JACKSON, Miss. (AP) β John Grisham says being on the losing side of a Mississippi political fight gave him plenty of time to write his first two novels.
Grisham was on hand Saturday to open the first Mississippi Book Festival at the state Capitol.
He recounted how, as a young lawmaker in the 1980s, he was powerless after supporting a losing candidate for House speaker. So, instead, he listened and took notes as politicians told tall tales.
More than 3,000 people attended the daylong book festival on the grounds of the state Capitol to celebrate the storytelling legacy of Mississippi, the home state of William Faulkner and other literary greats.
Throughout the day panelists discussed a wide range of topics, including civil rights history and southern fiction.
