History That Never Was

Home of Dawn Vogel: Writer, Historian, Geek

Review of Claiming T-Mo by Eugen Bacon

| July 31, 2019

I’ve been a reading machine lately, and my first of several reviews is up at MSJ today! Claiming T-Mo is a wonderful speculative fiction, multi-generational novel involving otherworldly beings and family relationships. You can read my review here or check out the book (out on August 13) here!

Nineteenth Century Pageantry in Unfixed Timelines

| July 30, 2019

In nineteenth-century America, pageantry became “a thing.” Many of the pageants had backgrounds in nativism and nationalism, and others delved into racist and classist origins as well. But in spite of (or perhaps because of) heir origins, they can be a fascinating look at American culture in that time period. They’re also FULL of all […]

Off on an Adventure!

| July 29, 2019

We’re off on an adventure at the moment, so I don’t have any writing advice to offer this week. I’m looking forward to a little time off from writing and to be reenergized when I’m back!  

Fun For Friday: August 2019 Writing Prompts

| July 26, 2019

It’s nearly August, so it’s time for the August writing prompts! I’m doing something a little different this month–three words for every day! The third column of words contains the prompts I posted last August, while the other two come from other sources. I’m doing a writing challenge in August, and my plan is to […]

Release Date for Denizens of Distant Realms

| July 25, 2019

Denizens of Distant Realms, my next collection of short stories, will be out on August 20, 2019! It will be available in ebook and print formats, featuring a cover by the awesome Leigh Legler, who jumped at the opportunity to draw me some fantasy critters! Leigh was able to get me a quick sketch of […]

What I’m Reading, Watching, and Listening To, Late July 2019 Edition

| July 24, 2019

Reading: A whole lot of books for review–trying to get through three books between a couple of flights for vacation! Watching: We remembered that we hadn’t seen Daredevil Season 3 yet, so we put Jessica Jones on hold to finish up Daredevil first. I’ve also started watching Reign on my own. Listening To: Mamamoo has been our latest K-pop […]

Minimal Powers for Maximum Potential

| July 23, 2019

When I originally wrote “Fortissimo Possibile,” it was for a specific anthology call that wanted stories of super heroes with minimal or “useless” powers. But even the most minimal of powers can actually be useful–it’s just all in the way they’re applied. At first glance, Leila, the main character of “Fortissimo Possibile” is a divorced […]

Anthropology and World Building

| July 22, 2019

There are many ways in which anthropological studies can help authors with their world-building. This lengthy and detailed review of a book about anthropology includes many bits of information that an author could use when they’re considering questions of worldbuilding, including cultures, learning, and more!  

Fun for Friday: The Canons of Etymology

| July 19, 2019

When you run across a word that’s really interesting, but you can’t find anything about its etymology, what do you do? Check out these seven canons of etymology for some ideas on how to approach it! While the internet provides etymologies for plenty of words, sometimes it’s fun to try to sort one out yourself, […]

Teenage Witches in Volatile Figments

| July 18, 2019

Sometimes, the inspiration for one of my stories comes from a meme. There was a meme going around a while ago (which, of course, I can’t find now) that said something along the lines of, “sure, everyone wants me to have school spirit, but when I summon spirits in the gym, that’s going too far.” […]