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6 I OCTOBER 2025 ROUGHDRAFT.NEWS RD Aloharetta VGEORGIA EXPERIENCE YOUR 40 HALF 1 354. ALPHARETTA WOMEN'S HALF MARATHON & 5K RACE Nov. 2 | Race Time 7:30 a.m. | Avalon | Alpharetta, Georgia Pack your running shoes and join us for the Alpharetta Women's Half Marathon & 5K Race. All pre-registered race participants will receive a shirt, finisher medal, goodie bag, and post-race food and refreshments. SCAN HERE to register and plan an Awesome Girls' getaway weekend at awesomealpharetta.com! awesome — ALPHARETTA CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU 678-297-2811 • awesomealpharetta.com The Official Destination Marketing Organization for Alpharetta, Georgia EDITOR'S NOTE Flipping the script Welcome to Reporter Newspapers’ October issue, which spotlights the 34th Edition of the Book Festival of the MJCCA. Our special section provides you everything you need to know about the star-studded lineup for this year’s festival, which begins with a bang on Wednesday, Oct. 22 with best-selling author John Grisham. I had the opportunity to interview Grisham (page 20) about his new foray into the mystery novel genre with “The Widow,” a tale that leans on his fascination with the wrongly accused — but takes it a step further with his hero, Simon Latch, a small-time attorney who is on the other side of the law after being accused of a murder he didn’t commit. While we spent most of the interview discussing “The Widow,” we branched off into his philanthropic work as a board member with the Innocence Project and Centurion Ministries, two organizations dedicated to the vindication of the wrongly convicted. Grisham reminisced about a day in 1990 when he had the “privilege of being able to walk” Clarence Lee Brandley out of prison. Brandley had been wrongly convicted of the rape and murder of Cheryl Dee Fergeson in 1981 and sentenced to death. A stay was granted six days before his scheduled execution. “Someone finally told the truth,” Grisham said. “That, and a lot of news EDITOR'S NOTE CATHY COBBS features that put the case in the national spotlight.” But for every victory, he said, there are many defeats. Grisham is in the middle of writing a non-fiction book about what he describes as another wrongful conviction case in Texas. Robert Roberson is scheduled for execution on Oct. 16, after being convicted in 2003 for the death of his chronically ill two-year-old daughter, Nikki. “He didn’t do it. I know he didn’t,” Grisham said. “He’s been in prison for 22 years for a crime that never occured.” Grisham’s novels are often inspired by these real-life cases, and while he may touch on his philanthropic work during his talk at the book festival, he will also discuss the process involved in producing his novels. On Oct. 22 at the MJCCA, he will be on the stage in conversation with best-selling author Karin Slaughter, whose books have been published in 120 countries with more than 40 million copies sold across the globe. “The fun part is having another writer on the stage talking about the process,” he said. “We try to put a fair amount of humor in there too.” I think it will be a fascinating discussion. We hope you enjoy this issue, which along with everything you need to know about the Book Festival of the MJCCA, includes news about what’s happening in Brookhaven, Buckhead, Dunwoody, Sandy Springs, Tucker, and beyond. As usual, we thank you for reading, advertising, and supporting local journalism, both in print and digital form. Robert Roberson is scheduled for execution on Oct. 16 (Photo courtesy of The Innocence Project)
