Inside the Mind of Hollywood’s Forensic Storyteller: An Interview With Jennifer Graeser Dornbush

Posted on: Nov 06, 2025

By Tahlia Norrish

When swept up in a compelling crime series on screen, it can be easy to forget that behind the binge-worthy drama, lies a careful dance of fact and fiction. Few people know that dance better than Jennifer Graeser Dornbush — a forensic specialist turned screenwriter, author and teacher whose expertise has added to series such Suits, Hawaii Five-O and Bull.

With her upcoming novel, What Darkness Does, continuing her Coroner’s Daughter series and a television adaptation in the works, Graeser Dornbush has carved out a unique role in the filmmaking industry: helping storytellers get the science right without sacrificing cinematic flair.

Key Insights

Jennifer Graeser Dornbush has uniquely merged her forensic upbringing with storytelling, helping Hollywood blend scientific accuracy with compelling drama.
Her long journey developing The Coroner’s Daughter into a TV project demonstrates the power of persistence, reinvention, and owning your creative identity.
A clear personal mission and intentional discipline sustain her career — balancing inspiration, structure, and emotional resilience.

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“Forensic consultant” is a niche role many filmmakers might not even know exists. What drove you to build a bridge between your forensic background and storytelling in film and TV?

I grew up in a very forensic home. My father was a medical examiner for three counties in Northern Michigan, and the office for his work was in our house, which is very unusual. As a result of that — growing up around death investigation and police investigation — I was immersed in that world without really realizing what it was. It took me a very long time to connect that to my writing.

I’ve always been a writer, but when I graduated, I actually went more into the public relations, fundraising and marketing world, because that was what was available to me at the time. I didn’t know anything about screenwriting or about being an author. I was always writing — that fire was always in me — I just ran from that calling for a good 10 years.

Then I went back to school, got a master’s, and started teaching high school and college —literature and composition and rhetoric. I was immersed in the act of writing, but I wasn’t creating in the way I wanted to.

I finally got some [screenwriting] training in Los Angeles through a program called Act One. It changed my life. It was at that precipice of life where it was, “Are you going to do it or not? Because if you don’t do it now, you’re never going to do it.”

I took the leap of faith and learned storytelling. Even though I had been a literature major and teaching literature for a very long time, I didn’t actually know how to create a story.

Here’s the connective point: When you become a creator, you have to decide, “What kind of stories am I going to tell? Who am I as a storyteller? Where do I fit into this big world of story?”

The forensic consulting happened kind of by default. It’s how most things work in Hollywood: word of mouth. As I was building more awareness about who I was as a crime writer, my expertise in forensics began getting noticed. People started to contact me — writers, showrunners, directors, producers — like, “What if this happened?” It happened very organically. I never quite went looking for that particular job.

You’re now actively developing The Coroner’s Daughter for television, which feels like a weaving together of many threads of your journey to date. What is the biggest thing you’ve learned from the development process so far?

It has been one long 20-plus-year journey in patience and perseverance.

The very first project I worked on as a screenwriter, once I went through training, was The Coroner’s Daughter, loosely based on my own experiences of being a coroner’s daughter. And every time I would pitch it to people, they would say, “We love that idea! We can totally see that as a TV series.” But it just didn’t get off the ground.

I optioned the idea many times. I worked with so many different producers on various versions. I put it away for years. But this project would not die — no pun intended. I couldn’t get it in the grave if I wanted to.

Then, 10 years into the journey of this script, and probably 30 versions later, I got hold of these producers. I started working with them, and we got so far, and then they were swept away with a bunch of other successful movies they did, and had to put my project aside.

Now, we’re into 2014, and I’m starting to think, “Maybe I should write this as a book.” I was purely frustrated and angry. This business is so tough, and you’ve just got to keep coming at it and find a way — like water keeps moving and finds a path. And I was looking around, and so much of what was being made was based on IP.

If I had to hazard a guess, I would just throw out 90%. I was like, “I need to write IP.” Honestly, writing IP changed my life. I had a modicum of screenwriting success before — getting writing jobs, selling scripts and even having a theatrical film made — but when I moved into the world of IP, things took off.

In 2023, I had just finished book three of the series, with a contract for two more. The same producers I’d been working with 10 years earlier called me and said, “Jennifer, we just got funding. We have a new studio. We’re starting with a new streaming service. Things are rocking. We need TV shows. We’ve always loved your idea. We want to buy your books and turn them into a TV show.”

Wow. I have to ask, what has kept you persevering?

First of all, I knew I was called to this world. I declared I was going to be a writer at eight years old, and I remember making an agreement with God when I was 19. I know this sounds very spiritual, but this is the truth. This is what I was supposed to do. It’s not just a job. It’s not just a paycheck. It’s who I was created to be.

When I ran from that calling for 10 years, it was like turning my back against God and against who I was created to be. And that doesn’t end well. It was not ending well for me in my late 20s. Returning to that calling is really what sustains me.

I know whatever happens, it’s not about me. It’s about a bigger entity. It’s about feeding story into this pond of the world. We need story. We, as a human society, are so torn. We are so broken. I think it’s the only thing that will heal our spirits, our souls, and hopefully our world.

When I started screenwriting, I had these amazing mentors, and part of our training was to create a personal mission statement. I came up with mine quite early on, and it’s simply to spread hope and light into the dark recesses of the human experience. Because I know darkness.

I grew up seeing a lot of darkness. The world of crime investigation, death investigation, people dying — it can be very dark. But we always had hope and light infused into that. And so my mission is to use my life and my storytelling to bring hope and light in whatever possible glimmer I can. That’s what keeps me going.

Does having such a clear North Star then translate to the tactical-practical on a day-to-day level?

Absolutely. You need the underlying philosophies, but you need the day-to-day practical things. I set very consistent working hours, and I take my weekends off. I don’t treat my art as if I’m a victim or it’s a victim. I’m not a victim because I decided to be an artist. Art is not victimization. That mentality has got to go. And then there is making time for family and friends, and keeping the work as the work. I love my job, but it’s my job, and your job should not run you.

The other thing I did during the really hard years was my husband’s idea. I would spiral so quickly into despair and depression and discouragement. So, my husband said, “Every six months, we’re going to sit down and we’re going to look at your progress. We’re going to tangibly name the steps you’ve made in the last six months. If it looks like things are going backwards, maybe we can talk about you quitting. If not, then you’re just going to keep moving forward.” Every time we did that, it was so clear that I was progressing.

What a beautiful practice! Finally, are there any touchstone films or series you think have done this genre really well?

There are so many done well. I’ve been particularly intrigued with The Americans. I just re-watched the entire series and keep thinking about it and how brilliant it is. Ozark was another one.

Honestly, I give the CSI and NCIS series a lot of credit because they really put forensics on the map in terms of us being aware that there is a whole field of forensic investigation involved in criminal investigation. They get a lot of stuff wrong, but the general spirit is correct. These series have become a staple, and they’re still extremely popular.

Key Takeaways

Lean into your lived experience — your authenticity and niche expertise can become your greatest creative asset.
Success in entertainment often requires patience, iteration, and strategic pivots like building IP to create lasting traction.
A purposeful mindset, structured work habits, and periodic progress checks are vital tools for navigating creative careers without burning out.

This interview has been edited and condensed. Special thanks to Jennifer Graeser Dornbush and her team at Blackstone Publishing for their time. You can keep up to date with all things Graeser Dornbush via her personal e-newsletter.

Tahlia Norrish is an Aussie-Brit actor, writer and current MPhil Candidate at the University of Queensland’s School of Sport Sciences. After graduating from both The Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (Distinction, Acting & Musical Theatre) and Rose Bruford College (First Class Hons, Acting), Tahlia founded The Actor’s Dojo — a coaching program pioneering peak performance and holistic well-being for actors.

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