Frances Mayes, author of the bestseller Under the Tuscan Sun, writing in her study.

• The couple divides their time between Italy and California.
  
• The Mayes no longer teach, spending most of their time writing and traveling.
  
• Under the Tuscan Sun reached #1 on the New York Times bestseller list
  
• Frances wrote Bella Tuscany and In Tuscany, which were also bestsellers.
  
• Frances' novel, Swan, is a family saga set in her native Georgia.
  
• Before acquired by the Mayes, their home, Bramasole, had been empty for 30 years, except for "thousands of scorpions" that had taken up residence.
  
• When they got married in 1998, Ed Kleinschmidt took his wife's name. He contributed to In Tuscany.

By Frances Mays:

Under the Tuscan Sun: At Home in Italy

Bella Tuscany

In Tuscany

Swan