“I always try to tell a good story, one with a compelling plot
that will keep the pages turning. That is my first and primary goal. Sometimes
I can tackle an issue - homelessness, tobacco litigation, insurance fraud, the
death penalty - and wrap a good story around it.” – John Grisham
Grisham
is the bestselling writer, attorney, politician, and activist from Mississippi
best known for his popular legal thrillers.
His books have been translated into 42 languages and published
worldwide. And yet, Grisham, who
celebrates his 51st birthday today, almost didn’t become a writer. “Writing was not a childhood dream,”
he said. “I always struggled with how
to get started.”
It was only after about 5 or 6 years
as a lawyer that he started to “play around with fiction. I seriously doubt I
would ever have written my first story had I not been a lawyer. I never dreamed
of being a writer. I wrote only after witnessing a trial.”
Grisham holds degrees from Mississippi State
University and the Ole Miss Law School and practiced criminal law for about a
decade. 
He also served in the Mississippi House of Representatives from 1984-90 working simultaneously on his legal
career and writing. His first novel A
Time to Kill was published in June 1989.
Nine of his books have been made
into films – a remarkable record. And,
he said he’s grateful for that because it’s brought a lot more people into
touch with his works, since he doesn’t think being a writer has, in itself,
made him famous. “Quite often I can be
in a bookshop, standing beneath a great big picture of myself and paying for a
book with a credit card clearly marked John Grisham, yet no one recognizes me.
I often say I'm a famous author in a country where no one reads.”
“Writing's still the most difficult
job I've ever had - but it's worth it.”
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