Joe T. Massey 
Major Works
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Biography of Joe T. Massey
By Monica Reid (SHS)
Joe T. Massey, the author of Reaching High,
was born on April 12, 1949, to Joe Thurman and Mary Maxine
(Coston) Massey. He was born and raised in Bruce, Mississippi,
also known as Calhoun County, where he is currently living and running
a retail business that started in 1999 named Y'all Come Sports.
Massey is married to Sawitre (Ann) Massey, and they have two children,
Teddy Joe Massey, who is thirty four, and Satrina Joann Massey,
who is eight.
Massey chose to join the United States Navy in 1972 His love for writing grew while in the navy and soon he wrote Reaching High
for the public to know what the South was and is really like. He
wants people to know that the South is much more than what people
believe it to be. Massey has six years' experience in the navy,
but he also worked for an aircraft company writing articles for the
company's newspaper. In 1979, Massey ventured into selling
rabbits commercially, but that occupation only lasted until 1983
because unfortunately his "...processor went bankrupt..." causing him
to lose his business (Massey).
 In a recent interview Massey says that in Reaching High,
his ..."own desires rolled into Sam," who is the major
character in the book. Just as Massey wanted to fly in the
navy, Sam also wants to fly. However, Massey's lack of a
college education and the fact that he was two months too old for the
program that was offered during that time prevented him from doing
so. . Although Massey may not have succeeded in
becoming a fighter pilot, he has now succeeded in becoming a new and
inspiring author from Mississippi.
Massey is currently working on his second book
when time permits him to write. He is very busy with his new
business. The setting for the new novel is around the delta of
Mississippi and is about a girl and her grandmother who live
there. Massey does not yet have a title fort his book, but he
hopes to get his second book published by 2005. RETURN TO TOP OF PAGE
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A Review
of Reaching High
by Monica Reid (SHS)
Reaching High
by Joe T. Massey is a marvelous book that portrays the life of thirteen
year old Sam, who lives in the deep South. Sam's life's dream is
to become a fighter pilot one day, but until then he enjoys working in
the field with his father, Bill. Massey uses vivid details to let
the reader feel part of the book experiencing the same situations
as Sam does. When a stranger named Mylan comes into town, strange
occurrences begin to happen. From Albert's daddy dying from a
snake bite, to Albert coming up missing without any details of his
whereabouts, people wonder if Mylan has anything to do with the
situations because for some unexpected reason Mylan always shows up
instantly as soon as something goes wrong. When everything seems
to unravel, something out of the blue happens again to keep the
suspense going. For example, the
doctor is accused of murdering his wife and of injecting poison into
the veins of Albert's father, but did he? Reading and analyzing
all the incidents that occur and putting the evidence together will
solve the mystery.
Massey uses many details that
reveal to the reader that this book's setting is in the deep
South. The young Sam wears overalls and walks down the dirt paths
through the old country town. Sam's father is a farmer while his
mother Mary spends most of her time in the garden when she isn't
cooking for her family. In the story, Sam and Bill milk the cow,
Myrtle, in the mornings before dawn so they have something to
drink. Every morning, the family has a "country" breakfast,
consisting of fried bacon, fried eggs, and homemade biscuits with
homemade jelly. Also, Sam loves to go fishing with his friends
when he is not helping his dad on the farm. Lastly, Massey uses a
hint of Southern dialect to give a complete picture of what people are
like in the South. For example, instead of saying "you all," the
character talking says "y'all" (Reaching High 3), a characteristic expression in Mississippi and other Southern states.
I
have always heard that "a small town is a perfect town," meaning
everyone knows everyone else, and they all trust each other no matter
what. However, I believe Massey took a different approach when
writing about the small town life in Reaching High.
Sometimes people have secrets they hide from other people which cause a
fatal action in the end. Although this small town looks perfect
from the surface, the reader realizes as she reads that it isn't.
Strange incidents begin to happen. Albert's father is bitten by a
snake that mysteriously appears in his truck. Sam goes wandering
off to hunt, and on his way back home, he stumbles upon a cage
full of cotton mouths that looks as if someone is keeping them as
pets. Once again, Mylan appears out of the blue and suspiciously
watches the boy and the cage full of snakes. The reader feels a
sense of suspicion that will keep her reading more to see if Mylan has
anything to do with the situations. Through many twists and turns
throughout the book, the reader soon finds out that this "perfect" town
is not so perfect after all, and secrets can soon cause a fatal action.
As Massey writes about Sam's life, the
personalities of all the other characters are revealed. For
example, Sam's dad, Bill, is a very respectful, honest, loving, and
hard-working middle class man. The reader will notice his wonderful
personality traits through Bill's actions. He is very loving and
respectful to his wife, Mary. In the story, the way he talks to
his wife shows the reader that he loves her. Bill usually says "I
love you" to Mary or "Good morning, sweetheart" and the
reader realizes that Bill loves his wife. Massey knows how
to reveal the characters' personalities so the reader can have a sense
of feeling toward a certain character. Massey made the
characters so that the reader can relate to them and understand how
they think, act, and feel. Although I thought this was a wonderful book in so
many ways, I was a little confused in some of the parts. For
example, there were a couple of places in the book where the name of a
character is spelled two different ways, yet it is the same
character. Take the character, Mylan, for instance. Most of
the time his name is spelled "Mylan," but in some sections of the
book his name is spelled "Mylon." I realized Mylan was the same
character, but it confused me for a while. Also, in a lot of the
chapters, Massey mentions Sam's family always eating breakfast and how
the bacon fragrance can always be smelled. I believe he could
have gotten away from that repetitive approach, and the reader could
still understand that the book was set in the South. The
repetitions got a little tedious towards the end of the book, but I
dealt with it. Other than that, I enjoyed reading and analyzing
the book. Overall, I thought the book was great. Reaching High
relates to today's society because many people go through life
experiencing strange things and dreaming of becoming something special
one day, like Sam, who struggled through many trials and tribulations
before succeeding at his life's dream. I recommend this book to
those who can understand the simple joys in life and likes to analyze
situations like the ones in Massey's book. Also, people with
imaginations and people who can put themselves in the characters'
positions can understand and relate to Reaching High
because Massey goes into detail about the life that Sam and the other
characters lead. Once again, this book tells a great story and
should be read by the people who have a respect for writers and their
works as well as an interest in the lives of families who live in the
deep South. RETURN TO TOP OF PAGE
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E-mail Interview with Joe T. Massey
by Monica Reid (SHS)
Hey, Mr. Massey,
I
would like to take this opportunity and once again thank you so much
for taking time out of your busy schedule to do an interview for the
Mississippi Writers web page. I am more than thankful for your
valuable time. I am not quite sure if I mentioned it
before, but I'm a junior at Starkville High School. Sometimes
things just slip my mind! :) But, if you could, just answer the
following questions. Like I said before, there isn't much
information on you out there on the web, so I'm going to ask you a few
questions. First, some questions about your life if that is okay
with you and then some other random questions. :) There are quite
a few questions ,so you have to bear with me please! Thanks. When is your birthday?
April 12, 1949
Where were you born?
Bruce, Mississippi (Calhoun County)
What are your parents' names?
Joe Thurman and Mary Maxine (Coston) Massey
Are you married? If so, what is your wife's name?
Sawitre (Ann) Massey
Do you have any children? If so, what are their names and ages?
Teddy Joe Massey, age 34. Satrina Joann , age 8
Teddy was from my first marriage. Satrina is from my second marriage, thus the age difference.
Where did you go to high school?
Bruce, Mississippi
Where did you go to college?
None
In what town in Mississippi did you live growing up?
Bruce
Are there any vivid childhood memories that you have that have influenced
who you are today?
We never had as much as other families, never dirt poor, but we loved each other and respected each other.
After
a hard day in the field, my daddy always made time for his kids.
Mama started working when I was about 9 or 10; and with her first two
pay checks, she bought me and my brother a bicycle--one per week. This
impressed me-- that it is always right to give and love others no
matter how much you have.
What kind of student were you in high school? Grades, etc.
Average,
never made honor roll. Played baseball and loved it. Played
football my senior year, endured it, never liked it.
Did
you always want to be a writer, or was there something that happened in
your life that got you interested in becoming a writer?
I've always liked to write and jot things down. We watched The Waltons
growing up, and, of course, John Boy kept his journal everyday.
Not until entering the Navy did I become impressed with the need to
write. The history and heritage of my family needed to be remembered. I
read every Louis L'Amour book I could find while in the Navy and
actually saw him at a book signing at a Naval base. While living
and working in Seattle, John Grisham became known nation wide. I used
him as an inspiration to begin my own book.
How difficult was it to get your first book published? How did you go about it?
The
first book is difficult for everyone it seems. After writing what I
thought was a novel, I sent it to two different literary agents. They
both creamed me on everything. I drew back somewhat after seeing the
red corrections all over my pages. After more than a year, the
corrections were made, additions inserted in between paragraphs and so
it was 'fattened up' somewhat. No one wanted to publish a first
time, unknown author unless I paid upwards of $12,000 for a fee.
Searching produced a company which was started by an author who also
had the same frustrations. It was a print on demand company, which
could do the publishing for a very affordable fee. My manuscript was
sent to '1st Books Library' which was glad to work with me in
getting published. From start to finish after our agreement was signed,
it took six months.
Is Reaching High, even though fiction, based on your life? Did you base the characters in Reaching High
on people you know or knew? If so, who are the characters that
represent the people, and how are the people significant in your life?
It is difficult
to write fiction without having 'some' true to life occurrences come
out in the pages. There are several parts of my book that actually
happened. The average reader won't know which is real from the fiction.
My parents recognized some accounts in the book.
Who is/are your favorite author/authors? Why?
John
Grisham , as I said, inspired me to write. With his being from
Mississippi, he made me proud. Louis L'Amour wrote with great detail.
If he mentioned a spring being in the middle of the desert, it was
actually there. He wanted his books to be more that just fiction. Chuck
Swindoll writes about Jesus and the bible. His knowledge and abilities
make my envious.
What author, based on your thoughts, has influenced you the most when it comes to writing?
I've
never read one of John Grisham's books. Watched several movies though.
He inspired me to write. However, when I put words on the pages, I
believe Louis L'Amour has influenced me the most.
Why did you decide to write about Sam as the subject of Reaching High? How long did it take you to write Reaching High?
Sam
was a common name of a common boy in the country. My desire was to
inspire thoughts of the Southern culture and reveal to the world what
life WAS and IS like in Mississippi and the South. Having a full
time job stretched the writing time of my book--from start to publish
was about 5 years.
Where did you get the idea for this book? ( I really like this book!)
The
idea came from the fiction side of my head. It just began with
the boy walking down the road with his hound dog and grew from
that. There are several ways and structures when writing. Many
authors write the end first and then back track, so to speak, to fill
in the book. Some authors write an outline of occurrences and fill in
details to create a book. This particular book was written simply page
by page by adding to the story. Somewhere along the way, I wanted
Sam to excel in what seemed as a difficult goal but to reveal his
Southern roots as his strength.
Are
you currently working on a new book? What is it called?
When will it be published? Do you have a title for it yet? What is it
about?
I am writing
book two at this time. It, too, will be a Southern setting but with
somewhat of a different lead character. This book will have a young
girl and her grandmother living in the delta of Mississippi as the
center focus. Hopefully, I can have it published by early 2005.
My present occupation is hindering the writing process. No title as of
yet.
Have you received any special awards in your lifetime?
None
How has Mississippi or living in Mississippi influenced your writing?
The
culture of the South is a beautiful thing. Many places I have been in
the past 30 years have revealed that the general public sees the
South as people who are ignorant, slow speaking, and racial.
This view inspires me to write about the South showing the true
side of our people here. We are a people who live in the Bible Belt of
America where values of honesty and hard work still exist. Love for our
GOD, neighbors, community and country shines through everyday lives.
Besides writing, what else do you like to do?
Love
to do woodworking, but seldom find the time. I fish in my home pond at
every opportunity. Gardening is fun. Since early childhood I have
raised rabbits from time to time. From 1979-1983 I raised rabbits
commercially. Because my processor went bankrupt, it caused me to lose
my business as well.
Do you currently have a job, besides writing? If so, what exactly do you do, and where do you work?
I
have a retail business here in Bruce.:"Y'all Come Sports." My
business was started in 1999 and is currently under restructuring,
eliminating sports from my inventory. This will probably change my name
in the future. (?)
I sell
T-shirts and shoes. I do printing of business cards, T-shirts, caps and
such for businesses, churches, schools, reunions, etc.
Where do you currently live?
In the country three miles outside of Bruce, Mississippi.
Do you have any advice for future writers?
Never say, 'I can't'. Never give up. Have patience and determination to finish.
Do you have any advice for students today?
School
is not something to endure, it is something to value and learn from.
All too quick it ends and if not used wisely, will hinder you the rest
of your life.
I was very curious why you wanted Sam to become a fighter pilot in your book Reaching High.
Can you please tell me that? I thought it was neat because I
would have thought he wanted to be a farmer like his dad his whole
life, but instead he became a fighter pilot. It's a very interesting
twist to the book. I like it!
I wanted to fly
when in the Navy, but the opportunity didn't happen. Not having college
hindered my advancement in such. Second reason was, I was two months
too old and was turned down for the NECEP program that was offered at
that time. Guess my own desires rolled over into Sam somewhat.
I
don't know if this will be easy for you or not, but I was wondering if
you could send one or two pictures that we can use on our Mississippi
Writers and Musicians web site. It would be very helpful for my
web page, and that would be awesome if you could send some.
I'll try and send you some pictures. Not many available, I'll hunt
Also,
I was wondering if you were going to be in the Starkville/ Columbus
area any time in the next few months or so because if you are I could
meet with you and take a few pictures to put on my web page. That would
be so magnificent if I could meet and talk to you about your work(s).
It will be wonderful to meet you and smile for your pictures. Maybe when school starts back??
Once again, thank you for your time and answering all of my questions. I am very appreciative.
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Related
Websites
Buy Reaching High at Amazon.com.
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Bibliography
Massey, Joe T. Reaching High. 2002.
Massey, Joe T. E-mail Interview. 15 May 2003.
Picture of Monica reading a book. Photograph by Mary Lynn Rednour. 14 May 2003.
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