Fannie Flagg on life, literature, Christmas

By Nancy Mills




Movie actress. TV personality. Broadway star. Famous author. Women's advocate. With all her varied titles, Fannie Flagg is one of Santa Barbara's most gifted and celebrated residents.

Since her move to Montecito in 1975, Flagg has resided in the same house. She still owns a small home in her native state of Alabama, but spends only a few weeks a year there. "I simply find Santa Barbara to be the most beautiful place in the world," she says.

And, she wants all Santa Barbarians to know, that one of her absolute favorite times of the year is Christmas. "I just love Christmas. I love everything about it. The decorations. The spirit. The gifts. The friends. The food."

Flagg, 63, whose latest book, "Can't Wait To Get To Heaven," remains steadily on the New York Times Bestseller List - lights up when she talks about the holidays. Her zest is so sincere; it is easy to see why her novel, "A Redbird Christmas," is a popular holiday gift.

In this interview, Flagg, with humor and candor, reveals how she moved to Santa Barbara; the impact the Santa Barbara Writers Conference has had on her life; why she is a women's advocate; the cherished things she does over Christmas; and her holiday wishes.


Q. Moving to Santa Barbara was a fated adventure. Tell us about it.
A. I lived in New York and I was doing a sitcom in Phoenix. My agent, William Morris, wanted me to go to LA because they felt there was a lot of TV work. I went for a few days, and I just didn't like it. I was headed to move back to New York and I was invited to go up to Santa Barbara with a friend of mine and her mother. At the time, I thought Santa Barbara is really Spanish and I was so burned out on Phoenix that it was too Spanish for me. But then I came up here and just fell in love with it. We went to a big downtown restaurant, and I walked out, and I said, "I could live here. This is beautiful." There was a real estate agent sitting in a window and I went in, and I was being silly, and I said, "If you had the type of house that I liked, I'd move here. And he looked at me and said, "What are you looking for?" "Well, I'd like a white frame house with a front porch that looks a lot like Alabama." And he said, "First of all I'm from Alabama. I know exactly what you're looking for, get in the car." I bought a house that day. I started living here and commuting to LA to work.




Q. The Santa Barbara Writers Conference has had a huge impact on your life and career. How did you become involved?
A. When I first moved here, I saw a poster on a telephone pole that said Eudora Welty, the great Mississippi writer, was going to be the main speaker. I said, "Oh, I've got to see her," so I signed up for the whole week. I didn't know I could of just bought a ticket for that night. I'd written comedy sketches and stuff, but I had always wanted to be a novelist. So I went and they had a competition and I won first prize. I was very encouraged by Barnaby (Conrad) and all the people in the Writers Conference so I kept going back and a couple of years later I got a contract for my first novel, "Daisy Fay and the Miracle Man." It changed my life. I always assumed I could never write anything other than comedy sketches because I couldn't spell because of my dyslexia. But, I found out you don't have to know how to spell to write a book. When I explained to my first publisher, "I can't write a book because I don't know how to spell," he laughed and he said, "That's why we have editors."

Q. Last year you published "A Redbird Christmas" to great success. What inspired you to write a book about Christmas?
A. I told my book agent, Joni Evans, that I was retiring. I was never going to write another book as long as I lived. It was too hard. And she kept saying, "Yeah, un-huh, I know that, however, why don't you think about a little Christmas book." And the minute she said little and Christmas, I thought, well I can do that. So I had had an idea about doing a book on the redbird, because in Alabama there are beautiful magnolia trees and holly trees and the redbirds are so pretty flying up and down the streets, and sitting in the trees. At Christmas they just look like living Christmas ornaments. So I thought I'd love to do a Christmas book

Q. This year "Can't Wait to Get to Heaven," was released to much acclaim. What is the basic message of the book?
A. The basic message of the book is, and it's the message that I try to remember, to appreciate what you have at the very moment because it can all be lost so easily. And also to appreciate the simple things of life and not get caught up in the minutia of things -- to appreciate nature, to be kind one another and to have good friends. Another reason I wanted to write that particular book with that particular message is that there's been so much concentration on diversity and to me that is not doing us a favor. To me, we need to concentrate on what we have in common, not what's different about us. I think that is not helping us. Life is so precious and we take it for granted. And I say we, I do it myself sometimes. I forget to be grateful for the sunset. When I was younger, I was so caught up with things and success. I need to remind myself that what is really important is the basics; to be kind and appreciate what you have and where you are and who you are around.

Q. Many of your books, including "Fried Green Tomatoes", have been made into movies that have empowered middle-aged women. Have you always been a women's advocate?
A. Yes, I have. I watched my mother who I felt so sorry for because, at a particular time in life, she was not able to take care of herself because she had not prepared herself to have a career. This was in the 50's and 60's. And, I looked around and I saw that women were really under paid and under appreciated. I watched my mother sort of waste her life by not being able to do the things she might have wanted to do because nobody encouraged her. And so I've always felt very strongly that women were really the last minority group. I was involved in the early Equal Rights and Women's movement. I was a woman's advocate because of my mother and my grandmother seeing their lives and how much better it could have been if they had encouragement. I was not encouraged as a female to do much. There were not many options open for women and when I first started working in Birmingham. I had a television show and I was making onefifth of what the males were making at the station. I really saw first hand how unfair this system was toward women. It's changed; thank heavens. Not 100 percent but it is much better than what it use to be.

Q. What special things do you do in Santa Barbara over the holidays?
A. First of all, I just love everything Christmas. I love to go out and look at the Christmas decorations. Ever since I was a child, I've always loved Christmas decorations and decorated homes. It's great here. I go to Carpinteria and Goleta and up and down Milpas. I also like to go to La Cumbre Plaza and have my picture made with Santa Claus. I go out there and sit in his lap.

Q. What's your favorite Christmas recipe?
A. Ambrosia. I do orange slices and coconut and sugar. Oh, I just love it. And then a friend of mine in Alabama, who I adore, makes this fabulous cake called Whisky Cake. Her name is Norma Warren and I base some of my characters on her. And every year she sends two or three Whiskey Cakes. I love my Whiskey Cake. It is like a very great pound cake. It has caramel and nuts and, I guess, bourbon or something.

Q. Fannie, do you have a personal wish for the holidays?
A. My personal wish is that everybody I love remains healthy and happy. It's hard because the world looks in such a sad old condition. I can just only hope that we somehow will get to a place where it is so terrible that there's nowhere to go but up, and I think we are getting close to it. I'm thinking that the world is hopefully going to come to the conclusion that what we've been doing is not working. It's got to change, and I'm hoping on a selfish level because I care about the next generation. I'm hoping that more women will get involved in politics. Not that all women have the right idea, but I think they bring a softer sensibility that we need because the military solution to the problems are not working.

Q. Is there a last thought that you would like to add?
A. I would just say to everybody in Santa Barbara that we have more to be thankful for than most people in the world to wake up on Christmas morning and be in this beautiful place.
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