Means of Transit

For the longest time, Teresa Miller wanted to get as far from Oklahoma as possibleto escape from her distant father and abusive stepmother, from the ache of her mothers death, and from the small-town insularity of Tahlequah. She longed for New York and Hollywood, for all the glamorous settings that transcended griefat least on television. Miller never made it out of Oklahoma permanently, though she came to treasure the region that kept her heart anchored even as her spirit cast far and wide. In Means of TransitA Slightly Embellished Memoir, Miller writes of journeys that turned into life-altering experiences as she learned to story her way beyond the impasses. Still other trips, begun with great promise, found her wandering through confusing back roads, relying on more seasoned storytellers for direction. Eventually she established a literary center simply by reaching out to such authors as Jim Lehrer, Maya Angelou, and Isabel Allende, fellow travelers who taught her as much about life as about writing. The author takes readers from her early childhood, to a short stint in a New York acting school, to the writing of her first novel, and the painful decades of writers block that followed its publication. We also learn of the authors terrifying encounter with a stalker, a dark sort of Everyman who personified her late-night suspicions about even the people closest to her. Told with humor, candor, and the same haunting lyricism that distinguished her early work, Millers story is about learning the ultimate life lessonthat when we do lose our way, our hearts can guide us.