Frances Mayes is an American author, poet, and memoirist. She is best known for her 1996 memoir Under the Tuscan Sun, which was later adapted into a 2003 film of the same name. Mayes has written several other books, including the best-selling memoirs Bella Tuscany and Every Day in Tuscany, as well as the poetry collections The Discovery of Poetry and Swan. Mayes was born in Fitzgerald, Georgia, and grew up in the small town of Americus. She attended the University of Georgia, where she earned a bachelor's degree in English and a master's degree in Creative Writing. After graduating, she taught English and Creative Writing at San Francisco State University for over 20 years. In the early 1990s, Mayes and her husband, Ed, bought a 200-year-old villa in Tuscany, Italy, which inspired her to write Under the Tuscan Sun. The book was an international bestseller and was translated into over 30 languages. It was followed by Bella Tuscany, which was also a bestseller. Mayes has been honored with numerous awards, including the American Booksellers Book of the Year Award, the Christopher Award, and the Southern Book Critics Circle Award. She has also been featured in numerous publications, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal.