Heartfelt Thank-you

[SRD]

I just wanted to post my sincere thanks to everyone who attended Elohimfest. You were all incredibly gracious! Readers like you make writing books as arduously as I do worthwhile. Usually when I do things "in public," I know deep in my heart that I'm wasting my time. But not on *this* occasion!

[Revan]

WOWOWOWOW!!!! OMG!!! Stephen! Glad to have you here on the Watch!

Thankyou for attending, though I did not.

[Edinburghemma]

yes, alas, alack. Next time hopefully...

[Revan]

Yes, I will be there hopfully next time Mr. Donaldson. I hope I will get to meet you. I've been told that you are an amazing guy by those that attended.

[Furls Fire]

Hail Creator!! I so wanted to be there, but my family needed me at home. You are very much appreciated here at the Watch. This place was brought about because we all love your writing!! I wanted to tell you that in person, how much I love reading your books and how much I'm looking forward to reading the new ones.

You Rock our world Mr. D!!!

Peace!!

Tracie

[matrixman]

Hey, what are we non-attendees doing here responding to SRD's message? He's speaking to the Elohimfesters!

[Furls Fire]

Just wanted him to know that even tho alot of us couldn't attend how much it still meant to us that he got to meet those lucky few that DID get to speak with him in person.

Besides...I was there in spirit!

[markjeffrey]

No thank YOU, SRD!!

I think I speak for all of us on the Watch when I say you have been MOST gracious in communicating with us in depth via the gradual interview, and in giving us a LOT of time at Elohimfest -- so much so, an audience of harcore Land-heads ran out of steam even before YOU did, and you threatened to start asking yourself questions. I haven't heard of another author of your stature doing such a thing before, and for us, it was very appreciated.

In fact, I think it even makes up for the generic form letter you sent me back when I wrote you when I was 13.

You said during the interview that "I don't get why you all would travel this far to see me, I mean, I'm just a guy ... " Yes Steve-o (may i call you Steve-o? ) you are, but you also are the guy who wrote the stories that blew all of us away more than any other author, living or dead. The chance to hang out with you like that, to see what the dude was like who came up with that stuff that affected us so deeply, was more than worth it. Your novels are deep in my psyche, i even remember the words of beginnings of chapters (Wounded Land, 'You are Mine', from memory, right now: 'RED AGONY spiked the center of Thomas Covenant's chest ... ').

What I'm trying to say is: What you do is IMPORTANT. It MATTERS, greatly, to everyone who was in that room (and on the Watch). We're out here, we truly love what you do, we trust you not to cheese out on us (we'll never see Ewoks, or Land equivalent (Ur-woks?) for example), because you obviously care deeply about quality and setting the bar higher and higher for yourself.

So THANK YOU. Now, get back to work. We want 'Revenant!'
- Mark

PS: Your daughter is very hilarious -- she is a rock star, and your girlfriend was gracious and fun as well. We liked them, and are all glad they came, tell them hello from us

[MsMary]

Wow, Mr. Donaldson, so exciting to see you post here at the Watch!

Wish I could have been at Elohimfest to meet you, but, alas, it was too far for me and my fellow-fan daughter, Foamy, to come.

Thank you for your wonderful writing! We have loved your books for years.

~MsMary~

[Earthblood]

I guess this is what happens when you inspire people!

Indeed, the "festers" are an incredible bunch , and we all wish we could have been there as well.

Thank you for being accessible and accomodating - it means a lot to all of us at KW that you participated and that you enjoyed the experience!

I have enjoyed your stories for many years & look forward to the new ones to come!!!

PS: Thanks for the autograph!!

Earthy

[___]

Mr. Donaldson, I truly hope to meet you at one of these gatherings, but I must admit that in the sense that you've already won me over, such a meeting will be a waste of your time.

[Cate]

Stephen Donaldson, you are the MAN! Most of us have read all your books, and in particular all the Chronicles of Thomas Covenant more than once, more than twice........There is just so much in your writings that one cannot seem to get enough or let go. We have to keep going back, because your words, your ideas, your stories speak to us ourselves, our lives, our world, and our secret inner "Land".
I'm going to quote myself, what I said on another post, which I want to give to you as my personal gift........
Stephen Donaldson has given me what no other writer ever has. You have connected many of the dots for me, and provoked my mind to deep thoughts, and spoke to my heart, as well as provided superior entertainment and enlightenment.
I remain just one of your many devoted fans,
Cate

[Durris]

ak-Haru Donaldson:

I regret extremely having had to miss Elohimfest. I still feel compelled to say here that the answers you've dreamed to the test of Despite have been indispensable to my own ongoing search for a reply to Corruption in "real" life: a reply made of an alloy less frangible than the Vow.

*bows, not at all fractionally*

[Fist and Faith]

Thank you, SRD, for this thread, for the chance to thank YOU! As Mark said, at one point, you were confused as to why we would travel such distances to meet you. At another, you said that you re-read the first two Chrons in preparation of writing the Last, and were surprised, thinking, "Hey! This guy's pretty good!" Well, that's why we would travel such distances! Pretty good, indeed!! Not just a well-crafted tale of some guy doing some thing somewhere, but a story that reaches into the depths of its readers' hearts, forcing them to beat faster, teaching them why they beat in the first place!!! How do we tell you what your works have meant to us? Maybe like this:

Swallowing heavily, Pitchwife murmered, "No words. There are none. Your scant human tongue is void-" Tears spread through the creases of his face, mapping his emotion.

But the First said for him, "All tongues, Giantfriend. All tongues lack such language..."

[A Gunslinger]

A very gracious Thanks to you, SRD for availing yourself to such a public function for fans you don't truly know.

Even though a vast majority of us who love your work as we do could not attend in person, we ALL attended by sharing the enjoyment of the experience of those who were indeed there. As a friend of yours once said, "Joy is in the ears that hear"!

Can't wait for Runes!

[caamora]

Well put, Fist.

Again, thank you very much, sir, for joining us. We all had a great deal of fun. It was important to us that you had a good time

Usually when I do things "in public," I know deep in my heart that I'm wasting my time.

and we wanted to make sure that it was not a waste. I am just happy that we succeeded.

I feel that we are a family here at the Watch. We wanted you to enjoy the warmth, humor, and affection that we have for eachother and see the appreciation we have of the wonderful gift of storytelling that you have given us.

[markjeffrey]

Oh yeah --
And tell Perry that my bracelet (the one she asked about) was actually one the heels of the Staff of Law -- it was part of my 'Vain costume' for Elohimfest

[kaseryn]

Honoured to have you here Mr Donaldson. Thanks for replying to my .. er.. eulogy on the GI

[Fist and Faith]

And don't worry, SRD, I'm going to have Vain change markjeffrey's name to Mark-o.


(somebody say it)

[michaelcov]

Mr. Donaldson,
You have indeed honoured us all.
...There are no words.......