoom sessions, which provide small group read/review mentoring, and her Wednesday Writers Online, monthly creative writing workshops hosted by Rainbow with presenter Kerry Hadley-Pryce. Rainbow’s website houses a forum which is a great resource as well as a private space for writers to share ideas and get feedback from each other.
She also hosts a radio show “Artists on Air” for two hours on Monday mornings every four weeks and her wonderful long weekend writers’ retreats each March/April and November at the cottage hotel in Devon UK.
In theory, Anne Rainbow is long-since retired, but her days are still spent encouraging other writers to achieve their publication dreams while advocating they use Scrivener for all their writing and apply her RedPen Editing strategy. She’ll apply her RedPen Editing process to your submission.
Clay Stafford has had an eclectic career as an author, filmmaker, story and creative consultant, actor, composer, educator, public speaker and business leader. He has sold nearly four million copies of his works in over sixteen languages. He is founder and CEO of the annual Killer Nashville International Writers’ Conference and a contributor to Writer’s Digest magazine with his monthly online column, “Killer Writer”. In addition, Clay is the founder of Killer Nashville University, a creative learning platform for writers.
For more information visit, ClayStafford.com or https://linktr.ee/claystafford.