My overnight success was really 15 years in the making, ... Id been writing songs since I was 6 and playing in bands and performing since I was 14.

My overnight success was really 15 years in the making. I'd been writing songs since I was 6 and playing in bands and performing since I was 14.

I don't use simple words. I make games and puzzles with my songs.

A friend of mine once told me that I can't screw up when I play my own music. I also take voice lessons, play other peoples' songs out of music books, and occasionally figure out how to play other people's music from records. This keeps my ears, fingers, and mind working.

There's a variety and depth to the song topics I get to write about in children's music and books: being able to write about things I wouldn't normally write about, like a disappointing pancake, or monsters or opposite day is really different than writing about heartbreak and relationships.

I think a good mom is an awake mom. At least for me, I've always been a kinder, better person awake than sleep-deprived!