Arrived home late last night from MythosCon #1. The house was freezing but my heart was still warm from the wonderful fellowship and good will of all the kindred spirits (both old friends and new) who attended this inaugural event. Thanks and kudos go out to organizer Frank Niswander, and sincere wishes for many happy returns!
Along with old friends such as Scott Connors, Wilum Pugmire, Robert Price, Derrick Hussey and Jerad Walters, it was an honor to meet many new people; such as Ann Schwader, Danny Lovecraft, Fred Phillips and Dan Clore, and many others.
Ramsey Campbell, Donald Sidney-Fryer, and S.T. Joshi were among the brightest luminaries in attendance (I know I'm at risk of dropping far too many names here!) But it was especially gratifying for me to meet our own Martin Andersson and Juha-Matti Rajala who travelled from Sweden and Finland to attend. It was great to finally meet these online friends in person after many years acquaintance here on The Eldritch Dark.

There was a nasty cold going around which I unfortunately brought home with me (I dubbed this the "Cthulhu Crud") but I deem it a small price to pay for the honor of shaking hands with all these fine people!

If the world doesn't end in 2012, I hope to travel to Phoenix once again for MythosCon #2 . . .
Ron

Apparently the Cthulhu Crud was a foul septic contagion spread by the shaking of hands.

Indeed, this insidious virus lurks on the sweaty palms of warlocks and minions alike . . . BTW, the organizer's name is ADAM Niswander rather than Frank . . . This unspeakable error could only have been caused by the mind-numbing effects of the aforementioned "Cthulhu Crud." BEWARE!!

Ron, how is it that I knew nothing about this event - please keep me posted as to the particulars for the next one, if I have not yet moved to another plane of existence - Phoenix is an easy drive for me.

Martin here, back in Sweden again. I've been awake for... um... 26 hours I think, and I'll try to stay awake a little longer in an attempt to synchronise with Swedish time again. Please bear with me if I seem confused.

MythosCon was indeed a blast, and I can't even remember when I went to a convention where I spent almost ALL the time attending panels or readings. I never even entered the gaming, music or film rooms, to my great regret, but I simply couldn't afford to miss any panel. My hat is off to Adam and Mark who organised it.

<<But it was especially gratifying for me to meet our own Martin Andersson and Juha-Matti Rajala who travelled from Sweden and Finland to attend. It was great to finally meet these online friends in person after many years acquaintance here on The Eldritch Dark.>>

The feeling is mutual, Ron. It was nice to finally meet you and Scott in person -- not to mention Donald Sidney-Fryer, an incredibly nice man. And of course Wilum, and S. T., and Ken, and Steve, and a whole bunch of friends and famous people, some of whom I've met briefly before, some of whom I've only exchanged e-mails with.

Being a fan of Lovecraft and Smith in Sweden on my -- I guess "our" -- level (the "Has read all the fragments and obscure stories and even Lovecraft's humorous stuff, quotes the essays and letters and poems, thinks a photo of a bench where Lovecraft once sat is the coolest thing on earth" level) can be a bit lonely, and it was absolutely wonderful to finally meet people who share that with me. Bless you all, and see you all at MythosCon 2 (I paid the membership fee before leaving Phoenix...).

And once again, Scott and Ron, thanks for the kind words on my "eagle eye" and for the book!

> The feeling is mutual, Ron. It was nice to finally meet you and Scott in person -- not to mention
> Donald Sidney-Fryer, an incredibly nice man. And of course Wilum, and S. T., and Ken, and Steve,
> and a whole bunch of friends and famous people, some of whom I've met briefly before, some of whom
> I've only exchanged e-mails with.

I can only echo what Martin said. There is, indeed, not a whole lot of people in the world in whom words such as "the Van Wickle Gates" would ring any kind of bell, let alone in small non-Anglophone countries, so it was definitively most enjoyable to spend a few days in the company of like-minded individuals. Although the focus of the convention may have been Lovecraft, the Klarkashtonian sidelights were most welcome too -- and most appropriate, since one can hardly think of the one without the other.

It's freezing in Finland too, although thankfully not in the house... Next year, let's get even more people to attend!

Juha-Matti

Sorry Dr. Farmer, I should have realized that a trip of only (what, a thousand miles or so?) would be simply a short jaunt for you! This being the premier event (but not the last) perhaps the word was not spread around nearly as well as it undoubtedly will be in the future. You certainly would have fit in quite well and I now realize it would have been a welcome opportunity for you to see DSF, etc. once again. MythosCon was not as well attended as it might have been (one reason being the Jan 6-9 timeline was difficult for many people) but was still regarded as a definite success. (you can check out [mythoscon.org] )

Martin and Juha-Matti, what can I say? Travelling from Northern Europe to the Southern United States pretty much sums up your dedication to our small world of Weird/Horror literature . . . I can't see myself travelling to Europe for such a gathering, no matter who was in attendance!
-Ron

Hi everyone. Though I'm new in contributing to this forum, I've been reading the material with great interest the last few weeks and enjoying the discussions about the diets of CAS and HPL, the goings on with the fire at CAS's home and, of course, the ruminations about recent publications and the like. I live in Australia, but have family in the USA, so I too would like to know more about the Mythos Con. I might be able to doubleup a visit to family with the next one and so meet some of you. Cheers.

G'day, El'Khestor

I'm in Australia too. I hope you're not likely to get washed out in the near future.

Yrs

Phillip

P.S.: you should be able to get my email address from the site should you like to correspond with me.

Blog: The Cruellest Month -- [the-cruellest-month.blogspot.com.au]
Website: [www.phillipaellis.com]

Do you know Danny Lovecraft of P'rea Press? He and his wife came from Australia to attend the convention and we had a nice chat re: poetic forms, rhyme and metre. A really nice guy, he plans to visit northern CA before returning down under; Scott Connors and I will give him the Klarkash-Tonian tour of Auburn, California.
-Ron

Hi Ron. Yes, I met Danny recently at Aussiecon Four, and we've had some correspondence since. I envy his chance to go on the Klarkash-Tonian tour with Scott Connors and you. I have family in Washington State, so maybe the next time I visit them, I might get a chance to head down Auburn way.
Cheers
Earl

Just keep me posted and you'll be most welcome. I should warn you that most CAS related sites are no longer extant . . . but we can tour what remains. Old-town Auburn, the boulder and CAS plaque, and the Placer county library are all worth seeing; but the house where CAS was born is in danger of being demolished as well.
Keep your head above water!
-Ron

I appreciate the offer and will certainly keep you posted. Just to see what remains in Auburn would be a thrill. Is anything being done to try and stop the demolishing of the house? Surely the local council (is that the name for it in the USA) would be interested in helping preserve such an important part of their literary history. As for the floods here in Australia, I live in Victoria, a southern state. We're getting plenty of rain, but nothing like what Queensland, up north, has been getting. Three-quarters of the state has been declared a disaster area! My sister-in-law lives in a suburb of the capital city, Brisbane, and she and her family have had to move to higher ground. A few hours ago water was lapping at their driveway, and the peak hadn't hit yet. But at least they're safe. Thanks for your kind words.
Cheers, Earl

Best of luck. I hear that the rain's moving southwards, and that south and west New South Wales will be the next regions to be flooded. So it may well get worse for you in Victoria.

Phillip

Blog: The Cruellest Month -- [the-cruellest-month.blogspot.com.au]
Website: [www.phillipaellis.com]

Yes, you're right, Phillip, that the rains down here may cause some flash floods. Luckily, I'm in a suburb of Ballarat at the moment (on a writing retreat) which has had some heavy rain, but doesn't have a river that could overflow and flood the area. On the weekend, I return home to Melbourne, which again should be largely safe. Thanks for your concern, though.
Cheers, Earl