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I was publishing when I was 20, 21. And it really never stopped.

I began writing seriously in my mid-20s and didn't publish my first book until I was 41.

It was a great time to be born, because I got to have my own publishing company right from the beginning, so I made more money than somebody would have doing what I did ten or fifteen years before.

I spent 20 years of my career primarily being a writer for hire.

I'd never been published when I was young.

I'm what is known as a 40-year overnight success.

I'm not an overnight success. My early publishing history, through my first five books, was unfortunate in many respects, typified by a couple of short anecdotes.

I've been here 21 years, and I literally did walk up and down Music Row trying to break into the business. I felt very free to go into any publishing company.

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.