Here’s a quick Q&A with Jennifer Margulis, author of “Todder” (Real Life Stories Of Those Fickle, Irrational, Urgent, Tiny People We Love So Much) as well as her newest book, “Why Babies Do That” (Baffling Baby Behavior Explained).

*What was your inspiration behind “Why Babies Do That“ ?

The publisher actually invited me to write this book. They have a series (Why Dogs Do That, Why Cats Do That, etc.) and they wanted to branch out into baby books. The editor was actually expecting her first child and I think that was one of their motivations. But the idea behind the book is to inspire and inform parents, especially new parents, about baby behavior. Babies are bizarre little creatures, they do a lot of weird stuff, and this book helps explain why. So it’s meant to be both informative and reassuring (and fun to read).

*How in the world are you able to write your column, be a mom and write a book? Do you not sleep? Where do you get all of this energy?

It’s not easy and if you could see my house right now (it looks like a train crashed in the living room–the kids decided to make a fort with the couch and… well, I’ll spare you the details) you wouldn’t be so impressed. Seriously, housework is the first thing to go. In order to be a productive writer (and this is the way my husband and I support our family of five) and an attentive mom, I really have to prioritize. I don’t get enough sleep and my house is often a disaster (which is honestly hard for me. I used to look forward to cleaning my apartment on Saturday mornings when I was in my 20s!). But I’ve manage to produce three books: a classroom edition of an 18th-century play which I finished while pregnant with my daughter, “Toddler: Real-Life Stories of Those Fickle, Irrational, Urgent, Tiny People We Love,” which I compiled and co-authored while I had a newborn and a 19-month-old baby (and that was the motivation behind it. I was going insane and really needed to hear other people’s stories about their lives with challenging, I mean, spirited, toddlers), and “Why Babies Do That.”I also write magazine articles, my weekly column in the Ashland Daily Tidings called “Tales From the Crib,” and a monthly travel article. And I consult with other writers to help them get published. Writing is my job. If I don’t do it we don’t eat. I think that’s the secret. Also, I have a very supportive husband who also works from home and we switch off with the kids as much as possible to give each other time to write. I really care about being a good mom though, which is why I am often sleep-deprived. Even if I have a pressing deadline, I wait until the kids go to sleep before I finish any work leftover from the morning (morning is my time to write, afternoon is my husband’s). My other secret is dried mango. I swear it makes you smarter and more focused and I eat dollar-depleting quantities of it when I’m on deadline.

*What’s next for you?

Many ideas! Some which will soon be books (I hope). But our biggest news is that I just got a teaching/research Fulbright fellowship and we will be relocating to West Africa for a year, starting in the fall. I’ll be working on a book there and teaching literature and journalism classes at the university.

The book “Why Babies Do That” is currently out and can be found at major bookstores.