Renowned for his canny ability to compose compelling contemporary legal thrillers, John Grisham did not always believe that he would make a full time career out of writing. Born on February 8, 1955 in Jonesboro, Arkansas, Grisham was raised by a construction worker and a homemaker. Originally having aspired to be a professional baseball player, he instead went on to major in accounting at the Mississippi State University. In 1981 he graduated from law school at Ole Miss, which marked the beginning of his decade-long stint as a lawyer, specializing in criminal defence and personal injury litigation. His experience in the court room would later prove to assist him in the creation of his first novel, A Time to Kill, along with his several other books.
After the completion of A Time to Kill, which was published in June 1988, Grisham immediately began work on his second novel, The Firm. This would be the first of nine of his books to be adapted to film (others can include The Pelican Brief and The Client). Since then Grisham has written one book a year, all of which have received critical acclaim and become international bestsellers.
Grisham lives with Renee, his wife, and their two children Ty and Shea.
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