This morning I’m off at a ridiculous time of day (at “the sparrow’s fart,” as some Brits and Aussies might say) to haul my carcass across the continent to Los Angeles for my annual pilgrimage to Gallifrey One. Every year, though there are obviously common elements, the con is its own unique experience. For me, at least, every single one (this will be my seventh!) has been wonderful.

I haven’t been to a whole lot of cons—there’ve been three, maybe four different venues I’ve attended since my first-ever con at Gally 2012—so I don’t have an extensive base from which to draw comparison. But there’s something special about Gally that I’ve not yet found anywhere else. It has an energy about it, a warmly friendly, familial atmosphere that makes one—makes me—feel instantly at home.

Aside from seeing all my many friends (which is, let’s be real, the most important part of Gally for me now, and has been since my second, or possibly third, year), there are several things I’m especially looking forward to this year:

• • To begin, Rob Shearman, writer of the fabulous Ninth Doctor episode Dalek, is one of the guests. Last time he was at Gally, we’d made noises about getting together over a drink to chat. That never quite panned out, but I’m hoping still to get that opportunity. Meanwhile, I will at the very least have the chance to see him in a small group setting, as I scored myself a seat in the Kaffeeklatsch with Rob and Peter Anghelides, another writer whose credits include several Doctor Who universe novels, short stories, and audio adventures.

• • Last year I skipped the cosplay. Many of my friends with whom I’ve group cosplayed before couldn’t make it, and I was feeling a bit burnt out, with nothing really inspiring me on the costume front. This year, I’ve put together a femme Seventh Doctor that I’m really looking forward to putting all together for the first time on Saturday.

• • Speaking of the Seventh Doctor, both Sylvester McCoy (Seven) and Sophie Aldred (Ace) will be guests this year. Although I’ve seen both of them before, I’ve not seen them together. And since they are my daughters’ favorite Classic era TARDIS team to date, I’m hoping to bring home a little something special for them.

• • Another headliner guest this year is Stephen Moffat. Although I have some bones to pick with a few (okay, maybe a lot) of the writing choices he’s made over the years, I still found a lot of his stories very enjoyable, and I appreciate what he has done overall for the show. I’m looking forward to seeing him on stage and meeting him in person.

• Oh, yes—I’m on a panel again this year. Scheduled for Friday at 5pm, “Time Travel, TV Tropes, and the Suspension of Disbelief” will talk about viewers’ various breaking points. What are you willing to roll with, and what throws you right out of a story? I’m really looking forward to bringing both my fiction-writing and astrophysics backgrounds to this panel.

So that’s the overview. I’ll post again on Saturday morning with my recap of the con to date, from the Thursday night Ice Cream Social and LobbyCon through Friday night’s activities. Until then, I wish everyone safe travels and a great con!

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