She has been the recipient of scholarships and fellowships at The Sewanee Writers’ Conference and Writers in Paradise, and has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize.Massey applied the Page 69 Test to her debut novel, The Girl From Blind River, and reported the following:
“When Keating looked at Phoebe and raised his glass she knew it was time to wind things up with a big hand.”Visit Gale Massey's website.
This last sentence from page 69 represents the power dynamics that play out in the novel. Judge Keating runs a high-stakes poker game for regional and local officials and high-profile celebrities. It’s a game that he is notorious for fixing and winning. Most of the people he invites understand this and consider it a form of hazing they have to put up with to win the favor of Blind River’s most powerful judge. However, on this night a retired and beloved NFL player is in attendance and he’s got no intention of losing. Phoebe, an ex-con, has been hired by Judge Keating to deal the game in the basement of Keating’s house. Since he’s the one that sentenced her to prison she’s well aware of his authority in her life and his ability to corrupt the system to his own benefit. She’s understands that she’s been hired to make sure he not only wins the game but deals his competitors a vicious loss. But while the last thing Phoebe wants is to get tangled up with the law, the last hand of the night puts her dead center in a detective’s investigation when one of the players goes missing.
My Book, The Movie: The Girl From Blind River.
Writers Read: Gale Massey.
--Marshal Zeringue
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