Gigi Amateau says that she was first "introduced" to the character of Georgia Tate in the summer of 1996. "While writing her story over the next six years, I came to know her well and found we have a lot in common," she says. "We're both from Mississippi. We both love catfish, watermelon, and rainy days, and our granddaddies saved our lives — mine when I was fifteen and in a lot of trouble and hers when she was twelve and far away from home. Georgia Tate has taught me so much about hope, family, and claiming the life that is yours."