Step back inside The Science Fiction Factory, where host Mookie Spitz joins fellow indie author Greg Sorber as they transform vivid imagination into great storytelling. Recorded fresh off LA Comic Con 2025, this episode dives into what it means to build worlds, fight algorithms, and write science fiction without a corporate mothership.
Greg opens up about the making of his Mechhaven saga—a gritty space opera he describes as “Transformers meets Braveheart”—where 200 sentient robots struggle for peace, freedom, and identity on a faraway planet after galactic war. Mookie and Greg dissect the high-stakes life of indie authors: grinding out manuscripts nightly between day gigs, pitching from booths in underground artist alleys, and competing with algorithms and apathy for reader attention.
Together they explore:
- Why “a rising tide floats all indie boats” in the sci-fi underground.
- The trade-off between artistic control and traditional gatekeeping.
- How AI, fandom, and world-building are reshaping the future of storytelling.
- The real cost—financial and emotional—of chasing your own mythos.
From nostalgic Star Wars awakenings to deep talk on trauma, AI, and literary obsession, The Science Fiction Factory celebrates every dreamer soldering their imagination into the infinite verse. “It’s not just about robots or rockets,” says Greg. “It’s about creators who refuse to wait for permission to build their own worlds.”
Greg Sorber
"I’m a lifelong fan of science fiction, fantasy, and comic books. Some of my earliest memories are of Land of the Lost, Speed Racer, and The Six Million Dollar Man. Seeing Star Wars in the theater for the first time in 1977 was a life-changing experience. An avid reader from an early age, I’ve always loved books that engaged my imagination. Reading The Hobbit in 7th grade English class and writing a short story that same year set me down the path of becoming a writer. I live in Riverside, California with my family and two dogs."
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