I wanted a garret hideaway to write in like Jo March in 'Little Women.'

The best way to heal a broken heart, it turns out, is to find a way to move past the hurt.

I want characters I can live for in a setting that makes me feel like I'm there.

Although I married a sports-loving jock, I myself am not only not athletic, I am acutely, completely uncoordinated.

Family life is too intimate to be preserved by the spirit of justice. It can be sustained by a spirit of love which goes beyond justice.

A lot of our family was undocumented. My mom and dad were both super conservative. My dad had a green card; my mom was an Eisenhower Republican who did not approve of all the 'illegal people.'

Coming from a single parent household, I witnessed firsthand the strength and courage of the single mother. I always had my father in my life but my household was run by my mother and my grandmother. As a result, I have always had the utmost respect for women and have chosen to strongly convey that in my music.

Some of my teammates and coaches don’t understand what I’m doing by speaking out, but they support me, for which I am grateful. They have become part of my surrogate family here in the United States."