Interviewee: John Grisham
Interviewer: Borders Books
Date: April 04, 2008

His name has become synonymous with legal thrillers. John Grisham, a bestselling American author, is a lawyer by profession and has worked for a decade in criminal defense and personal injury litigation. Prior to his groundbreaking success as a writer, he maintained a private practice in Southaven, Mississippi. He also served in the Mississippi House of Representatives as a Democrat from 1983 to 1990.

John Grisham obtained his accounting degree from the Mississippi State University in 1977 and earned his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Mississippi School of Law in 1981. Many of his novels were inspired by actual cases. His first novel, A Time To Kill, took three years to complete and was largely ignored by publishers until Wynwood Press decided to print it in June 1988. His first novel was followed by The Firm, one of the greatest success stories in publishing. The Firm was a New York Times bestseller for 47 weeks and eventually became the bestselling novel for the year 1991. John Grisham sold the rights of the novel to Paramount Pictures for $600,000.

His initial success would be replicated with other bestselling novels like The Pelican Brief and The Client. All of John Grisham’s novels have become international bestsellers. He has sold an estimated 250 million copies of his novels as of 2008, translated into 29 different languages. Of all his novels, nine have been adapted to film including The Firm, The Client, The Pelican Brief, A Time to Kill, The Chamber, The Rainmaker, A Painted House, The Runaway Jury, and Skipping Christmas.

John Grisham is also widely respected in the literary community for his generous support and efforts in preserving and continuing the literary traditions of the South. He has set up scholarships and residencies in the University of Mississippi.

He and his wife Renee live with their two children in a Victorian home on a Mississippi farm and a Charlottesville, VA plantation.