Terry McMillan

Terry McMillan (born October 18, 1951Cite web|url=http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0573334/bio|title=Terry McMillan (I) - Biography|accessdate=2008-05-14|publisher=IMDb] , 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.

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. Cite web|url=http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=930609&page=1|title=ABC News: 'Stella' Inspiration Breaks Silence|accessdate=2008-05-14|publisher=ABC News|year=2005] 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.Cite web|url=http://rodonline.typepad.com/rodonline/2007/03/terry_mcmillan_.html|title=Terry McMillan Sues Ex-Husband Jonathan Plummer for $40 Million|accessdate=2008-05-14|publisher=Rod 2.0:Beta|year=2007|author=Contra Costa Times]

Partial bibliography

* "Mama (1987)
* "Waiting to Exhale" (1992)
* "How Stella Got Her Groove Back" (1996)
* "Disappearing Acts" (2000)
* "A Day Late and a Dollar Short" (2001)
* "The Interruption of Everything" (2005)
* "The Black Nation's Cry" (2007)

References

*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.

External links

* [http://www.nndb.com/people/018/000047874/ Terry McMillan] at the Notable Names Database
* [http://www.pbs.org/kcet/tavissmiley/archive/200507/20050712.html Interview with Terry McMillan] on the Tavis Smiley show.
*imdb name|id=0573334|name=Terry McMillan
* [http://aalbc.com/authors/terry.htm Terry McMillan at the African American Literature Book Club]
* [http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2007/0322072mcmillan1.html The Smoking Gun: Terry McMillan Sues Her "Little Fag" Ex]
* [http://www.kruegerbooks.com/books/sig/mcmillan-terry.html Signature of Terry McMillan - How Stella Got Her Groove Back]