It’s A Book Thing Presents: An Interview with Betsy Ashton, author of Betrayal

Author’s Bio: 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 was a political activist with the nickname “Buckshot Betsy.” You’ll have to ask her how she got it.

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, 2017; and literary or women’s fiction, Out of the Desert, 2019. Her latest is a suspense novel, Betrayal, 2021. Her short stories and poetry have appeared in several anthologies including Murder by the Glass, 50 Shades of Cabernet, and Candles of Hope. 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. Reach her at www.betsy-ashton.com. 

Deliah Lawrence: What inspired you to write your book?

Betsy Ashton: This book began as a dare. Most of my friends know I’m a rabid Navy football fan. For the past 12 years, my husband and I have sat with the same group of fans. One of them, Kristi, asked when I was going to write a book about them. Well, now. How to craft a novel about a group of people I only see at Navy home games? 

I decided to start with an event all of us hope never happens. The book opens with a plane crash during the flyover at the annual Army-Navy game in 2007. As I wrote in the dedication, I don’t think the story is what the group had in mind. Regardless, we all hope my imagined crash never happens. 

DL: What is your writing process?

BA: I write or edit a minimum of six hours a day, six days a week. As a retiree with no job to distract me, I have the luxury of writing as often as I like. I write in the morning after my daily meditation when ideas from the night are still fresh. I don’t keep a pad of paper or a recorder next to my bed, but if the idea is good, I’ll remember it. 

I take a midday break, eat, and go for a long walk with my husband. I divide my afternoons between editing and marketing. 

DL: What were some of the challenges when writing this book?

BA: The biggest challenge at the beginning was figuring out which character would be the lead. I had three families, all with distinct personalities, but one had to rise to the surface. I was still struggling when I went to the annual Tinker Mountain Writers Workshop. In my one-on-one with my workshop leader, he asked who was my main character. Not a question you want your coach to ask. I told him it was Maria. He said, “Not from what we critiqued.” Ouch. He was right. I was trying to write a suspense story with equally strong characters when I needed the central focus to be on one with the others taking brief leads as needed. 

DL: Is there any particular author or book that influenced you in any way either growing up or as an adult?

BA: As a child, Anna Sewell made me cry over and over. When Ginger dies in Black Beauty, I knew I wanted to make people laugh and cry with my words. 

When I began writing seriously, my first book of influence was Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird, which is often a new writer’s guidebook. Her book gave me permission to not sweat the small stuff, which gets fixed in the editing process. Mr. Poopy-Pants, indeed. 

One more woman really influenced my perspective on life and writing. She may not be a writer, but Carol Burnett gave me the freedom to be as silly as I want to be. 

DL: What was the best writing advice you’ve ever been given?
BA: This is the same advice I give writers in my writing workshops and groups. “Put your butt in the chair and write.” I know it sounds flippant, and is, but nothing gets written until you begin. 

Too many of us want to write the perfect sentence/paragraph/story so we scare ourselves into never taking that first step. Try, knowing that your first efforts will probably suck. That’s all right. That’s what editing is for. But if you don’t start, you’ll never know how good a writer you can become. 

DL: If you were hosting a dinner party which three authors would be your dream guests and why?

BA: Agatha Christie, who opened my eyes to the world of mysteries. Ray Bradbury, who showed me what fantasy felt like. Virginia Woolf, just because.

 DL: What are the keys to success in marketing your book(s)?

BA: I had to learn the business. For most writers, marketing doesn’t come easy. And in the age when social media dominates most marketing ventures, I had to learn where my readers hang out. I don’t write YA or MG, so TikTok isn’t for me. My readership is older, so Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn are solid places for me to promote my books. A stretch is Instagram. I’m still learning about how to use if effectively. 

I create a marketing plan for every book and then execute it. The best plans are those that stretch an author but don’t break her spirit. Mine stretches like the most complicated yoga pose. 

DL: What are three things you can’t live without?

BA: Coffee, chocolate, and my husband. 

DL: Would you like to share an excerpt from Betrayal?

BA: Yes. Here you go:

At the start of the Army-Navy game, the scoreboard tracks six Army helicopters closing in on the stadium in a crossing pattern from east to west. Thwapta-thwapta-thwapta partially drowns out deep-voiced shouts. Once the helicopters exit the stadium airspace, attention turns to the large monitors featuring the approach of four Navy jet fighters. 

A man in the stands cups one hand over an earbud hidden under his woolen cap. He stares at the sky and listens to the staccato, coded conversation among the pilots. 

The F-18s gain on the stadium. Three roar overhead in tight formation. The fourth lags behind. Cheers erupt from more than seventy-one thousand throats. The man touches an icon on his cell. Before he can react to what happens next, the fourth plane comes in too low and too slow. It veers slightly north and dips a wing. Even over the crowd noise, the man hears the plane stall. 

Through a burst of static, the man hears the pilot say, “All a—” and then “I can’t—” and “I’m sorr—” The man touches another icon. 

One wing clips the top of a light standard. Exploding bulbs blow flaming shards across the student section. The jet cartwheels into the parking lot now nearly emptied of tailgaters. The primary explosion of jet fuel sets off a chain reaction of secondary ones as car gas tanks and propane canisters in the tents ignite. 

In the nanosecond between the crash and the cries of the wounded and dying, one voice screams, “Sarah!” 

DL: Where can readers learn more about you and purchase your book(s)?

BA: Readers can get more information here:

• Website: http://betsy-ashton.com/  
• Amazon Author Page https://amzn.to/2M54JOM  
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/betsy.ashton
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/betsy_ashton2005/
• Blog: http://betsy-ashton.com/?page_id=1159
• Book Buy Links: https://amzn.to/2M54JOM 

DL: Thanks so much for being here with us today. I know my readers will enjoy getting to know you and your work.

BA: Thank you again for inviting me to share space and time on your blog!