She’s an award-winning, bestselling author with an estimated 11 million copies of her books sold around the world, in 22 languages.
Her novels ‘Waiting To Exhale,’ ‘How Stella Got Her Groove Back’ and ‘Disappearing Acts’ took America by storm and thrilled readers all over the world, earning her the sort of literary stardom that most writers can only dream of. Way back in 1992, following the publication of her runaway hit, ‘Waiting to Exhale’ – her third novel – she told the New York Times, “I’ve had 1,500 people show up for a reading for ‘Waiting to Exhale,’ adding ‘I’ve signed more than 10,000 books.”
The novel was later adapted to the big screen, starring Whitney Houston and Angela Bassett, and the movie went on to become just as much of a blockbuster, further enhancing McMillan’s celebrity status.
Terry McMillan’s fans in the UK are now eagerly awaiting her arrival where she is scheduled to make major appearances as part of a book tour to promote her new novel, ‘Who Asked You?’ The event has been timed to coincide with the 20thanniversary of ‘In Celebration of My Sisters,’ the UK’s number one International Woman’s Month festival and Mother’s Day celebration.
McMillan will be interviewed before a live audience by publisher and managing editor of ReConnect Africa.com, Frances Mensah Williams in Luton on Friday, March 4. On March 5 she’ll be interviewed in London by executive producer, producer and host of the popular talk and entertainment TV show, The Dolor Factor. Music from the movie adaptations of McMillan’s books will be performed by Jamaican dub poet Jean ‘Binta’ Breeze MBE and acclaimed artistes, Ayaha Loran and Adelaide Mackenzie.
McMillan will also give an exclusive reading from her new novel ‘Who Asked You?’ and some of her other books, and she will answer questions from the audience.
Delia Dolor is understandably thrilled to be selected by the tour organisers to interview McMillan in London. A resident of the UK, her TV show, The Dolor Factor is distributed to 25 Caribbean islands, tri-state New York, Ontario, the UK and Europe. Over the years it has covered an array of topics ranging from education and parenting to beauty and relationships. For the new season, which began January 27 on the Caribbean TV channel CaribVision, Delia has re-invented the show to include physical fitness, wellness, entrepreneurship and issues relating to aspirational and luxurious lifestyles.
She is also editor at large for UPTOWN, a US magazine which highlights affluent African American celebrities and lifestyles, and is a contributor to the BBC and Forbes Travel magazine. She maintains strong ties with St. Lucia where she has familial roots. She’s the co-ordinator of St. Lucia’s Nobel Laureates Week Committee, the founder of the St Lucia Media Association and a member of the interim board of Crime Stoppers Saint Lucia.
Delia also runs Delia Dolor Media Relations (DDMR) based in London. She lives between the UK and St. Lucia and travels extensively on production and media relations projects.
Her interview with Terry McMillan will be filmed before a live audience. She will also be filming a 10-minute interview with Terry McMillan specifically for The Dolor Factor and it will be posted on YouTube.
It’s the sort of opportunity practically any TV host or producer would relish. When asked how she came to be chosen as the London interviewer for McMillan, Delia said it was thanks to the producer of the event ‘In Celebration of My Sisters’, whom she credits with discovering her.
“The producer of ‘In Celebration of My Sisters, Tony Fairweather, ‘found me’. Many years ago when we met he said to me, “You’d be a good presenter” and I smiled. By the end of a short conversation I found myself hosting a book launch in Brixton, London, interviewing a new author in a packed hall. Tony and I have kept in touch over the years and then this opportunity came, and here I am.”
How does she feel about the prospect of going one-on-one with one of the best known and celebrated African American literary icons?
“The nearer the date comes (March 5) it becomes more real. Reading Terry’s books and watching her interviews, I feel like she’s a girlfriend, someone who has gone through things I’ve been through. Her creativity is in writing, whereas mine is in my mind and working live. She’s gone out there and done it, written the words that became films and music scores. I admire her for that and for keeping it real.
“I feel overwhelmed that I was the person chosen to interview her in London but not because I’m nervous, that’s a word I’ve never really felt the emotions of, but overwhelmed because it means those who make decisions felt that I had what it takes to make the interview a successful one. Terry is down to earth but doesn’t suffer fools gladly so I feel grateful.”
To learn more about The Dolor Factor, check out their website and Facebook page.
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