Interviews
Barnes & Noble Review Interview with John Grisham
What is your earliest memory of writing a story?
I wrote a story in college and submitted it to Reader's Digest. They chose not to publish it, and for good reason.
When and where do you write? What does your workspace look like?
I write from roughly 7 a.m. to 11 a.m., more when I'm facing the deadline. Five days a week, with plenty of time off. My office is in an old building just behind our farmhouse. It has no phone, no fax, no Internet, a lot of silence.
Why did you want to write about the Great Recession of 2008 in Gray Mountain?
The story starts with the Great Recession but quickly moves away from it. I was fascinated by the way some of the big firms, both law and banking, treated their bright young stars.
What was your proudest moment as an attorney?
My first murder case. I was 27 years old, defending a really good guy who had killed a really bad guy in self-defense. The jury believed us, and rightfully so. I walked him out of the courtroom, a free man.
There's a popular line from The Rainmaker: "I'm alone and outgunned, scared and inexperienced, but I'm right.? Can recall an early moment in your career, as either a novice lawyer or writer, when you knew that you were right, despite the odds against you?
That's brilliant - are you sure I wrote that? defended a guy in federal court one time on some vague and trumped-up charges. The government had plenty of lawyers and firepower. They ran over us, and the guy went to prison. That stuck with me for a long time.
Do you feel a certain ownership of the legal thriller genre, given how massive it has become in the wake of your success?
None whatsoever. I didn't invent the genre — not sure who did — but Scott Turow took it to a much higher level with Presumed Innocent in 1987. It's too vast for any one author to claim.
As a baseball fan, what are your favorite memories of the game, either as a spectator or participant? I have no fond memories as a player. I was usually on the bench. I was, and still am, a huge Cardinals fan. During the 1968 World Series, the Cardinals were defending their title against the Tigers. In game one, Bob Gibson was on the mound for the Cardinals. It was an early afternoon game, and my mother called the school and said I needed to come home for some family reason. I sprinted home, got there just in time for the first pitch, in black-and-white. Gibson struck out 17, still a series record. I vividly remember sitting on the floor, in front of the television, in heaven, while my buddies were still in class.
You served for eight years in the Mississippi House of Representatives. What does the average citizen not know about the lives and work of their politicians? What would they be surprised to know about what happens behind the scenes?
A smart guy once said that making laws is a lot like making sausage - you'd be shocked if you watched it. The average citizen does not comprehend (1) the influence of money, (2) the influence of sex, (3) the fear of not getting re-elected, (4) how that fear permeates most of what politicians do, (4) how many laws are actually on the books, (5) how so few of the politicians really understand or actually read those laws, and I could go on and on. Needless to say, I have never missed it.
You recently told the New York Times that you wish someone else would write your next five legal thrillers. While that statement may have been tongue-in-cheek, does it suggest that you're looking to pursue other genres ahead of thrillers these days?
No. I will continue to stray into smaller books - sports, comedy - but I'll never get too far away from the legal thriller.
What do you do to relax?
I took up golf a few years ago, sort of as a new hobby to help me relax. After five years with the game, my blood pressure is up, I'm on anti-depressants, I'm in anger management, I'm drinking more than I should, and I've lost friends. So much for relaxing. Just kidding, for the most part. I play a lot of golf, travel with my wife and family, and take long walks on the farm with nice cigars. On good days, the writing can be relaxing.
Is there a book that you've not written but would like to try your hand at? What haven't you yet done that you want to do as a writer?
There are many great nonfiction stories I would like to pursue, but I doubt I will. The research takes so much time, and I'm just too lazy.
What is the best advice you've received as a writer?
Just after The Firm was published in 1991, a young executive for Waldenbooks (remember them?) casually made the statement: 'The big guys come out every year.' I wanted to be a big guy, so I hustled back to Mississippi and finished The Pelican Brief in 60 days.
— October 28, 2014
