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Q: Facing the Sun focuses on four girlfriends. Did you have a tight group of friends like this when you were a teen?
A: Oh, absolutely. I was part of a group of four friends. One was my best friend from the time I was two and she was three; another I met in grade four, and the third became part of my circle starting around grade six. Over the years, our friendships have ebbed and flowed but I think around grade ten, we all found ourselves reunited. I’m still in touch with all three. My best friend then is still my best friend now. We’re in touch just about every day.
Q: When you look back at your teen years what comes to mind?
A: In my teen years, I wanted to be taken seriously. I wanted autonomy. I wanted to be heard. It’s not too different from what I think a lot of adults are looking for. Even though my experiences were much more limited then, in a lot of ways, what I feel and what I want aren’t that different now. I think that’s true for many of us.
Q: In some of the press notes you say two beaches shaped your life? Where were those beaches and can you explain that a bit more?
A: One of those two beaches is probably Nassau’s most popular one, Cabbage Beach, on Paradise Island. It’s a beach that large hotels like Atlantis use, but stretches of it are more or less public. Accessibility fluctuated for a time, so there were years when we enjoyed it freely, and other times when the beach wasn’t specifically limited, but access points that the public had always used were fenced off or otherwise controlled and off limits. It’s quite a feeling to head to the beach with a picnic lunch and your swimsuit all ready, only to find that you can’t actually get to it, even though the water and sand are right there waiting on the other side, and you know that people who are able to stay in the hotels are having the time of their lives right there, a few minutes walk away.
