In all honesty at that time I never saw myself as an author... I was just a Mom in a state of panic trying to enter a short story contest to win the prize money in order to keep the lights on in my home.

I don't know what my label is. I just think of myself as a plain forward. I like to think I have some finesse to my game but inside the paint is where men are made. If you can't play there you should be home with your mama.

I consider myself a product of Alaska. The love and the debt that I feel to my home state you always want your hometown to be the proudest of you.

I really see myself as a homegirl. Wales is my first home. London is my second home - I've been there 14 years now.

If I go into a sandwich shop or anywhere that features 'Today's specials' on a chalkboard more than 10 feet away I have to ask for a printed menu. I smile at people I don't know on the street and ignore those I do. When at home I often find myself grabbing my 'back-up' glasses to search for the better-loved pair I have left on top of my dresser.

I can't drag myself away from 'Final Cut Pro.' It is a digital video editing system. I am obsessed with it but I am always away from home and I can't use it.

I ask myself: Would I have been any worse off if I had stayed home or lived on a farm instead of shock treatments and medication?

When I started editing on my home computer I said to myself 'Well I could be at home studying for a class or I could be at home editing a video.'

When I think about the songs I might record I ask myself 'Can I picture anybody I know back home sitting in their truck cranking this up?'

There are times when I'm driving home after a day's shooting thinking to myself That scene would've been so much better if I had written it out.