Today, we meet Juneta Key, author of Raising Magic in the Space Wizards short story anthology.
Welcome Juneta! So happy to interview you today! Let’s dive in!
1. Was there a moment while writing your Space Wizards story when everything suddenly ‘clicked’?
Well, normally I am an under-writer, meaning I have trouble with anything over 2,500 to 3,000 words. This story, I doubled the word count goal. I created a series world; oh no, this is supposed to be a short story around 4,000 to 6,000 words. What do I do? I decided to build the story around the father–daughter theme as focus rather than plot or world building, which there was plenty of. Could I make this a satisfying short read? Despite the fact that it’s set up for a continuing series? I’ll let you be the judge. It clicked once the story was centered on the theme.
2. How would you describe your writing style to someone who’s never read your work?
My writing blends wonder, mystery, adventure and heart with a touch of humor. I love exploring the complexity of human nature through speculative fiction, whether I’m writing about grumpy old gods, midlife heroines, star-traveling wizards, ghosts, or ordinary people discovering they are capable of extraordinary things.
At its core, my work is character-driven. I’m fascinated by the choices people make, the stories they tell themselves, and the moments that transform them into heroes, anti-heroes, villains, or something beautifully in between. Relationships matter deeply in my stories—family, found family, friendship, romance, loyalty, and betrayal often sit alongside magic, mystery and adventure.
Readers can expect evocative settings, mythic undertones, emotional journeys, and a sense of discovery. I enjoy balancing wonder with humor, hope with loss, and the extraordinary with the familiar. Even in stories filled with ghosts, ancient powers, or spaceships, I want readers to recognize something true about themselves and the people around them.
If I had to describe my style in a few words, I’d call it evocative, mythic, adventurous, a little magical, and somewhat humorous—with plenty of heart.
3. What themes do you seem to return to, whether you mean to or not?
Whether I intend to or not, I seem to return again and again to stories about belonging, identity and transformation.
My characters are often searching for where they fit in the world, discovering who they truly are, or learning to embrace parts of themselves they once feared, denied or misunderstood. They are frequently outsiders, people carrying old wounds, hidden legacies, difficult choices, or responsibilities they never asked for.
Found family appears repeatedly in my work. I am drawn to stories about collecting your people, creating community, and discovering that family is not always defined by blood, but by love, loyalty, and the people who choose to stand beside us.
Another theme I revisit is resilience—the idea that, even after loss, betrayal, grief or failure, people can rebuild themselves and create something meaningful from what remains. My stories often ask what survives after everything changes and whether we can become stronger, wiser, and more compassionate because of what we’ve endured.
I also find myself exploring the power of stories, memory and legacy. I am fascinated by the myths we inherit, the stories we tell ourselves, and how those narratives shape who we become.
Ultimately, I write about hope. Even when my stories venture into darkness, mystery or heartbreak, I return to the belief that healing is possible, connection matters, and there is still magic to be found in living.
The questions are unconsciously woven into every story I write because I ask them of myself.
Who am I really?
Where do I belong?
Who are my people?
What do I do with the wounds I carry?
Can I become something more than what happened to me?
How do we keep hope alive when the world changes around us?
4. What is one fact about you that might surprise people?
I live in a nursing home as of 2024; I was 61, but my mind still thinks I’m 30. I still dream like I’m 25 if being honest.
5. Are you a hoarder collector of anything?
Clears throat, ah…Star Wars.
6. What’s one habit or quirk that sneaks into all your writing?
A funny or lovable side character or sidekick.
7. Do you plan everything in advance, or discover the story character?
Pantsy most the way, but I’m a linear writer. Sometimes I check structure to gain insight and ideas.
8. How did your story idea originally begin – as a joke, an image, a question?
A wizard with a pointy hat, as a side character, while looking at the anthology theme and cover.
9. What do you hope readers feel when they finish your story?
That they want more, but are satisfied. Would like to spend more time with the characters.
10. Which character (if any) surprised you the most while writing?
Kelerii, or maybe Hapster, who was tiny, but mighty.
11. Be honest: wizard hat – yes or no? Why/why not?
Yes. I love it. It’s humorous, quirky, and holds authority in a magical world. I see them as kind of wizard ceremony hats.
12. Star Trek or Star Wars and why?
STAR WARS: It’s space opera, it’s about family, fighting the darkness and embracing it. BUT I love Star Trek too; seen every series and still watching. This is society as a whole, not one family’s effect on the galaxy.
13. Are you a Firefly fan? Why/why not?
Yes. Love the whole concept. They describe it as a space western, with a renegade crew and quirky characters right up my alley. I liked Serenity too, the sequel.
Buy Space Wizards from Barnes & Noble, Apple, Kobo and PubShare.
Prepare to be spellbound by this (mostly) light-hearted short story anthology offering a blend of science fiction and fantasy with one common theme: wizards and outer space. Imagine a galaxy in which magic is fused with machine, luxury space cruises run by cyborgs are the norm and familiars are a little… different.
Join the adventures of a powerful space wizard during wartime, a young wizard-in-training with her griffon familiar, and a time-travelling biker wizard who accidentally ends up in the future – well, sort of. Let’s not forget the caustic robot familiar cat, a faulty 3D printer causing magical havoc, spells gone wrong, space pirates, and a junior contract analyst who experiences a series of inexplicable, extremely inconvenient events as a result of a strange cube his team recovered as space debris.
That’s not all! A quantum conjuring that violates the laws of thermodynamics – check. A wizard in a Wild West-type setting – check. An ancient maths book that might hold the key to immortality – check. An adrenaline junkie smuggler and a daring rescue – check. Add an intergalactic circus with a shifty shifter, a bioship giving birth under dire circumstances and a moulting wyrmling with the potential to explode planets, and you have an anthology that is sure to enchant you until the last word and beyond.
Juneta Key is a Texan living in Florida who writes speculative fiction filled with magic, adventure, mystery, romance, and the wonderfully complicated nature of people.
She loves writing about space opera, fantasy, paranormal women’s fiction, grumpy old gods, strange worlds, unlikely heroes, and the choices that turn ordinary people into legends. Her stories often blend humor, mythology, mystery, and heart while exploring the shadows and strengths that make us human—whether the characters are human, magical, alien, or something in between.
She is a published author, co-owner and senior editor of Stormdance Publications, and an administrator for the Insecure Writer’s Support Group.
She is a story development coach and craft teacher.
Juneta is currently working on her planned six-book paranormal women’s fiction series, Midlife Ghostwalker: Katje Storm.
Readers can join her fiction subscription on Ream for early access to Katje Storm stories, exclusive fiction, behind-the-scenes updates, sneak peeks, and a front-row seat as the series unfolds.
Readers can join her fiction subscription on Ream for early access to Katje Storm stories, exclusive fiction, behind-the-scenes updates, sneak peeks, and a front-row seat as the series unfolds.
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