Brad Linaweaver facts for kids

Bradford Swain Linaweaver (born September 1, 1952 – died August 29, 2019) was an American writer, film producer, actor, and magazine publisher. He was known for his science fiction and fantasy stories. Over 40 years, he wrote many novels, short stories, and movie scripts.

Growing Up and School

Brad Linaweaver was born on September 1, 1952, in Washington, North Carolina. He was the only child of Melville and June Linaweaver. When Brad was six, his family moved near Orlando, Florida in 1958. His father worked in real estate there.

Brad went to public schools in Orange County. Later, he studied at Florida State University. He earned a special degree for writers from Rollins College. Even though he spent much of his career in Hollywood, he later moved back to his family's home in Apopka. His father had designed and built this home.

His Career

Writing About Ideas

In the late 1970s, when Brad was in college, he joined a group called Young Americans for Freedom (YAF). This group discussed different political ideas. Brad started writing and debating about these ideas.

His first national article, The Wish, was about why capitalism (a system where private businesses own things) might be better than socialism (a system where the government controls many things). This article was published in The New Guard magazine.

His writing caught the eye of William F. Buckley, Jr., a famous writer and founder of YAF. They became friends and wrote letters to each other for many years. Brad also wrote for Buckley's magazine, National Review.

Later, Brad found out that Ronald Reagan had even talked about The Wish on his radio show in 1976. Reagan praised Brad's article, saying, "How right he is!" Brad didn't know about this for decades. He wondered if knowing earlier would have changed his life. He chose to write science fiction and movie stories instead. He often put his ideas about freedom into his work. He once said he had been "getting libertarian messages into everything for a quarter of a century."

Making Movies

Brad Linaweaver started his film career in 1978. He wrote the original story for The Brain Leeches. This movie also helped start the career of director Fred Olen Ray. The Brain Leeches was made for only $298.00!

Brad worked with Fred Olen Ray on many projects. He wrote Jack-O and was an executive producer for Super Shark in 2011. He also wrote for other low-budget movies like The Boneyard Collection and Space Babes Meet the Monsters. Because of his work in independent films, Brad also had many small acting roles.

Science Fiction Stories

Brad's first published science fiction story was The Competitor in 1980. It was later turned into a radio play and a stage show.

Moon of Ice

His most famous work is Moon of Ice. It's an alternate history story. This means it imagines what might have happened if history had gone differently. In the book, Nazi Germany develops the atomic bomb first. They defeat the Soviet Union and Great Britain. But then they face a standoff with the United States, which uses its own atomic bomb to defeat Japan.

This book allowed Brad to explore different ways societies could work. It also looked into some of the lesser-known beliefs of the Nazi leaders. The story first appeared as a shorter version, called a novella. It was nominated for a Nebula Award in 1983. Brad then made it into a full novel. It won a Prometheus Award, which is given for stories about freedom. Famous writers like Robert A. Heinlein, Isaac Asimov, and Ray Bradbury praised the novel.

Other Books

Brad's novel Sliders was based on a TV show. In it, he explored ideas about communism, building on what he wrote in The Wish.

He also wrote The Land Beyond Summer. He co-wrote four Doom novels and three Battlestar Galactica novels. His book Anarquia imagined a different outcome for the Spanish Civil War. His first collection of short stories was called Clownface.

Brad wrote more than 50 stories that were published during his career.

Working with Others and Awards

In 1995, Brad wrote The Light That Blinds with Victor Koman. This story was about a magical battle.

His short story Unmerited Favor was in Mike Resnick's book Alternate Warriors in 1993. In 1998 and 2005, his stories And to the Republic For Which It Stands and A Good Bag appeared in Harry Turtledove's Alternate Generals collections.

In 2004, he wrote Worlds of Tomorrow with Forrest J Ackerman. This book showed amazing cover art from old science fiction magazines.

Brad won another Prometheus Award with Ed Kramer for editing Free Space. This was a collection of science fiction stories about freedom.

Several of his short stories, like The Lon Chaney Factory and Wells of Wisdom, received special mentions or nominations for awards.

Online Shows

Brad also wrote and produced online videos. One of these was the award-winning web series Silicon Assassin, which you can find on YouTube.

Publishing Magazines

Brad's many years in Hollywood led him to create a movie magazine called Mondo Cult. He was the publisher. The magazine featured stories and articles about his friends and contacts, including actors, writers, and other interesting people.

Heinlein's Special Cannon

Brad Linaweaver owned a small brass cannon that once belonged to the famous science fiction writer Robert A. Heinlein. Heinlein and his wife, Virginia Heinlein, got the cannon in 1964. This cannon later inspired Heinlein's novel The Moon is a Harsh Mistress.

For almost 30 years, firing this cannon was a tradition at the Heinlein home on July 4. After Virginia Heinlein died in 2003, she left the cannon to Brad. Brad fixed the cannon so it could be fired again. In 2007, he even posted a video of it being fired on YouTube.

His Passing

Brad Linaweaver passed away on August 29, 2019, at his home in Apopka, Florida. He was 66 years old and had cancer.