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By Don George

April 14, 1999 | I met Frances Mayes about two decades ago. Back then, the poet and memoirist -- author of the mega-bestselling "Under the Tuscan Sun" and of the new sequel, "Bella Tuscany" -- was a professional poet with two published works and a teaching post at San Francisco State. And I was a would-be poet fresh out of a graduate writing program, where one of my teachers had given me Mayes' name to contact when I got to San Francisco.

Now, three books of poetry and that life-changing memoir later, Mayes is sitting in the living room of her new Mediterranean-style home in one of San Francisco's most exclusive neighborhoods and laughing, recalling those penurious days. "My bestselling poetry book sold -- let's see -- probably around 2,000 copies," she says in a rich, slow voice that still carries a slightly syrupy Georgian drawl from her youth.

When she laughs, the corners of her eyes crinkle, and I get the feeling those corners are crinkling a lot these days.

"'Under the Tuscan Sun' just passed 1 million copies," she says, and a childlike hint of what-did-I-do-to-deserve-this bewilderment and oh-my-God-look-what-I-found wonder echo in her voice.

The Tuscany book did not leap to the top of the bestseller lists. When it first came out in 1996, in a hardcover edition published by Chronicle Books, it sold respectably enough to make it onto a Bay Area bestseller list, but failed to achieve national prominence. That changed the following year, when Broadway Books -- blessed with deep marketing and promotion pockets -- brought it out in paperback.

It rose almost immediately onto the New York Times' bestseller list, and there -- like the sun on a languid Tuscan day -- it has simply stayed and stayed and stayed. It is now in its 80th week.

"And that's not all," Mayes says, the eyes crinkling again. "Look at these." She hands me the Swedish, British and Italian versions of her book. "It's been translated into 18 languages. This one just arrived," she says, cradling the Chinese translation like a precious gift she's not quite sure what to do with.

"How has the book changed your life?" I ask.

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