John Ray Grisham was born in Jonesboro, Arkansas on February 8, 1955. His father was a construction worker and farmer and his mother was a stay at home mom and wife. Grishams’s family moved around the country until 1967 when they settled in Southaven Mississippi. John graduated high school in Southaven. After high school he attended Mississippi State University where he received a Bachelor of Science degree. He also attended the University of Law in Mississippi where he earned a law degree. After receiving a law degree he got a job at a Southaven law firm where he focused on criminal law.
In 1983 Grisham was elected to the House of Representatives in Mississippi. John held his position there until 1990. While in the House he found inspiration for his first novel titled "A Time To Kill" in 1984. The novel was inspired by one of his court cases and took three years to complete. It took almost a year to get published, but was finally taken by the Wyn Wood Press. The publishing company did not have much faith in the book and only published 5,000 copies. John did not take a break after his first novel was complete, he immediately started on the novel "The Firm." He has been a very dedicated writer and is the author of seven best sellers in a row.
John Grisham even has a room dedicated to him at the Mississippi State University library. The room has writings from when John was a State Representative. Interestingly he has always had a love of baseball and actually wrote a screenplay for the movie "Mickey." John's inspirations for writing novels has come from his life experiences and his passions in life.
