S.A. McKenzie, writer

I am a New Zealand-based editor and writer of offbeat and blackly humorous science fiction and fantasy short stories featuring time traveling rabbits, carnivorous unicorns and pink werewolves, because someone has to speak up for these poor creatures. I lurk between the fault lines in the earthquake-ravaged ruins of the city of Christchurch/Otautahi. After surviving more than 12,000 aftershocks I am adept at estimating the exact magnitude of any quake based on the coffee spilled.

 

My first fantasy novel, Small Magics for the Traveling Wizard was published by Cloaked Press at the end of 2025.

 

I've had over twenty-five short stories published, varying in length from drabbles to a novelette. The full list can be found here.

 

I also maintain a list of speculative fiction magazines that publish short fiction.

 

Anthologies I have participated in can be found on my Amazon page

 

When not writing, I work as a a freelance editor

 

You can find me on:

Instagram and Threads: @hedgehogcircus

BlueSky: @samckenzie.bsky.social

 

or use the form below to contact me.

 

You can subscribe to my newsletter at the bottom of the page.

 

*I do not consent to AI/large language learning models making use of my website content.

 

Small Magics for the Traveling Wizard

By S.A. McKenzie

From Cloaked Press

 

Pax is going on an adventure… whether she wants to or not.

 

Her elderly master is fixated on finding a (probably imaginary) ancient artifact, and he’s determined to drag Pax along on this wild goose chase, accompanied only by a sarcastic badger and that flirty bard who appeared at a suspiciously convenient moment.

 

Pax is just biding her time until she can slip away to search for her long-lost family, but every twist in the road keeps pulling her back in, and as the little band of adventurers grows, everyone keeps expecting her to take the lead—and she’s never been responsible for anything!

 

It’s going to take all the small magics she can muster to fend off an array of oversized wildlife, mythical creatures, and far too many walking corpses.

 

Buy Now from Amazon

 

A lovely review of Small Magics from S.J. Pratt