Terry McMillan makes welcome return with 'Waiting to Exhale' sequel

Terry McMillan makes welcome return with 'Waiting to Exhale' sequel

It's been almost two decades since Savannah, Bernadine, Gloria, and Robin sashayed into our lives, touching our hearts as well as a cultural nerve. With her wildly successful hit, _Waiting to Exhale_, Terry McMillan tapped into the pulse of educated, accomplished, salaried thirty-something black women and gave them a voice. And publishers listened, opening doors for more African-American fiction; Hollywood also listened, answering with a star-studded hit film, and years later, fans started wondering, whatever happened to... Well, in her sequel, _Getting to Happy_, which hits stores today, McMillan brings the ladies back, and, frankly, perhaps they _shouldn't_ have exhaled. In the 15 years since we last heard from them, life has taken some sharp twists and turns. Savannah, who still holds on to a successful career, has found that her once solid and happy marriage has flat lined, before ending with a bang; Bernadine's anger and sorrow from a failed second marriage has sapped her joy and sent her into a haze of antidepressants and sleeping pills; Robin, still single and now the mother of precocious 15-year-old daughter, fills the emptiness she feels in her life with shopping binges; and finally Gloria, who has a thriving business and a loving husband, quickly discovers how things can change in an instant. These women have been hit hard at that "tender age" when we would like to believe that our marriages, careers, and lives in general, should be settled and happy. Critics of Terry McMillan's work will unlikely find themselves won over by her latest effort as it doesn't stray from the territory she generally covers, or her characteristic writing style, but for fans, none of this will matter. Spending time in McMillan's world with these familiar characters is like sitting around in a comfortable pair of sweats with your old girlfriends, being their best cheerleaders and critics, listening patiently, and walking them through the tough times. McMillan knows her audience, and they will delight in this touching, philosophical, and often times funny chronicle of women in the prime of their lives dealing with divorce, death, downsizing, and other slights of time like, hot flashes, fading eyesight, muddled memory, extra pounds, and the fear that the fun of youth is steadily slipping away, "We dance at home. Apparently, we're too damn old to have fun in public places." theGrio caught up with Terry McMillan on the eve of her big book tour to discuss exhaling and learning to get to your happy place. **theGrio: In your author's note, you write that all four women got on your last nerve and that you forgot all about them each time you met a new set of characters to worry and care about. Why do you think they started speaking to you again now?** **Terry McMillan:** Because of the success of _Exhale_, these women lived long after their shelf life and I was constantly reminded of their immortality. I didn't think about them at all for years because there was no reason to. They were fictional characters, not old friends. Fast forward the "film" to 2008. I had decided to write a novel about women who recover from a variety of losses, namely, heartbreak, divorce, death, and betrayal. Throw in loneliness and boredom, too. I came up with four different scenarios and then admitted that I'd already written a novel with four female protagonists, when it occurred to me where I'd left these women's lives. No one was more surprised than I was when I realized they would actually "fit" into the new storyline almost perfectly. Then I kind of freaked out because I had to go back and read _Exhale_ again, and after that, admit that I was putting myself in an awkward position by writing a sequel to a book that perhaps didn't need one. I had no intention of writing a sequel. None whatsoever. But here we are. **I know you get asked this all the time, but the question is too hard to resist: what is your relationship like with Savannah, Bernadine, Robin and Gloria? Are you an equal part of each, or are they inspired by your own close group of friends?** I relate to each of these women for a number of reasons. Savannah is sort of outspoken, no frills, cynical type, which I have been known to be from time to time! Bernadine is bitter which I identified with for a few years. Robin is just lonely, which I think any woman can identify with, but she's also a bit dingy, and I don't relate to her on that level one iota. I try to portray her as optimistic but she's missing a few beats on some levels, but scores high in others. I can't think of any right now. Oh yes, she's a good Mom and very astute professionally. She's not dumb, just simple. No harm in that. Gloria is what I always wished I could be: sweet and patient and warm. I have my moments.