I first knew I wanted to be a songwriter when I was 12. I read a book on songwriting; each chapter was written by a composer or lyricist from the 1930s and 40s. My favorite chapters were by Johnny Mercer and Hoagy Carmichael.

My music and lyrics have been praised by Carly Simon, Broadway's Charles Strouse, rock legend Ric Derringer, and jazz diva Tierney Sutton. (I've actually written 3 songs with Tierney's pianist, Christian Jacob.)

My parents were both creative types. My dad was a photog...