I could just say this was one of the best, most enjoyable, most entertaining sci-fi cons I've ever attended, and leave it at that. But you're probably expecting at least some kind of report on what happened during the con, and I've got to justify my expense account. So here's some info and a few anecdotes.

HISTORY
The Fourteenth Annual Gallifrey One convention was a salute to the 40^th anniversary of Doctor Who which premiered on the BBC in November 1963 as a children's science fiction series.

The show's grown up a bit since then. As have the fans of the Doctor. Today, the Doctor's adventures are kept alive by novels, short stories, comics and audios.

FIFTH & SIXTH
Peter Davison (the fifth actor to play the Doctor) and Colin Baker (the sixth) were Gallifrey One's Guests of Honor. On the first day, the two admirably entertained hundreds of fans with ninety minutes of humor and wit, recounting stories from their days playing one (two?) of the most popular figures in science fiction.

The two men were affable and approachable throughout the con, signing autographs, posing for photos and chatting with fans, showing why they remain sought after convention guests.

HELLO GOOD-BYE
Hi, Jill.
Hi, Tal.
Bye, Jill.
Bye, Tal.

That was the extent of my conversations with Jill Sherwin until her panel on Enterprise Monday morning. Prior to that we just kept passing each other in the hallways, always going in opposite directions. Gallifrey One is a small but very busy convention. There's always something going on.

YOU DID IT
David Gerrold is one of the reasons I became a writer. I loved his book on the making of Star Trek's The Trouble With Tribbles, which was one of the first books about writing that I read. I've had a wide variety of influences on my work, from Martha Foley to Stan Lee, John Steinbeck to Anais Nin, and a few others. It was nice to finally meet David and chat with him about the storytelling craft.

WRITERLY WOMEN
The One-On-One sessions were particularly enjoyable. These were small gatherings of about a dozen of so attendees with one or two of the guests. I sat in on the One-On-One with Lloyd Rose and Kate Orman. As I listened to them talking about their work, how they plotted stories and shaped ideas, my brain kept trying to send me a message. Finally the message got through: Smart women are sooooooooo sexy!

SO THAT'S WHO HE IS
I didn't recognize Paul Cornell when we were introduced. He's the creator of one of my favorite fictional females, Professor Bernice Summerfield. But I didn't know him when I saw him. Now I do. Hey, Paul! Bernice rocks!

SORRY MARV
I went on a rant during the comic book panel with Marv Wolfman and Len Wein. The state of comics is abysmal these days, in my humble opinion; superheroes, for example, are today mostly psychotic vigilantes rather than the symbols of truth and justice they once were. And should be. I took out my frustrations on Marv. More him than Len because Marv and I have talked before. Marv occasionally visits a comic book shop owned by a friend of mine and I've had occasion to chat with him there. Marv, and Len, I'm sorry for ranting during your panel.

THANKS KEITH
I was glad for the opportunity to chat with Keith Topping, something I very much wanted to do. I had to thank him because one of his books helped me sell one of mine. Keith authored a book about The West Wing that I was reading concurrent with working out the plot for my second novel. I realized I was writing what I latter called in my pitch "West Wing in space". That helped sell the idea, and I'm currently hard at work on that novel, the saga of an interstellar ambassador. So thanks, Keith. Hmm, I guess I should send a Thank You to Aaron Sorkin too.

BEST OF THE REST
Many other fine folks were present at the con including Celeste Yarnall, Virginia Hey, Herbert Jefferson, Jr. (of Battlestar Galactica), David Howe (publisher of the Telos Dr. Who novellas), Gary Russell (of Big Finish Productions, publishers of the Bernice Summerfield books), Brinke Stevens, Bob May (who played the robot on Lost In Space), Bill Blair (the alien actor), David McIntee, Jeff Conaway (of Babylon 5), Robert Trebor, Lars Pearson, Bill Baggs, Dale Smith and Andrea Thompson to name just a few.

David Whittam of Comeuppance Comics is publishing a comic book series featuring Miranda, a character from one of the Doctor Who novels. It's written and drawn by Lance Parkin and Allan Bednar.

Last but not least, I got to see my first Dr. Who fan video. This one was titled Paradise In Chains and starred Rupert Booth and Deborah Reilly. This was a re-edited (by Jon Blum) version of the video, I'm told. And I must say it was a nicely done production.

Please check out the links elsewhere on this page to find out more about the wonderful world of Doctor Who.

My thanks to Shaun Lyon and the con's organizers; I had a wonderful time and am looking forward to next year's convention.

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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 y, 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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