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Ask the Author: John Grisham

“I will be answering questions on September 15, 2025. Ask me about your favorite legal thrillers and my new book THE WIDOW, which is on sale 10/21.” John Grisham

Answered Questions (90)

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Hi John, I have been a huge fan of your books for years, ever since I was assigned to read The Street Lawyer for summer reading going into 8th grade. How do you continue to come up with fresh plots for your legal thrillers?
John Grisham I watch and study the law, and lawyers, trials, judges, courts, appeals, firms, trends in litigation, crimes, etc, and the material is endless. I keep a list of possible stories for books, and right now there are a dozen.
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I LOVED the book The Innocent Man, also, being from Oklahoma I think it stayed with me. My son was roping in Ada when it came out, and we drove all downtown and went to the cemetery. What a great book and a heartbreaking story. Any plans on writing anymore innocent project books?
John Grisham Thank you. “Framed” comes out in October and it’s all about wrongful convictions.
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What has been your favorite book you have written so far?
John Grisham Tough question, and one I get all the time. A Time To Kill will always be a favorite because it was the first and so autobiographical. The Firm changed my world.
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Hello John! Where does your interest in mystery and criminal justice come from? Your writing puts readers in the moment and holds attention from beginning to end.
John Grisham I’m a lawyer at heart. For ten years I was a criminal lawyer in a small town in
Mississippi, and the stories I saw and heard made a lasting impression.
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Do you see your characters first and build a story to expose the character’s traits or does the story come first and shape the character?
John Grisham The plot always comes first. Once I have a good one, I start building characters around it.
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Hello John, I just wanted to say you’re a phenomenal author. As a lawyer myself, I truly enjoy reading all of your books. For your upcoming book, can you tell us what was the most challenging part of recounting the stories of exoneration and the writing about it?
John Grisham By far the biggest challenge was the sheer volume of research, the digging through police files, jail records, trial transcripts, appeals, appellate decisions, etc, stuff you understand. Every case has about a million pages and you never know when you’ll find something new.
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How long did it take to write the book? Did it get in the way of watching UVA games? GO HOOS
John Grisham About 6 months, plenty of time to watch all Hoo home football games and, more important, all Hoo home basketball games. Plus, we went to Omaha in June to watch the baseball team.
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Hello, Mr. Grisham- I was wondering if you have any plans to write another book about Football, and also how your personal Faith ties into your writing?
John Grisham I love sports and I’m always looking for another story, but, as of now, no plans. Faith plays many roles. As a Christian, I keep the writing clean. Jesus taught forgiveness, redemption, compassion for the poor, homeless, orphans, prisoners, the real underdogs in life. I try to embrace these people.
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Mr. Grisham does your next book Framed follow the path of The Guardians? I can’t tell you how many times I have reread that book. It is one of my favorites.
John Grisham Yes, sort of. One story from Framed, that of Joe Bryan, inspired The Guardians. He was wrongfully convicted and spent 35 years in a Texas prison for a crime he had nothing to do with.
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Hi John. I am a long-time fan of yours. First, thank you for Framed. I can't wait to read it. Can you briefly tell me about your research for this book? Second, how would I go about obtained an autographed book from you? Thanks
John Grisham The research was daunting and exhaustive. Thousands of pages of court records and the like. It reminded me of why I love fiction – just make it all up and not worry about the facts.
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You have mentioned beginning a book on January 1st every year, hoping to finish in June. When do you construct the outline for the next novel? Thanks!
John Grisham The outline is crucial. Some rattle around for years. Others happen almost overnight. I never write the first scene until I can “see” the last scene.
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How do you have the energy to keep working and writing?
John Grisham I still enjoy it immensely. Each morning, from around 7 to 11, I have nothing else to do but go to my writing desk and create stories. And to see the books become popular is quite gratifying. Thank you for enjoying the books.
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Out of all the wrongful convictions you’ve worked on what was the most egregious miscarriage of justice and were you able to get them released?
John Grisham Tough, tough question. There are so many. Every wrongful conviction deserves its own book. A thick book. Read Framed, and you’ll understand.
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Hello from Door County Wisconsin The Freedom of Information Act was designed to make it easier to get information to help with cases, but so often requests are ignored unless a judge forces the issue. How do you deal with the reluctance to release information?
John Grisham No bother. I write fiction. If something gets in my way, I simply wiggle around it with complete fabrications.
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What was the writing process like for this new book since you wrote it with another author?
John Grisham It was not complicated. I chose my favorite 5 stories about wrongful convictions, and Jim McCloskey, my co-author, chose his favorite. The older I get the lazier I get, so it was nice have someone else do half the work.
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Hi, John. I've been a fan of yours since 1993 (and even wrote you into a story for a college writing class!). I know the story of how you came to start writing in response to that one particularly nasty case, but *how* did you know you could write? Did you ever take any writing classes or have any previous experience with creative/fiction writing? Did you look for any advice from other writers/books? Thank you!!!
John Grisham I never studied writing. I was an avid reader as a child and still read non stop. We all have talents. God gave me the ability to write clear and compelling stories. I thank him every day.
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Hi John. Which gives you more pleasure or find more fulfilling to write? Fiction or non-fiction? Which of your books felt more personal? Also, what inspired you to write "Framed"?
John Grisham I love fiction. I still love the adventure of disappearing into another world for six months and creating complicated plots and unforgettable characters that will keep you up at night. That’s always my goal.

A Painted House is my most personal book.

Framed is inspired by the incredible stories of innocent people abused by our criminal justice system.
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Hi, John First of all, I'm a huge fan of your books. I just have a few questions to ask My first question is: is there going to be another Theodore Boone novel? And what is your next novel after Framed?
John Grisham I’m tinkering with a Theo Book (#8) right now and hope it works. And as always I’m tinkering with two or three ideas for the next novel after Framed.
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"Framed" looks amazing, and really hits home for me. The innocence movement is something I've become very passionate about. I'm a thriller author as well, but obviously haven't yet reached your level of influence. What are some ways I could get involved and help with finding justice for the wrongly convicted?
John Grisham Good luck with your writing. Criminal injustice is a fertile area for both fiction and non fiction. There are about 50 non profit innocence projects around the country, all in need of volunteers and advocates. Get to work!!
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Good afternoon, Mr. Grisham. It is a pleasure to ask my literary idol another question. From what you researched and covered in your book, should there be a reformation of the criminal justice system?
John Grisham Yes, a massive reformation that deals with capital punishment, the causes of wrongful convictions, mass incarceration, and many other issues. If we had the will, we could reform so much, save so many wasted lives, and save so much money.
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