Getting to know Betsy Ashton

Patricia: Betsy, welcome to my blog. Tell us, what are your favorite things to do when you’re not reading or writing?

Betsy: In the past seven years, I've become very active in local and state-writers groups as well as our arts council. I organize speaker events and book fairs to promote local writers. I attend writer conferences, often appearing as a speaker. I must be in a rut, because all I can think about is helping out writers, listening to the voices in my head ordering me back to the keyboard and crafting story lines and plot twists.

Outside of volunteering, I love long walks in the country, riding around the lake in our boat, visiting my two wonderful grandsons and dancing naked in the sunlight.

Patricia: What’s your favorite color? Why?

Betsy: My favorite color used to be green, especially the new green that emerges on trees in early spring. I love walking under that bright yellow-green of rebirth. Lately, however, red has taken over. Maybe it's because it was my mother's favorite color. I adopted it as my own after she passed over a decade ago. Maybe it's the color I turn if I don't use enough sun block on the boat. Maybe it’s the color of my favorite leather pants. Or, and most likely, it’s the color I turn dancing naked outdoors in winter. Yup. Has to be the latter.

Patricia: How would you describe yourself, personality wise?

Betsy: Irreverent. Snarky. Sassy. Willing to take most double-dog dares. Thick skinned. You have to be thick skinned to be a writer, or you lie bleeding in the grass when you read a less-than-flattering review of your latest book.

Patricia: Do you like to travel? If so, what are some of your favorite places to go and/or what was your favorite vacation?

Betsy: I love to travel. My favorite places for vacation are Japan and Thailand. I’ve studied Zen Buddhism for decades, so returning to Japan, where I spent two years in graduate school, is like returning to a familiar place that has changed beyond recognition. And Thailand because it’s so incredibly beautiful.

Patricia: How would you complete this sentence? If I won a million dollars, I would  ------

Betsy: Be horribly boring in my choices. Never tell anyone about the windfall. Set up college funds for the two grandsons. Splurge on a new car. I have my eye on a Tesla Roadster. Mostly, I’d continue as I am, writing and promoting books every day. Nothing like a dull answer to end a Getting To Know You post.

Bio: Betsy Ashton, born in Washington, DC, was raised in Southern California where she ran wild with coyotes in the hills above Malibu. She protested the war in Vietnam, burned her bra for feminism, and is a steadfast Independent, before she entered the military-industrial complex after her academic career as a student and teacher. She is the president of the state-wide Virginia Writers Club and is the author of the boomer novel Mad Max Unintended Consequences. She also loves riding behind her husband on his motorcycle. You'll have to decide for yourself if and where she has a tattoo.

Links:Amazon: Amazon: http://amzn.to/16wZr4d

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/mad-max-betsy-ashton/1113472616?ean=9781938467400

Betsy is giving away a paper copy of "Mad Max Unintended Consequences" to someone who leaves a comment on her post.
And the winner is John M. Daniel. Congratulations, John!