It’s been a heckuva week! First, and relevant to the usual content here, Gallifrey One announced last Friday that their headline guest for the 2023 convention would be none other than Jodie Whittaker herself!
That’s quite the feather in Gally’s cap! Not only will it be Whittaker’s first-ever dedicated Doctor Who convention (we’re going to set her standards high), but it’s amazingly fast turn-around between final on-screen appearance and first convention appearance—less than four months! She’s also only the second modern-era Doctor to appear at Gally.
I had thought three years ago that I was getting spoiled by Gallifrey One’s excellent connections in the Doctor Who scene when they brought Christopher Eccleston to LA. (And, indeed, I was.) He had been notoriously hesitant to take part in the convention circuit at all, so when Gally brought not only its first modern-era Doctor, but a somewhat reluctant one at that, I didn’t think that feat could be topped.
But here we are.
I honestly have no idea how they managed to pull it off. Perhaps the fact that she has a new baby (a quick internet search tells me the child was born in late May) has opened up her work schedule enough that she could get in a convention or two before returning to a set. Whatever the case, I can hardly believe my good fortune that I get to meet the Thirteenth Doctor herself.
To add to the excitement, one of my kids will be coming with me. As one might expect in a household with twins, anything that isn’t completely balanced between the two feels “unfair.” Although Gally Kiddo had chosen to come with me this year because she had to miss out on a state-level event, none of us had any idea who the headliner would be. Understandably, State Event Kiddo is feeling mightily envious of her sister’s good fortune. It’s a hard line for me to walk as a mom, but I’m sure we’ll find a workable balance in the end.
On another note completely, this week has been exciting for me because I learned that the first story I’ve ever sold would be published this week—today, as a matter of fact—online in Nature: Futures. (I write fiction under a pen name, Rachelle Wright, in part to keep it somewhat distinct from my work here.) I hope this is the first of many, but for now, at least, it is enough that I have a published story. It’s a short read, so I hope some of you will take a look, and perhaps even enjoy it.
It seems so rare in these past couple of years to have so much upbeat news in such a short span (or at all?), so I’m doing my best to savor it. Whether Doctor Who-related or personal, it feels good to be able to celebrate something again. I hope my readers find something to celebrate this week, too.