It seems to me that most people are interested in reading about characters who are richer than they are.
I've never really had any trouble coming up with ideas; they just grow, like weeds. The weeding is the hard part.
A first novel should be brash and ambitious, and announce the arrival of a new talent.
I'm as much my own master as anyone can be, without being the master of others. I can write anywhere - all I need is a couple of hours of solitude and a computer, and I can write a chapter. Since my work is portable, I can live anywhere I like.