"The Dressmakers of Prospect Heights"

Kitty Zeldis is the pseudonym for a novelist and non-fiction writer of books for adults and children. She lives with her family in Brooklyn, NY.

Zeldis applied the Page 69 Test to her newest novel, The Dressmakers of Prospect Heights, and reported the following:

Page 69 of The Dressmakers of Prospect Heights is the first page of a chapter told from Alice’s point of view; she’s reflecting on her relationship with Bea, and thinking about her past in New Orleans, and even before, in the small town of Belle Chasse, LA. Alice is a girl to whom much harm has been done; both her mother and sister were prostitutes and when her mother dies, she follows that sister, Helen, to a brothel. But though Helen thinks Alice will fetch a high price with Bea’s customers, Bea is adamant in her refusal to let that happen. Alice is relieved; she’s still so young, yearning for affection and stability but also fearful and guarded because of how she’s been hurt. She forms a bridge between Bea and Catherine, and plays a pivotal role in causing the terrible rift that comes between them and ultimately in their reconciliation. So a lot of the story hinges on what we learn in this chapter, and page 69 is where it all begins.

Visit Kitty Zeldis's website.

The Page 69 Test: Not Our Kind.

--Marshal Zeringue