If you know the novel, Under the Tuscan Sun, you likely know of its author, the inimitable Frances Mayes. The Georgia native, who now divides her time between a home in Italy and another in Durham, has also written other international bestseller, including Bella Tuscany and A Year in the World, not to mention three beautiful illustrated cookbooks. Having dined at her table, I can attest that her creativity with language extends to her artistry in the kitchen. From her kitchen table in Bramasole, where Mayes spent most of the summer with her husband Ed Mayes, she answered a handful of questions about her life as a writer, her new novel, A Great Marriage, and what inspires her. 

Q; Your most recent book, just published, is titled A Great Marriage (and it’s received outstanding reviews). What was the genesis of this novel? 

A: The opening line of the novel, “The wine spilled” came to me on its own volition and fortunately it carried me throughout the novel. I consider this my version of inspiration—when, unbidden, an image or a face or a line lands in your mind like the spore in the petri dish. These gifts are what writers live for, no?

Q: What would you say are the elements of a great marriage? I ask that knowing that both you and I have been divorced and that from every angle it appears you’re now in one great marriage to Ed Mayes. Do people ask you if there’s an autobiographical aspect to this novel (which is, of course, fiction)?

A: Fragments and collages of autobiography make up a lot of this novel. There’s my marriage secret, hard earned, in the plot of the novel, but I will say my idea of a great marriage is not based on compromise, as many therapists insist. There’s a sublime way, if you’re aware enough.

Q: Do you think you have another side career in you (in addition to Bramasole olive oil), perhaps as a wedding planner or etiquette advisor?

A: No, but yes to garden design, setting beautiful tables, renovating old houses, planning travel tours. Being from the deep South, you can be sure I have my ideas on etiquette. My mother’s phrases still ring in my ears: no white shoes after September, tattoos are tacky, let your date win the tennis match… I confess, I don’t really like to go to weddings!

Q: I think  your last book was A Place in The World: Finding the Meaning of Home. I know you split your time between Italy and North Carolina, rather different places. Where do you feel at home these days?

A: This year I traveled around the world and found so many new places to love, places I could live. But my long-loved home in Italy feels like home. And it’s odd to feel at home in a country that is not your own. 

Q: What’s next on your desk? Do you have a roadmap of next works already laid out?
A: I wish. I have no idea—just waiting for that furtive little phrase to float by my window. I admire those who are super organized in their writing process. Mine is erratic and uncharted. But over the years you learn to trust your rhythms. I do get a lot done.