I'm a spiritual person, I'm an America, I'm a Jew, and all of those things influence every breath I take, everywhere I go.

My mom was a great cook and great baker all her life.

When I'm on the road with concerts, people ask me to autograph my CDs, but more and more they come up with the cookbooks.

I got married because I wanted to do something that was more than I understood, because my feelings were more than I understood.

Everything I am came from my parents. I don't take that much credit for who I am and what I am.

I try to get that across in the work, to try to, if I'm lucky, to make this world a little bit better for all of us before I check out. And that's if I'm lucky, I don't always get to have that privilege but I try always.

I believe there's a common ground in what all gifted writers write. It has to do with their wish to turn darkness into light.