I'm three days into my vacation-that's-a-whole-lotta-working in a small Eastern Oregon town. I'm visiting family and Oh, yeah…working. I have a room at my mom's house with bunk beds (I prefer the bottom…take that as you will) with a desk where I've spread out my work-related crap and a fan that I point directly at the back of my head because it's actually SUMMER here (unlike the pathetic showing of the season back home in Portland). I'm working veryvery hard on finishing my next book First Draft: The Miracle in July Web Series, which is due out next month. It features a foreword by one of the digital strategy firestarter I respect the most, Mr. Dave Allen.

I'm not gonna lie, you guys. Workcations are hard, and this one has been fraught with serious technical difficulties and insane-brain content problems that need clever, universally appealing solutions. So, you know…no pressure.

PLUS my family wants to hang out with me and there are cute baby bellies that beckon for loud, slobbery mouthberries.

PLUS PLUS there are a BUNCH of really great events going on at home (356 horribly long miles away) that I'd love to be at this weekend.

Like Beer and Blog is being sponsored by Groupon Portland on Friday which means FREE beer. And the super geeky IndieWebCamp is this weekend. But one event in particular that's pretty much burning my britches is the 6th anniversary shindig for the St. Johns Booksellers. Now, my pants aren't on fire just because they're my neighborhood bookstore, and it's not just because they carry my erotic anthology Venice is for Lovers. (Look: Photographic evidence!)

No, the flames ignited the instant I saw that the St. Johns Booksellers are planning a Mini-Sledgehammer Writing Contest.

IS THAT MARVELOUS OR WHAT?!

From their announcement:

Participants will be given 4 writing prompts: a character, a fragment of dialogue, an action, and a prop. A timer will be set for 36 minutes. Each participant will produce a new work of fiction on the spot, using the prompts provided, before the timer runs down. All work must be new, and produced especially for this contest. There is no minimum or maximum length. At the end of 36 minutes, participants will read their stories aloud for the audience and our panel of judges, which will include a representative of St. Johns Booksellers and a representative of Indigo Editing. Entries will be judged for completeness, overall quality of writing, and best use of all prompts. Judges' decisions are final.  Prizes include a copy of Ink-Filled Page, Indigo Editing's yearbook of fine writing, and a St. Johns Booksellers gift certificate.

Participation is limited to 10 writers, on a first-come, first-served basis.  Signup opens at 6:30pm.

And all writers who participate get a Moleskin pocket notebook.

Do you smell smoke? Oh, ignore it. That's just my pantaloons.

Lest you live in Portland and think the St. Johns neighborhood is sooooo far away here's another incentive: the bookstore's anniversary party is in conjunction with a whole lot of other awesome events, including a pig roast by the most excellent James John Cafe. The NoFest Music and Art Fair will be rocking the streets as well.

But, you know what? Even though I can't be home right now to enjoy all the fun stuff that's going on, I'm OK with my life being all about type-ity type type-ing my way into a finished novel and mopping up superhero-strong baby drool in a town that doesn't have the courtesy to stock my favorite microbrews.

For another few days.

Ahem.

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