Ah, the science fiction convention. A place for the wonderful and the weird.
My kinda place. My kinda people.

It had been a while, quite a while, since I'd attended any such event and there could have been no better re-introduction for me than Gallifrey One's Thirteenth Annual convention at the AirTel Plaza hotel in Van Nuys, California. The fans, the staff, the stars, the guests, the volunteers, all were terrific.

One of the best experiences of the con for me was watching an episode of the Andromeda television show with not only a number of Andromeda fans, but with Jill Sherwin, who wrote the story for that episode. (Ethlie Ann Vare wrote the script from Jill's story.) The whole group must have laughed out loud a half dozen times at the episode; laughed with it and with Jill. It was one of the show's better episodes. Jill's also written books about Star Trek, and is preparing an Andromeda Episode Guide and Internet Guide that will soon be published by Lightning Rod Limited.

Gallifrey One is very much a writer's convention. Book and television writers such as Keith Topping, David Howe, Jim Swallow, Carleton Eastlake, Ethlie Ann Vare, Dave Stone, Marc Scott Zicree and Elaine Zicree were as sought after by fans as the actors who attended. The ranks of those talents included Anneke Wills, Frazer Hines, Carole Ann Ford, Virginia Hey, Gordon Michael Woolvett, Keith Hamilton Cobb, Bill Blair, Celeste Yarnall, Robert Trebor, Iona Morris, Richard Lynch, Maggie Stables and Judson Scott. I had the pleasure of chatting with a number of the writers and actors; very bright and talented people, these folks.

Of course there was a lot of merchandise for sale in the Dealer's Room. And I picked up quite a number of books to add to me ever growing collection. What can I say? I'm just a slut for books; I can't say no. Naturally I bought several Dr. Who novels, but also got hold of some Professor Bernice Summerfield titles as well as a couple of Modesty Blaise books. 

A brief word about Modesty Blaise if I may. (At least one dealer had MB books so I figure it's okay to talk about MB here. Besides, Modesty is one of my all time favorite characters.) MB creator Peter O'Donnell is an excellent action/adventure writer, not just of the MB books, but of the newspaper comic strip as well. One of the books sported a cover by MB's original comic strip artist, Jim Holdaway, who certainly ranks among the top ten comics artists of all time, in my book anyway. Just recently, Comics Revue, which features reprints of classic comic strips such as The Phantom, Gasoline Alley, Tarzan, Flash Gordon and Little Orphan Annie, began reprinting the very first run of Modesty Blaise strips by O'Donnell and Holdaway. If you like great comic strips you might want to check out Comics Revue.

Did I say "brief"? Oh, well; I can go on and on about subjects I like. So on that topic -- subjects I like -- let's get back to Dr. Who.

Anneke Wills, Frazer Hines and Carole Ann Ford told wonderful stories of their experiences as Dr. Who companions. They were exuberant and charming, and seemed to be having as much fun as their fans. The folks from companies creating new Dr. Who adventures such as Big Finish Productions and BBV were equally entertaining. And the new Dr. Who novellas from Telos Publishing promise something different for the good Doctor and his coterie of colorful companions. Publisher David Howe, along with writers Keith Topping and Dave Stone, spoke with much enthusiasm and delight regarding this new venture, and I think the novellas are definitely worth a look. 

This article itself is just a brief look at the Dr. Who convention told from my pointedly personal perspective, and I refer you to the links elsewhere on this page to find out more.

My thanks to Joy Thale for inviting me and for providing (most of) the photos for the article, and to the con's organizers, particularly Diana Dougherty and, of course, the hardest working man on Gallifrey, Shaun Lyon.

I'm looking forward to next year's event, Gallifrey One: Episode XIV - The Faction Paradox.

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