I’d like to welcome the fabulous Betsy Ashton to the blog for #WriterWednesday!

Things you need for your writing sessions: A messy desk with multiple dictionaries, CMoS, a cup of coffee, and good lighting.

Things that hamper your writing: Total silence.

Things you love about writing: Editing. My first drafts are always dreadful, so I don’t really start to craft a story until I’m deep in edit mode.

Things you hate about writing: Not having enough time to work on all the ideas I have for novels and novellas.

Words that describe you: Stubborn, fair minded, stubborn, compassionate, serene. Did I say stubborn?

Words that describe you, but you wish they didn’t: Stubborn, pigheaded, strong-willed. Did I say stubborn?

Favorite music or song: Anything by the Moody Blues, especially Nights in White Satin

Music that drives you crazy: Any ‘Sixties protest music on Musak.

Things you’d walk a mile for: To spend one more day with my mother.

Things that make you want to run screaming from the room: Opinionated people who tell me I’m stupid because I don’t agree with them.

Things you always put in your books: One strong woman, Easter Eggs, dead bodies.

Things you never put in your books: Real people by name or otherwise. Every character is a composite of many people I know, make up, or pass on the street.

Things to say to an author: I love your books, particularly the way you handled the tension at the midpoint.

Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book: I don’t read the kind of books you write. By the way, what DO you write?

Favorite places you’ve been: A bathroom line in a disco in Tokyo. My husband walked by me and asked, “When you get done in there, do you wanna dance?” Greatest. Pick up. Line. Ever.

Places you never want to go to again: Ft. Myers Beach, because hurricane Ian destroyed our haven last year. Flattened and washed it away.

Favorite books (or genre): Suspense or thrillers, historical or contemporary

Books you wouldn’t buy: Anything poorly written or not edited.

People you’d like to invite to dinner (living): Gayle King and Oprah Winfrey, because I don’t think I’d stop laughing until the meal was cold…

People you’d cancel dinner on: Two of my “friends” who try to force their religious and political opinions on me. See “Words that describe you” above.

The nicest thing a reader said to you: I’ve read all of your books. Have you ever thought about doing a sequel to Eyes Without A Face.

The craziest thing a reader said to you: I’ve always wanted to be in a book. How can I be in one of yours? (Me: Kill someone, maybe???”)

About Betsy:

Born in Washington, DC, Betsy Ashton claims she was raised in Southern California where she ran wild with coyotes in the hills above Malibu, even though her mother challenged her memory. She writes in multiple genres: mysteries, including the Mad Max Mystery series, Unintended Consequences, Uncharted Territory, and Unsafe Haven (all republished in 2021): serial killer psychological suspense, Eyes Without a Face, published in 2017: and literary or women’s fiction, Out of the Desert, August 2019, the closest thing to a memoir she’ll write. Her latest, a suspense novel, Betrayal, published in 2021 has won two prizes, Firebird Book Award Winner, 2023, for suspense, and Silver Distinguished Favorite Certificate in the suspense category from Independent Press Award 2023. Her short stories and poetry have appeared in several anthologies including Murder By the Glass, 50 Shades of Cabernet, Candles of Hope, and Reflections on Smith Mountain Lake. She is the past president of the commonwealth-wide Virginia Writers Club and remains active in the literary communities in Roanoke and at Smith Mountain Lake. Her closest friends know her as Buckshot Betsy. Reach her at www.betsy-ashton.com if you want the full story.

Let’s Be Social:

Website: http://www.betsy-ashton.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/betsy.ashton,

Twitter: @BetsyAshton

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/betsy_ashton2005

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/betsy-ashton

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/betsy_ashton