Terry McMillan

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For the professional harmonica player/percussionist Terry McMillan, see Terry Lee McMillan.

Terry McMillan (born October 18, 1951^[1], in Port Huron, Michigan) is an African-American author. Her interest in books comes from working at a library when she was sixteen. She received her BA in journalism in 1986 at University of California, Berkeley. Her work is characterized by strong female protagonists.

Her first book, Mama, was self-promoted. She achieved national attention in 1992 with her third novel, Waiting to Exhale, which remained on The New York Times bestseller list for many months. Forest Whitaker turned it into a film in 1995. In 1998, another of McMillan's novels, How Stella Got Her Groove Back, was made into a movie. McMillan's novel Disappearing Acts was subsequently produced as a direct-to-cable feature, starring Wesley Snipes and Sanaa Lathan.

Her most recent work, The Interruption of Everything, was published on July 19, 2005.

Contents 1 Personal life 2 Partial bibliography 3 References 4 External links

[edit] Personal life

McMillan married Jonathan Plummer, in 1998. When they married, McMillan was in her mid 40s, Plummer, his early 20s; he was the inspiration for the love interest of the main character in the book How Stella Got Her Groove Back. Her life did not follow the movie when in December 2004, Plummer told McMillan that he is gay; in March 2005, she filed for divorce. ^[2] The divorce was settled for an undisclosed amount. In March 2007, McMillan sued Plummer and his lawyer for $40 million citing an intentional strategy to embarrass and humiliate her during the divorce proceedings.^[3]

[edit] Partial bibliography

• Mama (1987)
• Disappearing Acts (1989)
• Waiting to Exhale (1992)
• How Stella Got Her Groove Back (1996)
• A Day Late and a Dollar Short (2001)
• The Interruption of Everything (2005)
• The Black Nation's Cry (2007)

[edit] References

1. ^ Terry McMillan (I) - Biography (English). IMDb. Retrieved on 2008-05-14.
2. ^ ABC News: 'Stella' Inspiration Breaks Silence (English). ABC News (2005). Retrieved on 2008-05-14.
3. ^ Contra Costa Times (2007). Terry McMillan Sues Ex-Husband Jonathan Plummer for $40 Million (English). Rod 2.0:Beta. Retrieved on 2008-05-14.

• Nishikawa, Kinohi. "Romance Novel." The Greenwood Encyclopedia of African American Literature. Ed. Hans Ostrom and J. David Macey, Jr. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2005. 1411-15.

[edit] External links

• Terry McMillan at the Notable Names Database
• Interview with Terry McMillanon the Tavis Smiley show.
• Terry McMillan at the Internet Movie Database
• Terry McMillan at the African American Literature Book Club
• The Smoking Gun: Terry McMillan Sues Her "Little Fag" Ex