It shone on everyone, whether they had a contract or not. The most democratic thing I'd ever seen, that California sunshine.
I think it is important to remind people of the extent of our free will.
It would have been easier to have a male protagonist, but I didn't want people to assume that Nikki Hill was me in her entirety because a lot of people just don't like me and I don't think they would be interested in reading about me, even in the fictional context.