Elizabeth Gilbert showed up late to her interview with TIME. Her excuse? Her hairdresser desperately needed love advice. Seven years after penning Eat, Pray, Love, Gilbert still encounters lovelorn, seeking souls. But she’s steered those conversations to her Facebook page (boasting over 100,000 likes), and turned to her deep love of gardening and 19th-century literature for her new book, The Signature of All Things.
Gilbert sat down with TIME’s Belinda Luscombe to talk about her novel, her unconventional marriage, and why she eschewed a manicured lawn in favor of a wildflower field (lovingly described as a “butterfly disco”).