SOURCE: "My Novel, Myself," in Village Voice, May 21, 1996, pp. 41-2.
In the following interview, McMillan discusses her critical reception and autobiographical aspects of her fiction, particularly in How Stella Got Her Groove Back.
The thing to remember about Terry McMillan is that she's very much a diva, and not just by reputation. With her high cheekbones and almond-shaped eyes, she actually looks the part, even if she seems somewhat younger than her 44 years and is smaller than I'd expected. Her voice is deep, mature, and sounds slightly edgy as she explains she's just finished doing 19 interviews. She became a phenomenon after the success of Waiting To Exhale, both as a book and a movie, and earned a $6 million advance for her latest novel, How Stella Got Her Groove Back. It's a breathless tale of a middle-aged woman who falls for a 20-year-old while vacationing in Jamaica, and much has been written about the similarities between the novel and McMillan's real life—which includes a young Jamaican boyfriend she met on the island last summer.
This is a free excerpt of 176 words. There are 1,712 words (approx.
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Read the rest of this Criticism with our Terry McMillan: Interview by Terry McMillan with Evette Porter Access Pass.
