neither did john grisham. earl stanley gardner was writing courtroom drama in the 1930's and 1940's. "anatty of a murder" came out in 1958. first we have "to kill a mockingbird," which most lawyers and most lawyer authors will tell you is kind of the seminal work of why we got interested. and i started writing a novel as i was approaching my 40th birthday. i wrote most of it on a ferry going to and from work every day. it took me three years. and that book became "special circumstances," story of a murder in a big law firm. it came out in 2000 and spent seven weeks on "the new york times"' bestsellers' list. so for those of you who have bought my books, i thank you, because now i don't have to practice law full-time anymore. >> but all kidding aside, you know, i think crime novelists and readers of crime novels whether it's lawyer books or whether it's private detectives or cops, you know, in my world i'm like -- unlike tony's, i can control the outcome. i can get justice in my books because i can fix the endi

ask things and you do have input and with a story like this, you know, it is kind of like what john grishamsays once you select it is theirs. it's your book. it's their movie and it's hard to say that, but at the same time i've been very lucky. i love 21, thought 21 was a fun movie and i love the social network. so so far it's been great. i mean, you know, you never know what's going to happen. >> would you ever just write a screenplay? >> i have done a couple of screenplays. i did a draft of one of my early books of the americans which hasn't gotten made yet but it's a different format and for me the books are my main bread-and-butter but sooner or later it's like they have to want me to. i spend a lot of time as a struggling writer so now i don't want to be and go through that again, but its -- the truth is they don't necessarily want you to adapt your own work for whatever reason it's not normally the first thing they go to so we will see. >> who should play thad? >> i get asked that a lot and that will be up to the director and producer, but it's got to be a good looking guy that can be

ask things and you do have input and with a story like this, you know, it is kind of like what john grishamsays once you select it is theirs. it's your book. it's their movie and it's hard to say that, but at the same time i've been very lucky. i love 21, thought 21 was a fun movie and i love the social network. so so far it's been great. i mean, you know, you never know what's going to happen. >> would you ever just write a screenplay? >> i have done a couple of screenplays. i did a draft of one of my early books of the americans which hasn't gotten made yet but it's a different format and for me the books are my main bread-and-butter but sooner or later it's like they have to want me to. i spend a lot of time as a struggling writer so now i don't want to be and go through that again, but its -- the truth is they don't necessarily want you to adapt your own work for whatever reason it's not normally the first thing they go to so we will see. >> who should play thad? >> i get asked that a lot and that will be up to the director and producer, but it's got to be a good looking guy that can be

ask things and you do have input and with a story like this, you know, it is kind of like what john grishamsays once you select it is theirs. it's your book. it's their movie and it's hard to say that, but at the same time i've been very lucky. i love 21, thought 21 was a fun movie and i love the social network. so so far it's been great. i mean, you know, you never know what's going to happen. >> would you ever just write a screenplay? >> i have done a couple of screenplays. i did a draft of one of my early books of the americans which hasn't gotten made yet but it's a different format and for me the books are my main bread-and-butter but sooner or later it's like they have to want me to. i spend a lot of time as a struggling writer so now i don't want to be and go through that again, but its -- the truth is they don't necessarily want you to adapt your own work for whatever reason it's not normally the first thing they go to so we will see. >> who should play thad? >> i get asked that a lot and that will be up to the director and producer, but it's got to be a good looking guy that can be

then i read john grisham and michael crichton and narrowed a thriller. my first six books were thrillers, and they were pretty trashy. fine, pop culture, medical thrillers. if any of the site, and i hope you didn't. instead of the underwear model, antonius a bottle. he played a surgeon. there is a scene where i was watching with my dad is a doctor now. he leans over the patient's chest. he goes, we have a subdural hematoma and my dad turns to meet does, you know that is in the head, right? [laughter] i think i've gotten a lot better than that. i think my style is improving. i feel strongly that "sex on the moon" is my best book. bringing down the house for me was a transitional moment because i realized i couldn't write a true story. eroded in six weeks in vegas, literally in the hotel suite each night. publishers haiti when you see eroded that quick. it was crazy. that became this emersion technique. go inside and let the story. i will say, those days of rejection are kind of the most noble and romantic time in life. you should look forward to the rejec