It Was the Way She Said It: Short Stories, Essays, and Wisdom

Release Date - 9/9/2025

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of How Stella Got Her Groove Back and Waiting to Exhale comes a remarkable, career-spanning collection of short fiction and essays about love, aging, culture, and all the things in between.

For the first time ever, renowned author Terry McMillan brings together her previously published short fiction and nonfiction as well as never-before-seen works in a single volume, from unpublished short stories to magazine articles, opinion pieces, a commencement speech, and contributions to literary journals and anthologies. Whether she’s revealing life lessons, pontificating about aging, recalling her sources of inspiration, or laying bare the beginnings of her life as a writer, McMillan approaches every piece with enduring humor, wit, and fearlessness. Devoted fans and new listeners will be delighted to discover these treasures spanning McMillan’s long, groundbreaking career.