Goodreads asked Amanda Giorgis:

Where did you get the idea for your most recent book?

Amanda Giorgis Last Christmas a friend came to stay with us and got hooked on the true story of James Mackenzie, after whom this part of New Zealand is named. It inspired me to look deeper into the story myself. I found facts were mingled with legends. Nobody knew for sure what happened to James, nobody really knew if he was a thief or a hero. On his arrest for sheep rustling three sets of footprints were found, and it occurred to me that there was a story to be told about the owners of the other feet! From this idea The Wideawake Hat was born.

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