Unknown Orbits is dedicated to discovering and promoting the Golden Age of Science Fiction, from Gernsback to Roddenberry. (1926 – 1966) Our scope will include short stories, novels, films, and television of the era. This podcast is a personal journey for us, giving us the opportunity to find stories we overlooked, rediscovering authors we loved long ago, and digging deep into the genre and its creators. We aim to share all of that with you, the listener.
Steve Reitci
I spent my early childhood in small-town Wisconsin before moving to Milwaukee in my teen years. Then in college I learned a lot about being funny while writing a humor column for three years. I’ve always leaned towards humor and satire, usually incorporating them into whatever I’m working on. Now that I think of it, most of my writing has been satire of one form or another, with science fiction or mystery elements added in.
I enjoy trying different forms of writing and expression, from plays and radio scripts to an autobiographical comic book. Until recently I’ve used pen names, but now I go only by my actual name – currently the only thing available under that name is The Daily Adventures of Henry the Dog. Though it is a collection of children’s stories about the dogs at a Doggie Daycare, it does have some satire in it. Kind of a lot, really.
When I was growing up, I enjoyed science fiction television and movies, and a few children’s series like Danny Dunn or Hugh Walters’ UNESCO series. My interest in adult science fiction in the form of short stories and the pulp magazines started the night a flooding basement and an emergency shuffling of storage revealed that my parents had three forgotten boxes of science fiction magazines from the 1950s. Those magazines eventually grew into a much larger collection of magazines and a desire to create my own science fiction.
Patrick Baird
I am the author of the Beatnik Spy paranormal espionage series, currently available on Amazon. I’ve also just published my first military science fiction novel: The Nowhere Navy. www.beatnikspy.com
I am a storyteller. The first short story I ever wrote, all the way back in the third grade, was a tale about a group of scientists visiting an island full of dinosaurs (many years before Michael Crichton stole the idea). The story ended with the scientists just escaping in the nick of time as an exploding volcano destroyed the island. The most important book I ever read was Tarzan at the Earth’s Core, not because it was a masterpiece of literature, but because it opened so many doors to me: planetary romance, swords and sorcery, high fantasy, historical fiction, spy stories, and so much more…
In my early days of childhood, I read as much science fiction as I could get my hands on. This included a lot of Ray Bradbury, Tom Swift, and science fiction anthologies. But as I entered my teen years, I moved away from science fiction into horror and fantasy, which continued on into my adult life. This project is providing me with a wonderful opportunity to reconnect with classic science fiction, introducing me to writers and stories I missed all those years.