Word Inspired Writer

by John Hillman

  John Grisham's words have crisscrossed the globe over the past 15 years. Almost 90 million copies of the Mississippi native's books have been sold, and his novels have been translated into 29 languages.

  In September, Doubleday will release the author's 16th work and almost certain bestseller, Bleachers. The much-anticipated departure from Grisham's trademark legal thrillers focuses on high school football and its lingering effects on the players 15 years later.

  The following month, thousands more will view the eighth motion picture based on a Grisham novel when Runaway Jury appears on screen. The $60 million production stars John Cusack, Gene Hackman, Dustin Hoffman, and Rachel Weisz in a tale centered on a mysterious man who manipulates his way onto a jury in a landmark case involving a gun manufacturer.

  Despite his incredible success, the former practicing attorney rarely makes public appearances. But readers, who look beyond Grisham's fast-paced pages of adventure and intrigue, will discover a writer who considers his relationship with Jesus Christ his highest priority.

  "God is involved with my writing just like He's involved with every aspect of my life. But I'm a Christian who writes novels, not a Christian writer who deals in Christian literature," he stated during the 2000 Art and Soul Conference at Baylor University in Waco, Texas. "When I was a lawyer, I tried to live my faith not just in my practice but in everything I did."

  Grisham accepted Christ as his Saviour at a young age. Although his father's contracting business often required working seven days a week, his mother took her three sons to the local Baptist church every Sunday. Her influence ultimately directed Grisham toward his salvation experience.

  "I came under conviction when I was in the third grade," the writer told Christianity Today in 1994. "I spoke with my mother and told her, 'I don't understand this, but I need to talk to you.' We talked, and she led me to Jesus.

  "The following Sunday I made a public confirmation of my faith," he continued. "In one sense, it was not terribly eventful for an eight-year-old, but it was the most important event in my life."

  After high school graduation, Grisham played baseball at Northwest Mississippi Community College. He said farewell to the diamond and earned an accounting degree at Mississippi State in 1977. A year later, he entered the University of Mississippi School of Law and completed his legal training in 1981.

  Newly married, Grisham returned to Southaven, Mississippi, where he was raised. Foregoing an earlier decision to focus on tax law, the young attorney frequented the De Soto County Courthouse, accepting court-appointed cases and learning the nuances of trial law. Although he struggled financially, Grisham adhered to his Christian principles in conducting his law practice.

  "There were cases and clients I refused because of my faith," he told the Saturday Evening Post in 1997. "I didn't do divorce work, and I turned down certain criminal defendants because I couldn't believe them or fight for them. I also did a lot of pro bono work for churches."

  In 1984, Grisham heard a courtroom testimony that forever changed his life. A 12-year-old girl took the witness stand and recounted a brutal tale of rape against her attacker.

  "It was so compelling and dramatic that I never got over it," he told the 2000 Baylor audience. "I became obsessed and wanted to capture the story in words."

  Mesmerized by the tale, Grisham began penning a novel based on the premise of the girl's father taking personal retribution against her attackers. Writing in the early morning hours and between court recesses, it took him three years to complete the book, A Time To Kill.

  Rejection after rejection followed until Wynwood Press printed 5,000 copies in 1989. Grisham purchased 1,000 personally, hawking them through local libraries and a few independent bookstores. To this day, the author limits his signings to the five stores, including That Bookstore in Blytheville, Arkansas, which supported his earliest literary attempt.

  "It is simply part of John's character," says Mary Gay Shipley, That Bookstore's owner. "He is a genuine, nice person who cares about his family and is loyal to his friends. It's remarkable that he is unchanged, and it's refreshing to spend time with him."

  At the urging of his agent, Grisham started writing a second novel, The Firm, a story centered on a young attorney who inadvertently joins a law practice controlled by the underworld. Through unknown means, the major Hollywood studios obtained a copy of the manuscript before the book rights had been sold, and a bidding war for the motion picture rights ensued. The small town lawyer learned of this turn of events one Sunday just after returning home from church.

  "At the time, my law office account was overdrawn," he revealed at the 2000 Art and Soul conference. "We walked in at 12:30, and the phone was ringing. It was my agent, and he said we sold the film rights to The Firm for $600,000."

  Now financially secure, Grisham closed his law practice and devoted his full energies to writing. A series of bestsellers followed including The Pelican Brief, The Client, The Rainmaker, The Runaway Jury, The Chamber, The Testament, and The Street Lawyer.

  Despite his widespread popularity, Grisham remains humble.

  "I don't why it happened to me, but God had a purpose for it," he revealed in Christianity Today. "We are able to contribute an awful lot of money to His work, and maybe that's why. Whatever reason, all this is temporary."