This week has been hectic and I got to thinking about how many tasks fall to us writers that don't involve our writing and research. Here's an example of a week's time:

First and second edits on my latest book have arrived and need immediate attention.

Stacks of entries for a contest that I'm chairing were lugged up the hill from our mail box until hubby threatened to charge me by the pound. They await filed in bank boxes ready to number and mail out to the judges.

Up on the mountain tomatoes ripened and I had to go haul home a box.

Okay, so I settle down to take care of the final edits. First thing I run across is editor's questioning the use of "faunching" by my hero. Said she believed me when I said it was a colloquialism, but the copy editor would want a dictionary definition. So I Googled it and after an advanced search found that it was what I told her. A fit of rage or anger. And it is in the Urban dictionary as well as several others.

Right now we're discussing whether the term "gutter mouth" would've been used back in the 1870-80s. I say yes because the term "gutter snipes" was used for homeless gangs of children, so gutter would have been a known term. Writing historicals calls for a careful use of language. It's not wise to use terms like "I didn't see that coming," or the like. Folks back then had their own way of expressing themselves.

Then the art department awaits. Debbie, a very sweet lady asks for some ideas of what I might want on the cover. Goodness, nice that small presses care. This has been a new experience for me. So I send a photo of a castle in silhouette from Dreamstime, then we decide that makes the book look like a medieval, but I so like the castle cause my heroines live in one in Victoria, Kansas. So I ask if it could go far into the background with western stuff up front. That's where it stands now while they discuss it. Wilda's Outlaw is coming together.

In the midst of these projects, a screen adaptation of one of my novels, Images In Scarlet, arrives for my approval. Hard to believe how they can take a book and switch things all around until it only vaguely resembles the original story, yet it's there, with stuff left out of course to fit the time limitation. Hmm, not bad at all. Hope some movie producer agrees and picks it up to option. Or even better, turns it into a movie that probably won't resemble the book at all. Still, it's exciting and fun.

This all fringes on writing, but doesn't get me anywhere on my latest project, a novella due by March. It's a western too. Neither does writing this blog, but I like staying in touch with my readers and followers.

Oh, yes, then there's the workshop Saturday, where I'll try to help new writers with their books and stories. What a fun day that will be. Friday afternoon I'll bake one of my mother's favorite's, cranberry bread, for everyone to enjoy with coffee before we get started. At noon we'll drive down the mountain for a mile, travelling the ridge of the Boston Mountains with the jade green of the Ozarks spread out at our feet in all directions. We'll eat at Grandma's House. Home cooking big time, with pies still warm from the oven, while we get acquainted and visit. What a treat that is. Then back to Ozark Folkways to finish up the day and send some happy writers home with their proud accomplishments.

Made some telephone calls, checked out writer friends' books online, forwarded information through the email. And last of all: wrote this blog.