I'm a #1 New York Times bestselling author with over 6 million copies of my books in print in 32 languages.

My love of storytelling started young. In preschool I had a weird obsession with anything tragic, from Medea to Macbeth. And, yes, it was the 70s when no one asked if content was child-appropriate.

Later, I discovered Tom Lehrer and came home from school to listen to his satirical albums for hours. When I started babysitting I spent all my money on Weird Al Yankovic cassettes.

And somewhere between my obsession with royalty brought low and ‘Like a Surgeon’ you have The Nanny Diaries.

As a creative coach, I believe it's the audience's God-given right to be entertained. As a journalist, I want to know what drives people, what excites them, and how they get through the days when it doesn't all come together. As an artist, I believe in sitting quietly for a few minutes every day to keep that channel open to the magical place where the words come from.

And chocolate. Dear God, I believe in chocolate.